“You will.”
“Okay.” She draws out the word okay like she’s almost afraid of what she might find.
I ignore her and press on. “I imagine you’re hungry. I’m starving. If you want to drop off your bag, I’ll take you to get something to eat. I can wait here, unless you need some time to get ready.”
“No, I can go now. What room is it?”
“3614.”
“Thirty-six? How many floors are there?”
“Thirty-six.”
“Okay. Are we all on the same floor?”
“Yep. Our rooms are next to each other.”
“I take it they have the same room. So much for her being a good girl.”
I can’t help a grin. “I think that ship sailed the day they met.”
“I think within the first two hours,” she says, grabbing the handle of her luggage. “Told you, something in the water.”
I almost ask if that water makes her horny, too, but stop myself. The attraction I felt for her at the ski lodge was bad enough, and now that I’ve gotten to know her better, it’s so much worse. It’s like my brain switched to beast mode themoment she hugged me, and now all I want to do is sweep her off her feet, carry her to my room, tear her clothes off, and have my way with her. It’s hard to keep a clear head when my blood keeps pumping to where I wish it wouldn’t.
Suddenly I’m too aware of her just standing there facing me. I need to say something, but not what I’m thinking. Something appropriate. “I think Ash has been drinking the same water since he was eleven. Remind me to tell you about our babysitter.”
A smile flashes in her eyes. “I used to babysit a kid just like that when I was sixteen. We’ll have to compare stories.”
I’m intrigued. “I can’t wait.”
As she gets on the elevator, I take a seat in the lobby. There’s a seafood restaurant downtown that I’ve wanted to try. I pull out my phone to see if they require a reservation. Doesn’t look like it. I’m reading the reviews, nearly all of them good, when my phone pings.
Maddie:OMG! OMG! OMG!
I laugh out loud.
Riggs:Yeah, thought you might like it.
Maddie:See you on Tuesday, because I’m never leaving this room! The tub is bigger than my entire bathroom. It even has a full kitchen and don’t get me started on the bedroom.
Riggs:You have to eat sometime.
Maddie:Room service!
Riggs:Please have dinner with me.
Maddie:Do I have to?
Riggs:Only because I said please.
Maddie:Dammit! Okay, on my way.
While waiting to be seated, I’m taking in the interesting décor while Maddie looks over the menu posted on the wall. “Lir is an interesting name for a restaurant,” she says.
Most of the tables are already full and more cars were pulling into the parking lot when we arrived. I’m glad we got here as early as we did.
“I thought so too, so I looked it up. Lir is the Irish god of the sea. I’ve eaten at some unique places, but never a Celtic seafood restaurant. I heard about this place at one of Elsie’s charity events in New York.”
