CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Do Not Disturb
We put the drinks on my room tab and left the bar in a hurry. As we waited for the elevator, he took my hand. His palm felt sweaty against mine. Here in the brighter light of the lobby I noticed things I hadn’t seen earlier. There was uncertainty written in the lines of his face, a nervousness in the set of his jaw. I silently vowed to do my best to erase those lines, whether it took one night or the rest of our lives.
The sight of the closed elevator door brought to mind our first encounter, the day he’d snubbed me at the junket. A thought suddenly occurred to me. “The first time I saw you at the Four Seasons, you were talking to Sophie on the phone, weren’t you?” It was more of a statement than a question.
He gave me an apologetic look. “You can understand why I wouldn’t want a reporter in that elevator.”
“Wow. I had no idea.” I’d been so quick to judge him. I made a silent promise to give him the benefit of the doubt from now on.
“That was before I knew you, “ he said. “Now I’d be happy to share an elevator with you anytime.”
Right on cue, the door opened. He squeezed my hand as we stepped inside. I pushed the button for the 9th floor and we stood motionless, still holding hands as the door closed again. As soon as elevator began to ascend we crashed into each other, a frenzy of lips and limbs colliding with equal force. He held my face in his hands and kissed me again and again, making up for lost time. I pressed back, matching his enthusiasm kiss for kiss. Our tongues played together, a happy reunion. It felt incredible. If my life up to that point were a movie, this would be the part I’d rewatch the most. We were still lip-locked when the door opened and nearly missed our floor.
We reluctantly untangled ourselves and stumbled down the hall to my room, giddy from the champagne and anticipation. He stood behind me as I swiped the keycard, his impatient mouth and hands distracting me so much I had to swipe a few times to get the green light. There was no time for lingerie. As soon as I closed the door, he had me up against it, kissing me harder than ever. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He steadied me as I reached up to get my top over my head without letting go.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he said into my ear, then kissed me again.
“Me too,” I mumbled against his lips.
He carried me to the bed, his mouth scarcely leaving mine. When he had me laid out before him he made his way down to my stomach, pausing to get rid of his sweater and undershirt. Then he was back at my waist, unfastening my jeans and peeling them off, along with my underwear, in one fluid movement. A draft from the air-conditioning vent hit my bare legs and made me shiver.
Soon the feeling was surpassed by a new sensation: the course friction of his unshaven cheeks between my thighs. I raised my arms, enjoying the luxurious feeling of the Egyptian cotton bedding beneath me, expertly turned down by the hotel maid, and Nick’s satin tongue inside me. I clutched at the sheets as my hips bucked with accelerating fervor. He slipped his hands underneath my arched back — my skin had become slick with sweat despite the cool air — and drew me closer to him. My fingers wound their way through his hair, showing him the tempo I needed. I threw my head back and let out a soft cry that sounded a lot like his name as he brought me to the edge, then over it, the pleasure almost more than I could bear.
He came back up to my level licking his lips, and said, “God, you’re amazing.”
His unmistakable arousal made me feel confident and wanton. I gave him a devilish grin and rolled him over so I could remove his pants. “You’re not so bad yourself,” I purred. Then I climbed on top of him and unhooked my bra. He moaned in approval.
We made love slowly, purposefully, hands clasped, eye contact never breaking. There were murmured vows of love and promises made, both silently and aloud. As I came undone once more I knew we would never let anything come between us again. Whatever the future had in store for us, we would face it together.
The next morning we ordered room service and ate breakfast in bed on heavy plates with silver domed covers. He plucked the daisy from the vase on the portable table next to the bed and gave it to me. I put it behind my ear and he bobbed his head in approval.
“I’m really glad you came,” he said, unaware of the obvious double entendre that struck the immature part of my brain. I let out a giggle in between bites of crisp maple bacon.
“Such a dirty mind,” he said, not disapprovingly, and placed a kiss on my bare shoulder.
“I’m having the best time,” I said, sighing dramatically as I fell back into the mountain of white pillows piled up against the headboard. “I don’t ever want to leave this bed.”
“That’s too bad, because I was going to ask if you’d be up for a field trip today.” He poured himself a cup of coffee from a sturdy pewter pot.
“What kind of field trip?”
“Now, don’t say no right away. But I was thinking . . . Seattle.”
I sat up in the bed. It wasn’t an easy task with all the pillows. “You want to drive to Seattle? Today?”
“It’s only a two and a half hour drive. I could show you where I grew up.” He paused and sipped his coffee, drawing out the next part, the real reason for this excursion. “And, if you’re up for it, maybe you could meet Sophie?”
“Wow. That’s a big step.” I handed him my cup and he filled it, studying me carefully.
“If you’re not ready I understand.”
“No, I want to.” It was the truth. She was a part of Nick’s life and I could tell it was important to him. That wasn’t the reason why I was hesitant. “Does that also mean meeting her grandparents?”
“Uh, yeah,” he said. He scratched his head, further disheveling his bed-tossed hair. “That’s kind of my secondary motive. I thought it was time to bury the hatchet. For Sophie’s sake. Once you meet them you’ll see. They’re not bad people. They want what’s best for her. We agree on that, at least.”
“When do we leave?” I said, smiling to mask my apprehension. His face brightened and suddenly I wasn’t thinking about Seattle or Sophie or her grandparents anymore.
He placed his cup and mine on the table and pulled me to him. We snuggled back down into the bed, facing each other. “We can leave after breakfast. I’ll let them know we’re coming. ” He caressed my face with the back of his hand, then kissed me deeply. He tasted like coffee, but I didn’t mind. “For now, though, let’s get something straight. Rumor has it there is lingerie somewhere in this room. Care to comment, Miss Ferris?”