She withdrew, and her face paled for a moment. “Oh.”
“Yeah. This is more practical and somewhat keeping it professional.”
“Sure.” She crossed her arms over her chest. A gleam twinkled in her eyes. “If you’re done, I’ll use the restroom and get ready.”
“I’ll take the sofa,” he said, pointing at the loveseat. The whole room represented keeping people together, and the furniture kept up with the theme. Everything seemed ready for two, or confining those two together. The red loveseat was a joke. If he stretched, his legs would stick out like paddles in a rowing boat. Curling into the loveseat wouldn’t work out, so his best bet would be to sit and lean over the arm for some semblance of comfort.
She disappeared into the bathroom, and he used the time to punch a couple of heart shaped pillows. He never believed in karma, but now it made complete sense. He’d pay for his years of debauchery by sleeping with his assistant without really sleeping with her.
He plopped on his seat and shifted from one side to the other, trying to accommodate himself without much success.
A soft chuckle pulled his attention, and he glanced at Crystal.
She’d changed into an elegant nightgown from a soft fabric that had a slit when she walked. The V-neck cut outlined her breasts, and her hips swayed deliciously as she sashayed away from the bathroom.
She headed for the bed, turned down the covers. “You can’t be serious. You’ll never make it there.”
“I’ll try.”
She gave him a knowing look, her dark green eyes twinkling. “Listen, I commend you for doing it. I’m all for being practical. Why don’t we just share this immense bed? You made it obvious you don’t want to sleep with me, and I’ll try to resist your dashing good looks and raw sexuality.”
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“Look at this. It’s already uncomfortable. We can, however, act as if we’re on a camping trip or college roommates. Whatever we need to get through the night,” she said matter-of-factly, with the same efficiency she used to make reservations or schedule meetings.
If she didn’t care, why should he? After a day of flying and the drive to the resort, he refused to worry about it any longer. “Sounds good to me.”
“Excellent. I’ll take the right side.”
He claimed the left side, and within a few minutes, turned off his lamp. She joined him on the bed, and besides all her indifference when she’d suggested they share the bed, she drew in a breath. Merda. She probably hated this as much as he did, but for different reasons. Or did she?
I won’t find out. For once in his fucking life, he was behaving even when circumstances sabotaged his self-control. He inhaled a whiff of her perfume, a flowery fragrance with spicy notes. “Is that a new cologne?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“I bought it last week,” she said.
The white drapes didn’t hide the moon outside, casting shadows over the tiled floor. If he turned to her, he’d be able to make out her facial expressions. He kept staring into the darkness between his eyes and the ceiling. Excitement stirred inside him, warning him he could lie to her all night long, but ignoring the signs his body projected to him was a different story.
His erection strained against his jeans. How could he relief himself? If he disappeared into the bathroom, that’d be suspicious. His temples throbbing, and he wondered when had been the last time he’d felt this aroused and helpless.
Then, a sound beeped. He glanced at the AC unit popping from the built-in shelf above them. The green light went dark, and air stopped blowing. He turned to check the alarm clock, to find black instead of red numbers. Oh, great.
“What happened?” she asked, sitting up. He glanced at the shadow of her curvy physique, the way the moonlight outlined her full breasts.
“Electricity went out,” he said, his throat raw from suppressing the desire for her.
The air stopped moving, and tension charged between the two of them.
Fuck. It was going to be a long night.
