Sliding her my room key, I whisper in her ear. “Room 222.”
She looks down at the room key and back up at me. I’m waiting for her to throw it in my face. It was a colossal risk with this one—so fiery.
“Is this what you offer all the ladies you buy a drink?” Kendall flicks her wrist at me, shaking the keycard in the air between us.
I chuckle. Calling me out like that? It sends blood shooting south. But I own up to it; I have nothing to hide. It’s who I am. “Not all of them… I walk away from the crazy ones most days.”
“I could certainly be crazy; I hide it well,” she says as she flips her hair.
“I’ll take my chances.” I brush my fingers lightly down her arm, and goosebumps spread like wildfire, which is precisely how my fingertips feel—on fire like they seared her skin.
“I warned you…and I’ll think about this.” Holding up the room key again, the hope of seeing her later seeps into my chest. And just like that, she gently moves through my arm and walks over to her friends.
Left staring at her, and when she doesn’t turn around to look back, I move to face the bar and order another drink—this time a double. Who knows if I’ll see her again? And the minute I say it to myself, my shoulders tense. Fighting the urge to glance back at her, I take a long pull of my drink and stare up at the game on the large-screen TV.
THREE
Kendall
“Are you going to use that room key?” Faith asks with concern on her face.
“It could be fun. He could be a lot of fun. I know his type, so I’m not planning on riding off into the sunset with him.”
“I think you’re nuts to even consider it,” Lane says, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I’m attracted to him, so why not? A one-night stand makes it easier to walk away once it’s done. No attachments; expectations are simple. And it’s been a while.”
“It’s your call,” Faith says, as she holds my forearm for a few extra seconds.
“Yeah.” I think about how he touched me, goosebumps erupted all over my body, and it felt like a fire ignited in my core. I want to feel that again—with him, tonight.
Addison stares at me and asks, “Where did you go?”
I shrug, not wanting to share how I feel because it’s a moot point. He’s a one-night and done kind of guy. All I know is he’ll make me feel amazing. “I think I’m ready for a no-strings-attached night with someone I’m attracted to. The past few weeks and months have been pretty stressful. And…”
“You can’t leave us hanging,” says Addison as she leans in further.
“I haven’t felt attracted to anyone in a while, so I’m going to use the room key.”
Faith hugs me and whispers, “Be safe. We’re here if you need us.”
“You need to check in with us. I don’t want to be worrying or calling the cops because you haven’t updated us,” Addison scolds, jabbing her finger in the air a few times. She’s serious about this.
All eyes are on Dane, still sitting at the bar, and he hasn’t turned around once. Is that a good sign or is he regretting giving me the key?
As we all watch, Dane slides off the chair and takes out his wallet. We are all staring at him, watching his every move, or is that just me? Those pants hug his ass and thighs, and there’s no denying how strong he is.
He turns, making eye contact with me, and gives me that smirk I want to slap off his face. He pauses for a few seconds, then winks. Cocky. My eyes drag down to his rolled sleeves and take a good look at those forearms before meeting his eyes again. My body temperature skyrockets, while my heart beats faster, adrenaline coursing through my body. The rush of one night with him fills me—just like he will soon. I almost blow him a kiss or give him a wave, just to push back, but I refrain. Let him stew on whether or not I see him soon. So, I give him a small, tentative smile to keep him on his toes.
He turns on his heels and walks away.
“Okay, I’ll text the group,” I say, not moving yet. I don’t want to seem too anxious. I’ll give him time to make his way to the hotel room.
“We’ll be here for another hour.” Lane shifts her shoulder to nudge me.
“I mean, he seems like he wouldn’t mind extra company,” I whisper to them with eyebrows raised high.
“Maybe, but did you see how he was looking only at you? That says a lot. And you know we aren’t into that stuff in real life, only in books,” Faith says.
