She raises an eyebrow at me. “Okay, then. Doughnuts or cupcakes?”
“Doughnuts,” we say together before cracking up. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so free.
When our order is called out, I get up to collect the pizza. It isn’t the type of place that does plates, so I grab a stack of napkins and bring the pizza box back to the table.
As I open the box, the fresh smell of warm pizza wafts out of it, and Rose closes her eyes, breathing in deeply. “That smells good.” She takes a slice of pizza, dragging a trail of gooey cheese with it, then takes a large bite and nods appreciatively.
I grab a slice, and we eat in silence for a few moments.
“I skipped dinner,” she admits before grabbing another piece.
She glances down at her slice, and the troubled expression creeps back into her face. I wonder how many meals she’s skipped lately. Was she too nervous to eat? Did whatever have her heading to a bar to pick up a man keep her from eating?
I long to ask, to find out more of her story, but I don’t want to make her sad. The last half hour of chatting is the most fun I’ve had since I found out about mom. And it may be the same for whatever demons are chasing Rose. All I can do is help her forget for a night and hope it does the same for myself.
She takes another piece, and I choose one for myself. She’s not delicate or self-conscious, and I love that she’s enjoying her food.
Rose eats this one more slowly, savoring the taste. As she takes a bite and closes her eyes, I watch, mesmerized, as she lets out a little moan.
My blood heats, and I forget about my pizza as I watch her enjoy hers. When her eyes flutter open, she finds me watching her.
“We should get to that hotel room,” I murmur.
She holds my gaze, and for a moment, I think she’s going to back out. Which would be a damn shame. I’m enjoying my time with her.
But she gives me a small smile and holds up a finger. “I’m going to have to finish this first. It’s too good.”
4
PAIGE
My high heels clack on the polished floor as we walk across the hotel lobby.
I used the last of my college funds on a decent hotel for the night. I didn’t want to lose my virginity in a cheap motel room. If I’m going to do this, then I’ll do it in style, with a hot stranger in a posh hotel.
Even so, I try not to think about what it will do to my bank account and the amount of extra shifts I’ll have to pull at the Plant Barn—if I ever go back.
Sergeant Gray walks beside me with one hand firmly clasped in mine. It should feel weird to hold a stranger’s hand, but instead, it feels comforting. The heat radiating off him centers me. And after sharing a pizza together, he feels like less of a stranger.
I’m not sure what the policy is on having visitors, and I don’t want to be charged an extra fee for the extra person. So, I stride with confidence, keeping my head held high, daring the concierge to question me.
He doesn’t, and the reception desk is unstaffed. We make it to the lifts unchallenged, and I use my keycard to call us a lift.
“You always stay at the Hilton?” Sergeant Gray asks. His lips twitch up at the corners, and I get the feeling he can see right through me.
“Only for special occasions.”
The lift arrives, and we step inside. I hit the button for the top floor, and the silence as the doors close feels stifling. I’m really about to do this. With a stranger, even though he’s starting to not feel like one.
As the floor numbers on the panel begin to rise, he breaks the silence. “What’s the occasion?”
I push my lips together, wondering what to tell him. That my life fell apart, that I may have just dropped out of college, and that I want to lose my virginity before I come back to my hometown because then at least it’ll feel like I achieved something.
“I’ve just finished my studies.”
It’s half the truth. I’m not sure yet if missing the last few weeks will impact my ability to graduate, or if I’ll have to repeat the semester. I left in a hurry and drove all day to get here, alternating between crying and shouting into the wind.
But I don’t want to think about that. I want to forget.
