Page 104 of My Real Love Affair

“I need a room. Your best suite. Right now.” I pulled out my wallet, which was soaked but the black card inside was still functional. We needed somewhere private to dry off. And may as well do it in style.

The clerk’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “Yes, sir. We have the penthouse suite available. It’s five thousand for the night.”

“Perfect. We’ll take it.”

“Austin,” Melody whispered. “That’s a little much.”

“I know. I don’t care.” I looked at her. “Unless you want to go home? We can grab a cab.”

“No.” She squeezed my hand. “No, I want to stay. With you.”

The clerk handed over two key cards. “Penthouse floor. Elevator at the end of the hall. Is there anything else you need, Mr. Bancroft?”

“Privacy. That’s all.”

We made it to the elevator without running into anyone else, though I could feel eyes on us from the staff and the few guests milling around the lobby. Let them look. Let them gossip. I didn’t care what anyone thought.

The elevator doors closed, and we were alone. Melody looked at me, then down at herself—soaking wet in a ruined dress—then back at me. And she started laughing. “We just jumped in a pool at a charity gala.”

“We did.”

“In designer clothes.”

“Yep.”

“Your brother looked like he was going to have an aneurysm.”

“Honestly, it was kind of worth it just for that.”

She laughed harder, leaning against me. I wrapped my arms around her despite the fact that we were both soaked and probably getting water all over the elevator.

“This is the craziest night of my life,” she said.

“Good crazy or bad crazy?”

“The best crazy.” She looked up at me. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Like what? Jumping in pools?”

“Like being spontaneous.”

“Stick with me, sweetheart, spontaneous is my middle name.”

She laughed again and I forgot all about Cash and his anger.

I had someone much more pleasant to focus on.

CHAPTER 32

MELODY

The elevator doors opened directly into the penthouse suite, and I stepped out into what could only be described as obscene luxury.

“Holy shit,” I breathed.

The space was enormous, probably bigger than my entire townhouse. Huge windows offered a panoramic view of Manhattan’s glittering skyline. The furniture looked like it belonged in an art museum. Everything was cream and gold and impossibly pristine.

And we were about to drip pool water all over it.