Her eyes slice to the lobby. My hand hovers over her hip, desperate to feel her skin beneath my fingertips.
“You promise?” A sneaky smile ghosts her lips
“I promise.” I lift my hand from where it has been hovering and cross my heart with my finger.
“Then yes, I’ll spend the night with you,” she says shyly.
I laugh. “There is no sofa, babe,” I tease, and she slaps against my chest.
“I knew that anyway.” Her voice floats across me and I can’t wait to get her into my bed.
Chapter Seventeen
Athena
I’m cautious.Something has shifted, and I’m not sure if it’s just me that is feeling it. Dinner was strange and to watch how jealous Royce got over me speaking with Cowan, well, it felt pretty real.
He opens his suite door and ushers me inside before him. Silence crackles around us, the tension thick in the air.
A loud sigh passes his lips, his eyes trailing up and down my body. “I’m sorry about tonight,” he mutters, walking across to the bottle of water that is sitting on the table, unopened.
I tiptoe behind him, fingers linked together.
“Cowan just…” He turns to face me and I step closer, cupping his hands in my face as I hold his eyes to mine.
“Don’t worry about Cowan,” I whisper, my gaze volleying with his.
“He just…” He sighs, face tilting down slightly.
“Shh.” My lips purse. “He gets a reaction from you, that’s why he plays up.”
“Funny you should say that.” His voice is muffled as he speaks. “My dad said exactly the same.”
“Then listen.” Slowly, I drop my fingers from his face.
Turning my body away slightly, I don’t have a chance to step away as his hand curls around my arm, pulling me back to him. His chest rises and falls quickly, his erratic stare bouncing around my face.
“What?” I whisper, my heart jolting in my chest, my stomach in knots, silently begging that he kisses me, if only once.
I have no idea why I want this, but I do. To be in the arms of a man when it has been so long, to be held tight and loved all through the night. I want it. I wanthim.
He is silently battling with himself, and I wait with bated breath for something to pass his lips, but his fingers slowly uncurl from my skin.
“Nothing.” A shaky breath exhales as he walks into his bedroom.
I am standing there, wondering what the hell is going on. I feel ashamed almost, but there is no reason. Maybe it’s because we’ve grown close, and in a way, I know this is going to end at some point. The truth is, I don’t think I want it to.
The sound of his footsteps echoes around the large room as I watch him walk in with a square box in his hand.
“I was meant to give you this in Australia.” His voice is quiet as he stands in front of me, passing me the box.
“Royce.” I blink up at him.
He stuffs his hands into the front of his pockets, a boyish grin slipping onto his lips. Pulling at the lid, my eyes mist when I see the top of a snow globe.
“I didn’t think you would have had a chance to grab one, so...”
My trembling fingers grip the side and delicately slide it out. Tipping it upside down, I watch the snow fall over The Langham, the hotel we stayed in. Glints of glitter catch my eye as they tumble down, and I feel the lump swelling inside my throat.
