Chapter 9

Bridget left the dining room when the dance music started thumping again. After the cake and the speeches, Ben and Larissa ran off to their limo. They rode away to their honeymoon, while Tommy and Sheila and all the young people and even some of the oldsters busted a move on the dance floor. No one could hear themselves think, much less speak.

Bridget’s dress started to chafe. She had to change. She headed for her room, but she paused at the door to watch the sun go down over the garden. She hadn’t seen Roy since his speech. He got up to refill his champagne glass and didn’t come back to their table.

Bridget waited for him for more than half an hour. What the deuce did she have to wait for him for? Didn’t she tell him their quickie in the closet was nothing more than that? She told him, and that’s what it was. She didn’t have to wait for him. She didn’t even want to see him.

The music changed from the raucous racket, and high-pitched guitar strained through the still air. A voice made her spin around. “May I have this dance?”

She found herself looking at Roy. “What’s the point of that? Why do you keep chasing after me when I already told you I didn’t want to take this any further?”

He shrugged. “I’m not chasing you. I just asked you to dance. That’s all.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you sure that’s all it is?”

He held up his hand. “Scout’s honor.”

She snorted. “You were never a Boy Scout. I’m sure of that.”

He only smiled and held out his hand. She glared at him. Why did he have to be so infuriatingly persistent? The song was half over. If she was going to do this, she better do it now. “I don’t think this is a good idea. You better forget about me.”

“I’m not thinking about you. You’re just the only woman here I can dance with. That’s all I’m saying. I’m not asking for a lifetime commitment the way you seem to think I am.”

He still held out his hand in front of her. Should she take it? Should she find shelter in his arms one more time? Her resolve weakened, but just as she started to lift her hand to take his, the music changed again. It started singing YMCA. Roy let his hand drop. She’d missed her chance. Her heart sank into her shoes. Now he would walk away, and he would never ask her to dance again. Her bright idea bit her in the ass.

He didn’t walk away, though. He raised his voice above the music. “Come to my room.”

Her head shot up. “What for?”

He didn’t answer. He inclined his head toward the lobby and walked away. She stared at him. What did he mean by that? Go to his room? She would have to be daffy to do that. She just said no. She turned down his offer to dance. She wouldn’t find anything she wanted back in his room.

He didn’t look back. He ducked behind a potted plant, and the hotel swallowed him up. Would she ever see him again? All the guests would leave for their homes tomorrow morning. She might see Roy with Ben sometimes, but she would never get another opportunity to spend any time with him. She would never get another experience like she got in the closet.

Her body ached for more of that. Did she really want to look back on this experience with nothing but the broom closet to show for it? She threw caution to the wind and hurried after him.

She found him waited in front of the elevator. She stopped to confront him when the elevator doors opened with a ping. He didn’t hesitate. He took her hand and escorted her in.

The doors closed, but he didn’t let go of her hand. He didn’t speak or try to kiss her or do any of the millions of things she thought he might do. He stood still while they rode up into the hotel.

The doors whooshed open, and they stepped out into the hall. Bridget snapped alert. She pulled her hand out of his. “I better not do this. You go ahead. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He rounded on her with that calm, clear expression in his face. No smoldering sex machine here. “You won’t see me in the morning, Bridget. If you say no, you’ll never see me again. I can promise you that.”

She stared at him. “You’ll still be working with Ben.”

“Yes, I’ll still be working with Ben, but you won’t see me. I’ll make sure of it. Ben will continue to benefit from our acquaintance, but I won’t bother you.”

“You’re not bothering me.”

“No. I’m asking you to come to my room for the night. I’m asking you to spend one last night with me. You want it and I want it. This could be our last and only night together. That’s all I’m asking, but if you keep saying no, I’ll accept it. I won’t ask again.”

She stood rooted to the spot. She wanted it and he wanted it. Of-course she wanted it. She wanted more of that wild, orgasmic sex she had in the closet, only this time in the comfort of his hotel room. She wanted his body and his hands and his mouth. This could be their last and only night together. Those words burned a hole in her soul. How could she turn her back on that? She wasn’t marrying him.

She met his eyes, but he didn’t wait for her to answer. He put out his hand the way he offered to dance with her. “Come on. Come with me.”

They were dancing—nothing more. They moved around each other and came apart. They went off to dance with someone else, and neither held on tight enough to get hurt.

This time, she put out her hand and let him grasp it. She followed him down the hall and into his room. He closed the door behind him.

Bridget strode into the room and gazed out the windows at the land rolling beyond the resort. The setting sun bathed the scene in soft pastel light. Her eyes softened at the sight. In less than twelve hours, she would return to her old life, her old self, her old routine. Nothing would remain of this weekend interlude.

Out of nowhere, soft jazz music filled the air. She looked over her shoulder to see Roy bent over the radio. He adjusted the knobs, and the delicate strains cast their spell over the room. He came up behind her and took her hand. “Come on.”

“What are you doing?”

“We didn’t get our dance downstairs, so we’re having it here.”

She looked around. “You want to dance…here? I thought you wanted to…”

He cocked his head. “You thought what? I didn’t bring you here to rip you to pieces. I told you I want to spend the night with you. I want to have a nice time with you.”

She couldn’t answer. She could only melt into his arms. The gentle music relaxed her tensions, and they swayed together in front of the window. One tune blended into the other, but neither pulled away. They kept dancing, locked in an eternal embrace.