They thankfully walked off, leaving her biting her lips together so she didn’t laugh.
“I’m not related to her really,” he said. “I’m pretty sure a stork dropped her on my uncle and aunt’s doorstep one afternoon and they took pity on her.”
She took his free hand with hers. “You wouldn’t swap her,” Sorrell said.
“Trust me, I would.”
Chapter 24
The snow had started again by the time they had eaten dinner at the Plough, a small pub known for its simple homemade pub food. Zack drove up the drive to the hotel, grateful for his car and the fact that his dad had made sure he could drive in icy conditions as soon as he passed his test. They’d passed two cars that had been abandoned on the way up from dinner and he was pretty sure there would be more by morning, people attending the lights switch on and then getting snowed in.
He pulled up in what was becoming his usual space at the hotel and turned off the engine, unsure as to whether Sorrell would want him to come in or not.
“Thank you,” he said, “for a really good evening.”
He saw her shy smile through the glint of lights from the hotel. “It needs to be me thanking you. If you hadn’t suggested going, I’d have been here all evening. It was amazing. I can see why you returned home after university.”
“Hey,” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. The car was cooling rapidly. “I’m even more glad I moved home now. And had the stupid idea of having a new purpose-built place for Sunrise,” he said.
She initiated the kiss and this time he felt as if she really believed his words, that he was genuine about her, as she held his face between her palms and took the lead.
He let her for all of about ten seconds, need driving him to almost pull her over the central console in order to touch more of her, something that was difficult through the layers of clothing. And then he demanded of her, his mouth searching, hands asking, palms cupping her breasts under her jacket, over her jumper. He felt her nipples harden and he groaned, needing more. So much more.
“You want to stay?” she said. “I’d like you to stay.”
He kissed her again. God, she had no fucking idea how much he wanted to stay. “I want to stay. Can’t promise you’re going to get much sleep though.”
“You’re up early though, and you didn’t sleep much last night…”
He pushed his hands up her jumper, over her bra and lightly pinched her nipples, hearing her sharp intake of breath as he did. “Ells, if I get to spend the night inside you, I’m not going to give two shits about any lack of sleep. We should probably go in before we get frozen in the car.” Reluctantly he moved his hands down, straightening her clothes to keep her warm.
“I need to check on the hotel, so let’s walk through it to my place,” she said. Her hands grazed over his crotch and he winced; he was so hard he was hurting. He needed to be inside her, to feel her around him, clamping down on him when she came.
“Sure. I just hope we don’t see any of your guests,” he said.
She gave his cock a squeeze through his jeans and he saw the need in her eyes. “They’ll just think I’m about to get lucky. I can see the Christmas tree lights through the window.”
He spotted them too as he got out of the car and went round to the other side to get to Sorrell. “We should turn them off before we go to bed,” he said. “Maybe get a timer for them tomorrow. I might have one at Sunrise actually.”
She giggled, taking his hand. “You always fix things, don’t you? You’re such a man.”
“Hey,” he said, stopping and pulling her to him, close into his chest so he could wrap his arms around her. Snow fell about them, dancing down like a show of synchronized shiny dancers. “Are you complaining about me being a man?” He pressed up against her, wondering if she could feel his erection through the layers of clothes.
Her squirm suggested she could. “Let’s go in and you can show me more about fixing things. I might have a problem I need you to solve.”
“Anytime,” he said.
The hotel was silent, the desk at reception perfectly tidy. The automatic lights on the corridors were off, suggesting that most people had either gone to bed or were still out. She opened the door to the lounge quietly and beckoned him in.
The fire was still burning, keeping the large room warm along with the radiators that were piping out heat. Crackles from the burning log fractured the quiet, the sound hypnotising.
Sorrell closed the door behind them and put on the lock at the top. “I just want a few minutes in this room with you without being disturbed,” she said.
“Just a few minutes?” Zack unzipped his coat, the warmth defrosting him quickly.
“To see the tree without guests here. It looks amazing,” she said, staring at it.
He wondered if it was possible to be jealous of a Christmas tree.
