Not even one of mine.
Chapter 8
Ethan
The elevator glides up so smoothly I can’t feel the floor moving. That alone makes me uneasy. Give me a snowmobile on black ice. Give me a shaky suspension bridge. Give me a cliff edge in a windstorm. But this quiet, floating luxury box? No thank you.
I stand beside Harper, trying to pretend I belong here, even though everything from my boots to my blood pressure says otherwise.
She smells like something exotic, but soft. No, not thinking about that … not right now. The doors open onto the top floor, and the hallway is all golden lighting, soft carpet, polished wood. My cabin could fit inside this hallway.
“This way,” I say, even though she already knows where we’re going. I just need to talk before I spontaneously combust.
We stop in front of the Honeymoon Suite door. Even the keycard slot looks expensive. Harper fidgets with her purse strap. “Um … do you want to … go in first? Or should I?”
Her cheeks are pink. Mine probably are too.
“Go ahead.” My voice comes out rough.Why did I do that?
She swipes the key and pushes the door open. The room hits me like a punch in the jaw. It’s definitely for honeymooners with the fireplace glowing. There’s a king-sized bed covered in rose petals. Champagne chilling on a tray. Candles everywhere like some sort of mating ritual.
I physically take a step back.
“This is …” Harper breathes, eyes wide.
“A lot,” I finish. Too much. Way too much.
I set our suitcases near the bed and eye a plush chair that probably costs more than my truck.
Harper turns to me. “So … what do we do now?”
I blink. “What do we do?”
Her face goes crimson. “I didn’t meanthat.I meant, like … do we start unpacking? Do we talk? Do we look at the itinerary? Should we — I don’t know — turn on the TV?”
“I don’t watch TV,” I say bluntly.
She blinks. “You don’t?”
“Cable is expensive,” I say. “Internet too. Streaming? Forget it. A subscription to something called ‘PeriPlus’ tried to charge me twelve dollars a month for videos of a British man cooking eggs. I canceled immediately.”
Harper presses her lips together hard. Damn, she’s trying not to laugh.
“And Wi-Fi?” I continue, because now I’m committed. Absolute scam. The whole thing’s a racket. You pay monthly and then they throttle your speeds unless you buy an upgrade, and then they charge you fees for equipment you didn’t even ask for.”
A snort escapes her. A small one, but it’s there. She covers her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.”
“It’s fine.”
It’s more than fine. I would willingly rant about ten more unnecessary bills if it means she makes that sound again.
She takes a breath. “Okay. How about unpacking?”
“Sure,” I say. “Unpacking is … good.” Except it’s not. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
She kneels beside her suitcase and unzips it. The lid opens — And everything bursts out. Clothes spill onto the plush rug.
Sweaters. Leggings. A silky something. And two delicate lace panties that land directly at my feet.
