Daisy waited by the vinyl-covered bench on the opposite wall. I offered her a reassuring grin that everything would be settled soon.
Ten minutes later, I knew I was in trouble.
“Did you get a room?” Her hopeful smile lit up her whole face.
“They’re booked. Thanks to the reunion tour and a couple of huge conferences, every hotel within a twenty-mile radius is booked solid.”
“You’ve got to be joking.” Her smile slid while her eyes widened. “What am I going to do?”
I had an idea, but I was reluctant to mention it. Seeing her lips turn into a frown and the tears threaten had me blurting it out. “You can stay with me tonight if you want. Tomorrow you can meet up with your friends.”
Time stretched while I waited for her to shoot me down.Please, shoot me down.I wasn’t ready to spend the entire night knowing she was in the same room.
“I don’t want to impose.” Hesitating, she bit down on her bottom lip.
I tried not to focus on her mouth. Damn, thinking about the things that woman could do with those full lips would keep me up all night long. “It’s not imposing. I have to be up early to head back to the venue anyway. We’ll barely be in the room together.”
“If you’re sure…”
I wasn’t sure, but I pasted on a half-smile and tried to convince both of us. “Come on. Let’s get your stuff up to the room then we can bring Growler back down to do a doodle and grab something quick for dinner. What do you say?”
A slight nod of her head sealed my fate. She followed me to the small elevator, and we rode up to the ninth floor in silence.
“Nine’s my lucky number.” Daisy got off the elevator with a little spring in her step. “You being on the ninth floor must be a sign.”
I chuckled as I pulled out my key. “You believe in that kind of stuff?”
“Of course. Don’t you?”
The lock on the door turned green, and I held it open for her to enter the room first. “Nah. But I’ll tell you what I do believe… that I’m probably the most unlucky guy you’ll ever meet.”
“Why do you say that?” She stepped into the dark room.
“I think I was cursed as a baby.” My tone teased, but I was serious. I’d never met anyone who’d had a lifelong streak of bad luck like me. Though Daisy sure seemed to be having a hell of a run today.
“We’ll have to come up with some sort of ritual to lift your curse then.” Her hand patted the wall in search of the light switch.
Our fingers found it at the same time. That damn spark I’d felt earlier returned. Touching her shouldn’t make me feel like a high school kid with a crush, but it did. I flipped the switch then pulled my hand back. Light from the bedside lamps filled the room. At least someone had come in and made up the bed. Still, the lack of ambience had to be a disappointment considering Daisy had expected to stay in a suite at The Magnum.
“Oh.” Her hand went to her chest. Growler did what he did best and let out a low warning growl.
“I know it’s not much compared to The Magnum, but?—”
“It’s not that.” She set the dog down on the worn carpet.
“What is it then?” I braced myself for her answer. From what I’d learned about her so far, she was used to a certain class ofliving. This was probably the first time she’d stepped foot in a two-star hotel.
She turned to me, her chin tipped up, her eyes a little wider than before. “There’s only one bed.”
I almost burst out laughing at her reaction, but I stifled the chuckle before it wrangled its way through my chest. “Yeah. Because I prefer not to have my feet hanging off the end of a double.”
“But where am I supposed to sleep?”
“Sweetheart, you can sleep wherever you want. I told you I won’t touch you. If you want to build a pillow wall between us to make sure our toes don’t accidentally bump in the night, that works for me.” I wheeled her suitcase into the room and lifted it onto the luggage rack. “You hungry?”
She glanced around the room like she was searching for some hidden pull-out bed. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know if you’re hungry?”
