I was too dizzy to reply, too close, too happy, too sweaty. And then when he reached down between my legs to make those sweet little circles again?
I shouted his name as I came.
The rush was almost too much. I clung to Ben during the aftershocks, and could feel his muscles straining as he started moving faster.
Then, a pause and shudder as he collapsed on top of me.
“Quinn...” he rasped against my neck between kisses. “I love doing contract renegotiations with you.”
I giggled and squirmed as he hit the ticklish spot behind my ear.
Ben rolled off me, still breathing heavily. He kept his hand on my stomach, like he was trying to remind himself that I was still there as he found his way back to earth.
He rolled his head to look at me. “Sleep here.”
I nodded. “But tomorrow...”
“I know what I agreed to,” he said quickly.
We got out of bed reluctantly to clean up and found our way back to bed, and to each other. He slid under the covers in boxers and a T-shirt, while I was back in my protective hoodie and sweats.
Ben reached over to smooth my hair behind my ear, and I reflexively closed my eyes and leaned into his touch.
“You must be exhausted. Incredibly long day,” he said. “C’mere.”
I scooted closer to him and slotted in against his body.
“Big spoon,” I murmured as I drifted off into the best sleep of my life.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“The library issomuch better than the conference room,” Hailey assured me as I followed her to where they’d set up for the final interview. “You’re gonna love it.”
Thanks to the storm it felt like we had the run of the whole inn. We knew there were other people staying as well but it seemed like everyone was opting for cozy vibes in bed instead of acting like it was a regular day. The snow had done its thing, blanketing the region in white overnight and forcing everyone to slow down, at least for a couple of hours until the plows could come through. But it was a temporary break, because the sun was already trying to cut through the gray skies.
We’d all be on our way soon enough, and it felt bittersweet, like we’d trauma-bonded through the ups and downs of our time together. Plus, I was nowveryinvested in Neil and Hailey’s top-secret affair. I’d liked Hailey from the jump, and Neil had grown on me, because any man open to constructive criticism couldn’t be all bad.
She pushed the door to the library open and when I walked in it felt like there was a chance I’d run into a hobbit.
“Wow.”
“Right?” Hailey walked backward in front of me like a TV realtor. “It’s perfect.”
It was, from the moss-green walls, to the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, to the fire glowing in the hearth. The big circular window that looked out on the fields behind the inn certified it as the coziest room ever.
The two chairs with box lights shining down on them were a jarring centerpiece, but they were the reason we were in the space.
Neil walked through a door on the opposite side of the room carrying equipment. “Does this room work?”
“I never want to leave,” I replied.
For a second I considered how it would feel to waste a day in the window seat, reading, daydreaming, and drinking hot chocolate.
I couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like.
“Let me get you mic’d up,” Hailey said as she moved toward the setup. “You look gorgeous, by the way.”
Probably because I’d had the most restorative rest of my life, nestled in Ben’s arms until the sun came up. There was zero awkwardness when we woke up because we’d both slept soundly enough to miss the first alarm he’d set and had to speed through a goodbye, since we needed to get ready.
