Her smile softened.“Wow, Dylan.That’s quite revealing.”A laugh slipped out.“But thank you.I like you a lot too.”
Almost an hour passed before I thought about Sean.His absence had gone unnoticed until Chantel mentioned him.
“The first time I met him, I was just a teenager.”She leaned forward, her hands resting next to mine on the bar.“Believe it or not, he’s much tamer than he was back then.He actually scared me a little—the trouble he used to cause.”
It hit me then how long they’d known each other.They had a small history, but I was the guy bringing them together.I’d been telling myself Sean had started it all with his texts.
But that was bullshit.This was all on me.I was the instigator.
And he was over an hour late.
“Do you want to get out of here?”I asked, done with the fancy bar and the lingering doubt about whether Sean was even going to show.
“You don’t think he’s coming?”She frowned, reading my mind.
“I don’t know.But I’m not waiting all night.And I’m happy to get some time alone with you.”
Taking her hand, I led her out of the bar, through the lobby, and up to the room.The door closed behind us, and for a moment, we just stood there.
The room was dim, one lamp burning in the corner, the bed made up in crisp white linens behind us.Quiet except for the sound of the ice machine down the hall, a door closing on another floor, Chantel’s breathing, and the steady thud of my own pulse.
She hadn’t moved since I’d let go of her hand.She was watching me with half-lidded eyes, waiting to see what I’d do next.
And something in me shifted.Not nerves.Impatience.
I didn’t want to wait anymore.Didn’t want to fill the time with more talk about jobs or vacations or even Sean.
All I wanted was her.Any and every way I could have her.
I stepped close and spanned my hands around her waist.She looked so small in my hold.With my fingers spread wide, I could nearly wrap them all the way around her—and that, combined with her quiet sigh, was all it took to put me back in control.
But small didn’t mean breakable.Chantel was stronger than me in most of the ways that mattered.That excited me too.
I was about to pull her in and kiss her senseless when there was a knock at the door.
“Fuck’s sake.”I stalked over and pulled it open.
Sean stood on the other side, looking as casual and unbothered as the day I’d met him.
“You’re late.”I didn’t bother hiding the bite in my tone.Not only had he interrupted, but he’d made me fucking wait.
His grin was bright and unaffected.“Does that mean I’m uninvited?”
“Get your ass in here before I change my mind.”
“Yes, sir.”The way he said it made my jaw tighten.
He got off on making me angry.I’d figured that much out a while ago.But I wasn’t sure if it was because he was used to causing trouble or if he just liked watching me break.
“Chantel.”He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.“You look delectable as always.Is that a flush in your cheeks?Have you two been fooling around without me?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”Her words were playful, but there was an edge underneath them.An edge that triggered something protective in me.
“You sure about this,enchanté?”I brushed my hand up her arm.
“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”Her intense gaze met mine, lighting me up, and settling something deep within me.“I’m the one who asked you for it, remember?”
“She’s a big girl.”Sean took off his jacket, dropping it haphazardly on the chair in the corner.“No one’s forcing her.If it’s too much to handle, she can leave.”
