“Your reservation was only for one room, ma’am. We did upgrade you, though,” the old man behind the counter says as I join Miranda.
Miranda looks at me with wide eyes before returning her attention to the balding man. He looks so nervous and apologetic that I almost feel bad for him. I raise my eyebrows at Miranda when she looks back at me.
“There’s only one room available. I didn’t even think to call and change it before we left this morning. What are the chances this small hotel in the middle of nowhere is booked?”
I place a hand on the small of her back in what I hope is a soothing gesture. “No worries. We can check the next hotel. It’s early.”
“Um,” the man says before clearing his throat. “The next hotel is an hour and a half south. But I can call them if you want?”
Miranda’s level of panic over the idea of sharing a room is nearly comical, but I work hard to hold in my laughter. “That would be great, thanks.”
With my hand still on her lower back, I lead her a few steps away from the desk. Once we’re off to the side, she takes several measured breaths, and I offer her a reassuring smile. As if understanding that I’m trying to give her a moment to compose herself, she eventually gives me a nod.
“Better?” I ask, only continuing when she nods again. “It’s not a big deal. If that other hotel has two rooms, we can just leave extra early in the morning. There’s plenty of time to get to bed and get enough sleep to make the long drive back. And if they don’t, we can share a room. I’m not a neanderthal. You can trust me not to bash you over the head so I can have my wicked way with you.”
Her laughter fills the small lobby, and I find myself joining her, my quiet rumble mixing with hers. She visibly relaxes under my gaze, and I take her hand as we make our way back to the desk. George, according to his name tag, is still on the phone, absently rubbing his gray mustache as he listens to the person on the other end.
Frowning, George hangs up the phone and looks between the two of us. “Bad news…”
I grab Miranda’s hand again and give it a squeeze before I finish George’s sentence. “They’re all booked.”
His smile is sympathetic. “Well, not completely. But they also have one room.”
Miranda’s shoulders sag, and I return my hand to her back, giving it a comforting rub. I give George a nod and accept the key. Our room is at the end of the short hallway. When the lock clicks, I push the door open with a flourish. It’s nice. There’s a loveseat in front of the large picture window. A small table with two chairs. And in the middle of the room sits a king-sized bed.Oneking-sized bed.
At this point, there’s no holding back my laughter. Of course there’s only one bed. When I turn around, I’m relieved to find Miranda laughing right along with me. It’s the only thing wecando. I toss our bags onto the loveseat and then sit down at the foot of the bed.
“I know I should be a gentleman here and offer to sleep on the floor, but today is the first day in a long time that my shoulder hasn’t ached…”
She lets out a nervous laugh as her eyes dart between me and the rest of the bed. “I wouldn’t let you sleep on the floor. I trust you.”
“If you aren’t comfortable with it, just toss me your keys and I can sleep in the truck like I used to back when I was on the rodeo circuit.”
“Like I said, I trust you,” she repeats.
Those three words shouldn’t affect me the way they do. I had worried that all trust was lost after I allowed something to happen between us. I felt guilty as hell when Roger asked me to come along on this trip. Knowing he trusted me to keep her safe, when Miranda likely didn’t trust me at all, made me feel like the biggest asshole on the planet. But I couldn’t tell him no.
“Here,” I say, tossing her my wallet. “That looks like a menu for a pizza place on the table. Order us something while I take a quick shower?”
Chapter 8
Miranda
I’m lying across the bed scrolling on my phone when I hear the bathroom door open. The food has been ordered, and the bit of time away from Hayden was just what I needed to finally relax. He’s right. We are adults and can share a room. And a bed.
“Food should be here in fifteen minutes,” I say, finally looking up from my phone.
I swallow hard to keep from choking. Hayden is standing there wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Desire unfurls low in my belly as my eyes travel the length of his body. His damp hair falls forward as he reaches for something in his bag, and I take full advantage of his back being turned. His muscles flex and pull as I do my best to take in every detail. He has the body of a man who works on a ranch. Thick and broad, but without the definition of a bodybuilder. He’s perfect.
When he turns to face me, I have to make sure my jaw doesn’t hit the floor. The view from the front is even better than the back. There’s a thin smattering of hair on his muscular chest, and from his navel, disappearing beneath the towel. When my eyes make their way back up, he’s watching me with a knowing smile.Dammit.Definitely caught ogling.
“I forgot my bag. Were you heading in there or…” he says, trailing off as he holds up his clothes.
“Oh! Yeah. I’m going to get in there now.” I practically sprint to the bathroom, grabbing my bag on the way and doing my best not to look at him.
As soon as the bathroom door latches closed, I lean against it and take a deep breath. It’s not going to be easy to spend this much time alone with Hayden and pretend I’m not attracted to him. He’s made it clear he isn’t interested, and I’d be best not to pine after him like a teenage girl with a crush. No matter how amazing his body is. Or how kind he is. He is off limits.
By the time I step out of the shower, I’m mostly convinced that I’ve got this under control. When I leave the bathroom, he won’t be wearing just a towel. We will eat pizza and hang out like we have dozens of times. It doesn’t matter that none of those times were just the two of us. I push that thought to the side as I apply lotion and then pull on my tank top and sleep shorts.
