“Now I’m just freaking out over something else entirely.” Studying her reflection, she was unimpressed with what she saw. She wasn’t the same confident girl she was at sixteen, and her body wasn’t as fit as she wished it were, and it all had her feeling more than a little self-conscious. Unfortunately, it wasn’t like she was suddenly going to drop ten pounds before Connor got there, and he certainly wasn’t put off by the way she looked, so…
In the distance, her phone chimed, and she knew even before looking that it was him.
Connor: Hey, beautiful. I’m on my way up. See you in five!
Letting out a long breath, she nodded before sending him a thumbs-up emoji.
“Well that wasn’t very romantic or sexy of me,” she murmured, but figured Connor wouldn’t be offended.
While she waited, she tried to admire how luxurious the room was. Maisie had done all the decorating, and there were only a handful of rooms with fireplaces, and this room was one of them. It was rustic and chic and one of the nicest rooms she’d ever been in. It was sweet that he wanted them to spend the day someplace so nice, but it was also going to be hard to leave later and go back to her cabin and sleep alone.
Her eyes landed on the bed and panic washed over her.
Am I supposed to be in the bed? On the bed? Naked? Semi-naked?
Swallowing hard, she eyed the small weekender bag she’d packed. It had her robe, some toiletries, a change of clothes…the necessities. What it didn’t have was anything even remotely sexy because she didn’t own anything like that anymore, and there had been no time to shop.
It would have been easy to maybe strip down to her undies and then put her robe on, but by the time that thought hit, Connor was already unlocking the door and letting himself in. All the breath left her body at the sight of him—although that was nothing new. He’d always taken her breath away. But knowing that he was here and it was just the two of them for the entire day and everything they were going to do just added to her anxiety and anticipation.
He smiled at her as he pushed a food cart into the room.
“Oh my goodness, Connor! What on earth did you bring?”
Moving the cart next to the small kitchenette, he turned. “We are essentially on our own today, so I had to think of everything. I don’t want to leave the room for any reason, so there’s fresh fruit, sandwiches, some cookies, two muffins, a fresh seafood salad, wine, water, and a couple of cans of soda. I’m pretty sure I covered everything, and if I didn’t…” He shrugged.
Then he slowly walked toward her, and as much as she was ready to jump into his arms, her practical—and completely unromantic—side came out.
“Let’s put everything that needs to be refrigerated away so we don’t have to worry about it,” she said. And when he paused and looked confused, she quickly had to explain. “I can’t help it! I’m just an organized person, and I won’t be able to relax if I know food is potentially spoiling ten feet away.”
But instead of him correcting her, Connor cupped her face and kissed her softly. “Then that’s what we’ll do because this is going to be so much better if you’re relaxed.”
Wordlessly, she nodded and then let him lead her across the room to deal with the food. And once they were done, he slowly took her into his arms as if waiting for permission to kiss her and really get this day started.
They stared at each other until it got a little awkward, and when she couldn’t stand it any longer, she asked, “Do we need to talk or are we just gonna…you know…” Then she nodded toward the bed.
The boyish grin spoke volumes, but instead of responding right away, he pulled back. “We are going to do whatever it is that you want. I know how I feel and how much I’ve been thinking about this, but what about you? How are you feeling about…all of it? This opportunity was just sort of sprung on us, so I don’t know if you feel rushed or…”
Gently, Lexi pressed her finger against his lips as she shook her head. “Not rushed. Just a little nervous.”
He moved her finger aside. “Seriously? Why?”
“Connor, come on. Really? We’re not kids anymore. And while you have gotten…” Pausing, she gave his body an appreciative and obvious glance before continuing, “…better with age, I’m not feeling the same way about myself. I’ve had a child. I have stretch marks. I…”
Slowly, he mimicked her move, placing his finger over her lips. “You are beautiful and sexy, and I want you so much that it scares me. I know we’re not kids anymore, but when I look at you, I can still see the girl I fell in love with all those years ago. Even if you can’t.”
Reaching up, she grasped his wrist and moved his hand so she could kiss his palm. Her eyes met his and it felt like they said a thousand things without saying a word. But the words he spoke gave her the confidence boost she clearly needed.
Lexi maneuvered them until both his hands were in hers as she walked backwards toward the bed. When they reached it, she sighed softly and knew she owed him honesty.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve…well, you know. Besides my insecurities about my body, I may have some lingering emotional scars from…from not being in the healthiest of relationships. So you might need to be a little patient with me.”
She saw him swallow hard as a fierce look crossed his face but it was gone almost instantly. He caressed her cheek. “There are no ghosts in this room, Lexi. It’s just you and me. No one else. Push all of that out of your mind. And I’ll be as patient as you need, but just know that I’m going to spend every minute we have today making you feel so good that you’ll forget anyone else ever existed.”
Oh my…
And with that declaration, he pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it on the bench at the foot of the bed. Then he kicked off his shoes. She was mesmerized by his chest, his muscles, the way he moved. When he stepped in close and rested his hands on her waist, she knew he was asking for permission to help her get undressed.
Here we go…
