My stomach rumbles at the mention of food, but I motion to my phone. “I need to call my friend first. She probably thinks someone kidnapped me and is calling the police to report me missing.”
He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say a word, just nods as he returns to the bathroom.
I inhale a deep breath, preparing for Alice to yell my ear off, and tap on her contact. She picks up on the third ring.
“My God, Veronica! Where the hell are you? I came home hours ago. I thought you went on a walk, but then—”
“Calm down. I’m good. I…umm…kind of hooked up with someone,” I whisper, hoping Sully isn’t eavesdropping.
“Are you kidding?” she shouts then clears her throat. “Who is this mystery person?” Her voice drips with curiosity, but I can tell she wants to wring my neck for not telling her sooner.
“Now isn’t the time. But I’ll be home later, okay?” I bite my lip, eyeing the bathroom. His shadow moves along the door.
“You can’t leave me hanging. Who are—”
Sully exits the bathroom and pads over to dig through a suitcase lying below the window. “Do you want to go downstairs and eat at the little café or do you want to order room service?”
Saliva pools in my mouth watching him move. Knowing he kissed me. That he was inside me just hours ago. I need to keep it together.
As Alice rattles on about being worried, I pull the phone away from my ear and cover the mouthpiece with my hand. “The café sounds wonderful. I’ll meet you down there.” I gesture to the blanket I’m hugging to my chest.
“Perfect. See you there,Schatz.” He pulls on a clean blue shirt and steps into a pair of shoes, before exiting the room.
I sigh in relief, falling back against the pillows then remember Alice is still on the line. “Hey, sorry…” She isn’t there anymore. My phone’s screen is black. Shit. It died. I hunt around the room for a charger and luckily Sully uses the same kind. I plug in my phone and quickly get dressed. If only I brought something else to wear. I feel a little slutty walking to breakfast in what I wore last night.
I make a mental note to call Alice back later. She’ll want me to spill details, but I’m not ready to burst this bubble quite yet. And it’s weird, but I feel lonely. Sully’s been gone five minutes, and I already miss him. Damnit. This isn’t good.
I stop by the bathroom to splash cool water on my face and tame the wildness of my hair. I borrow Sully’s brush and try to calm my nerves.
Don’t get invested in this. Your heart can’t handle another relationship. This is a healthy one-night stand to get this sexual tension out of yoursystem and nothing more. And who’s a better rebound than your favorite musician?
Now I can move on and allow the past to rest. Finally, close the door on “the incident” and cast my ex into the far recesses of my mind until I forget his name and his face. Block him from my phone and mind. And one day he’ll become just another stranger I walk past on the sidewalk.
Fifteen minutes into breakfast, we’ve already devoured a stack of blueberry pancakes and a couple strips of bacon. We’re sitting in the lounge on a brown leather couch watching the roaring fire. If I close my eyes, I can pretend I’m in a Hallmark movie somewhere during Christmas in a cabin in the middle of a snowy small town. Me, a serious businesswoman who is a professional mermaid, and Sully, the kind-hearted and drop-dead gorgeous small inn owner who happens to shred on the bass guitar.
Sully clears his throat and touches my knee, popping my dream world. “In an hour my band and I are leaving for our last show in Las Vegas.” He grabs my hand, running his thumb gingerly over my knuckles. This is when he kindly dumps my ass. Says it was fun, and maybe he’ll see me again on their next North American tour. But the blow never comes.
His blue eyes sparkle as he offers me a small smile. “This might be crazy, but I want you to come with me.”
“What?” It takes my brain a minute to catch up to the fact that he changed the entire script inside my head of him giving me the brush off. He wants to spend more time with me?
“You want me to go to Vegas?” My voice comes out in a squeak, disbelief tangling with excitement. Part of me feels like I’m being punk’d, while the rest of me moves in slow motion, struggling to process if this is real.
“Of course,” he says, his accent curling around the words like a slow caress. A shiver runs through me, heat unfurling low in my stomach, spreading like the first sparks of a wildfire.
“Umm…” I choke on my words and stare at him, thinking this is a cruel joke. His face is stone, his eyes dark pools pulling me under.
Would it be so bad to screw him again?
Who am I? This is insane! He might be famous, but he’s still someone I just met.
But he continues to stare at me. His eyes blazing into mine. He squeezes my hand as he allows me to process his request.
“You’re serious?” I whisper, my stomach flipping as a rush of adrenaline surges through me. My lips part, but the words stick in my throat, caught between shock and the dizzy thrill of possibility.
He nods, brushing his fingers along my inner wrist. Things low in my belly clench. My breasts ache for his touch. This is too overwhelming.
“Come with me. I’ll buy you new clothes and whatever else you need. It will only be for the weekend.”
