“This is…” she whispered, turning to look at me. “Beautiful.”
I stared at her, fighting the urge to tell her I thought she was beautiful.
Her cheeks turned pink as I continued to hold her gaze. I didn’t want to push her or rush her to embrace us, but I also didn’t feel the need to hold back my feelings anymore.
I dropped our bags and reached out, tucking a curl that glinted red in the lights above her behind her ear. Her eyes drifted shut, and a shiver tore through her as I trailed my fingers down her neck.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured, leaning forward and pressing my lips to her forehead.
The tension she’d been holding onto all day seemed to melt as her body relaxed under my touch. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her into me, tucking her head under my chin.
Happiness enveloped me as I held her, breathing in her intoxicating vanilla scent. She stiffened ever so slightly in my arms, and I smirked. Typically, I would have released her and stepped back by now, knowing holding her was causing a very physical reaction. But I was done hiding the way she affected me.
She squirmed, causing a groan to slip through my lips. I couldn’t stop myself from imagining what it would feel like toclaim her mouth again. To pick her up, guide her legs around my waist, and press her against the wall.
As I scanned the room, ten more things I’d like to do zipped through my mind. I cleared my throat and released her as I felt her start to pull away.
“Want to go downstairs and grab dinner?” I rushed out, suddenly needing to get out of this room. It was late and neither of us had eaten since breakfast at the station. By the time we got back into my apartment, packed bags and made it up here, it was well past dinner time.
“Sure. And then I need a shower. I feel gross.”
She certainly didn’t smell gross. In fact, she smelled fucking amazing.
Damn. Now I was imagining her standing under the spray of the shower, completely naked behind what I knew was a see-through glass door, water cascading down the curves of her body.
I swallowed a groan and grabbed her hand. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Food. Maybe after eating something, I could think more clearly. Or less clearly, depending on how I wanted to look at it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
LYLA
Friday 7:50 p.m.
Me: OMG. We just got to the lodge and there’s only ONE bed!
Me: Oh. And a big-ass jacuzzi tub and a fireplace.
Mia: GIF of a woman laughing hysterically.
Nicole: Well, that might make your plan of taking things slow super hard.
Me: It didn’t help that he held me and called mebeautiful.
Izzy: Aww that’s sweet. Maybe he wants to take things really slow too.
Mia: He’s a man. Let’s be real.
Me: Yeah… so… it was obvious what he was thinking. And I don’t think slow was it.
Nicole: Poor guy.
Me: What? Him?
Nicole: Well, yeah. He’s been pining for a girl for months, waiting for her to notice him. She finally does, and he’s thrown into a super romantic situation with her, but she’s still unsure what she wants.
Me: That’s not what I said.
