He gaped. “Never? Really?”
“Yep. In forty-three years, I have never once had to walk home or back to a room like this.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
“Well, at least it’s only next door. Zip me into this dress, would you?”
Aurora peeked out of Duncan’s room while he got dressed. No one was in the hallway. She crept back into her room, leaving her spare key with him so he could come in if she were still in the shower. Immediately, she plugged her phone into the charger, hung up her dress, and looked in the bathroom mirror. Thank goodness for makeup remover. The tangles in her hair made it difficult to brush, but she managed. Tucking it into a shower cap, she turned on the faucet. The warm water revived her. She scrubbed at her face, praying the mascara didn’t make her look like a raccoon. As she covered her body in soap bubbles, the door to the bathroom opened.
“Aurora, it’s me.”
“That was fast. I’ll be quick. I just got in.”
“I had an idea.”
There was a rustling of fabric, and the curtain opened. She turned to see a naked and erect Duncan standing behind her in the stall. He put a bottle of body wash on the bench and reached for her.
“Since we’re both so passionate about the environment …”
She sighed as his hands ran over her wet skin. “What’s your idea?”
He tilted her chin and gave her a long, slow kiss.
“I thought we could save water.”
Think of Me
At 8:17 a.m., Duncan and Aurora walked into the small cozy cafe on the hotel’s first floor. She waved at the table where the other committee members sat as the two of them went to order their food. When they got to the table, their classmates had left two empty chairs next to each other.
“What do you want to drink?” Duncan asked her.
“I was going to get some orange juice.”
“I’ll get it. Go ahead and start.”
She took a moment to appreciate his ass walking away, then sat down before anyone caught her ogling.
“We did a great job, you guys.” Jen broke the awkward silence as Duncan came back with coffee for him and juice for Aurora. “I got so many people coming up to me afterward and complimenting the work you all did.”
Tired murmurs of appreciation came from the rest of the table.
“I really liked that DJ; he was a good choice,” Aurora piped up.
“Oh, definitely,” Britney agreed. “Good call, Dave and Mike.”
“I loved the decorations,” Mike added. “They were spot on.”
While the group discussed the event, Aurora felt Duncan’s pinkie finger rubbing her knee. She slipped her hand under the table and reached for his, holding it in secret. Outside, she was calm and involved in the conversation. Inside, she was giddy with glee as they stole glances at one another like teens. As plates emptied and conversation wound down, Mike looked at Duncan.
“What time do you need to be at the airport, Dunc?”
“My flight boards at 1:20, so … 11:30?”
Mike nodded. “That’s fine. Let me know when you’re ready to go.”
“I just need to finish packing. I’ll text you.”
“Okay, sounds good. We’re going to go pack up, too.”
