Page 33 of Handle Me

Completely.

For who I was.

I wanted to be wanted.

I was pretty sure a therapist could do a real number on both of us, but I was past the point of caring. Anders went to give the valet our ticket, but before he reached the doors, a man in a poor-fitting suit caught him. I moved closer and spotted a shiny, gold badge on his jacket.

“Mr. Stone. Reginald Taylor.” He stuck out a hand, and Anders took it apprehensively. “We had expected you to spend more time in the dining room.”

“Look, it’s nothing against your food,” Anders said, shooting me a smirk over his shoulder. “We just wanted some privacy…”

“Well, that is the problem,” the manager said, sounding apologetic. “It seems there are some members of the press outside. We’re working on clearing them out, but I’m afraid if you leave now…”

“I see.” Anders clenched his jaw. “I think we’d both prefer to make a quiet exit. Is there another?”

“They are at every entrance.” The manager looked utterly flummoxed until he glanced over and saw me. I saw understanding light up his face.

King’s brother.

Queen’s sister.

It was a recipe for scandal. Every tabloid in the country would want this story.

I couldn’t blame them. I’d known the attention was coming. But somehow, it had been easier to consider how to handle the press when nothing was going on between us. Now? I was headed to bed with him. It was easier to deny something that wasn’t true.

“Why don’t I stay here, and you leave?” I suggested suddenly.

Anders shot me a look filled with so much disappointment I felt like I’d kicked his puppy.

“I’m not leaving you here, boss,” he said firmly. “We’ll wait it out.”

As if to immediately test this plan, a group stopped in the lobby and began whispering. One pulled out her phone, and the manager hastily stepped in front of me before she could get a decent photograph.

If we stayed, we’d be dealing with that the whole time. It might be as bad as being out there with the paid leeches. I opened my mouth to argue when the manager spoke up. “Actually, why don’t you both stay here? We can arrange the Whidbury suite and have your dinner sent up. As soon as this situation is under control, we’ll be happy to see you out of here without all the attention.”

Anders raised his brows, giving me the chance to object.

“That would be lovely,” I said before I could chicken out.

“Excellent. We’ve already arranged the room, and we will send up a trolley in a few minutes.” He passed Anders a keycard stamped with the Eaton hotels logo on it. “It’s on the top floor. You’ll need this key to access it.”

“Thanks.” Anders flipped it over in his hand. “But why don’t you have them send the food up in an hour. My boss here had some urgent business to see to. She’ll need to attend to it immediately.”

“Of course.” He nodded, managing to not look in the least bit scandalized. Like the waiter, he was either very good at pretending that no funny business was going on, or maybe they didn’t know what people did in their hotel. I really couldn’t decide. “There is a private lift at the end of the corridor. Your key card will grant you access.”

Anders nodded his appreciation, and the manager bustled off to deal with the situation outside.

“After you.” Anders swept his arm out, and I walked past him, taking care to not show a hint of impropriety as we made our way down the hall to the bronze lift. Since it was reserved for what I imagined was the hotel’s finest suite, its doors slid open immediately. We stepped inside, and Anders used the card he’d been given to send us to the top floor. He stayed to one side of the lift’s compartment, and I kept to the other, both of us carefully avoiding each other.

Until the doors closed.

I turned to Anders, but before I could say anything, he caught my face in his hands and crushed his mouth against mine. Our first kiss had been stolen. The result of a fever dream come true. This was different.

Anders took this kiss, and I surrendered to him willingly.

My lips parted as he seized control of my mouth. He swept a tongue over mine, teasing and tasting as we explored each other. It continued until the lift announced its arrival.

I started to pull away, but he dragged me back, stumbling out of the lift blindly. We crashed into a wall. Anders slipped his hands under my short skirt and hiked it to my hips, pressing his body against mine as we continued to explore. A small cough interrupted us, and we jolted apart. It seemed that the lift was private, but the floor wasn’t.