Charlie nodded, secretly relieved, and Harper jumped out and ran to the office. Charlie prayed she had success and that they allowed dogs. She wasn’t sure if she had it in her to drive any farther, given the atrocious storm. She did enjoy watching Harper’s ass as she ran, though.
Once Harper was safely inside, Charlie turned to pet Franky, who was lying on the back seat shaking. “I’m so sorry, sweet girl. We didn’t know it was going to storm like this.” She leaned as far into the back as the front seats would allow to pet her.
Harper soon jumped back in the car and said, “It would be really great if you kept an umbrella in this car.”
“Sorry,” Charlie said as she came back to the front. “But Inever needed one before. I either parked in an indoor garage or the valet would escort me with an umbrella from my car to the building.” Realizing how that sounded, she continued, “But I also just didn’t go out much in the rain. I mean, it’s not like someone escorted me from my car at the grocery store. I’m sorry, I guess that’s just more evidence of my exasperatingly lavish former lifestyle.”
Harper squeezed her knee and winked. “Yeah, I can definitely see why you needed to get away from thatlavishness.”
Charlie rolled her eyes but didn’t respond.
“Anyway, I have good news, and I have bad news. What do you want to hear first?” she said.
“Let’s go with the good news,” Charlie said. If they at least had a room, she could handle whatever the bad news was.
Harper dangled a physical key. “They allow dogs, and I got us a room. Their last room, apparently, as there’s some boat show thing going on here, so all the hotels are booked up on this island. They were full too but had a cancelation for tonight because of this monsoon. So go us. But we do have to check out tomorrow because the person who rented this room will be here then.”
Charlie chuckled at her teasing. “I don’t think we planned to stay a second night, did we? Don’t you have to work?”
“Yes, but the woman at check-in was very adamant that we have to check outon timetomorrow. No later than eleven thirty.”
“Duly noted. Now what’s the bad news?”
“Not only do we only have one room, there’s only one bed.”
“Well, that’s a trope if I’ve ever heard one. I’m sure we’ll be fine. We’re both adults.” The thought of sharing a bed with Harper had her heart racing faster than it had when they’d hydroplaned, and her skin grew hot. But she was letting Harper set the pace and giving her as much time as she needed. Butall their making out without going any further was giving her new vibrator the workout of a lifetime. She was pretty sure she’d clocked more hours with that baby in the last few weeks than all other vibrators in her life combined. Though, the two of them plus Franky in one bed might be a bit much.
Wow, she needed to focus. “I still think the best news is that I don’t have to drive another mile in this shit.”
“Oh, and I forgot the other good news.”
“What’s that?” Charlie said.
Harper held up two plastic-wrapped packets. “They provide complimentary toiletry kits, so we have toothbrushes, toothpaste, a small stick of deodorant, and maybe some other useful stuff.”
She hadn’t even thought that far ahead but was grateful Harper had. “That’s fantastic. I hate not brushing my teeth.”
“I’m a planner. Just one of the reasons I was a good attorney.” She shrugged one shoulder and flashed a cheeky smile. “Now, the parking closest to our room is going to be around the back building of the complex. Apparently, the person who canceled tonight has a great view of the water. Not that we’ll be able to see it anytime soon.”
They found their building, parked, and ran inside, but in just that quick sprint, they were all soaking.
“They told me we had robes in the room. Hopefully, she really meant that in plural,” Harper chuckled as she sluiced wet hair from her forehead.
Charlie felt a little flushed at the idea of sitting with Harper in nothing but a robe. But she certainly wasn’t going to say no. To distract herself, she took in the space. It had a very Key West vibe, with a coral bedspread and a teal accent wall. It was nice enough. There was a small table with two chairs sitting in front of the sliding door.
“Shit. I’m going to have to run back out there. The desk clerktold me she was pretty sure there was a dog hospitality kit in the room, but I don’t see one. There’s supposed to be a dog bed, a water bowl, a small thing of kibble, and a few treats. Franky would probably like to emotionally eat, given the storm roiling around us.”
When Harper moved to the door, Charlie said, “Wait, I’ll drive you so you don’t get too wet.”
“Would you mind staying here with Franky, so she doesn’t have to go back out in the rain? She’s finally starting to settle down a little.” Harper pointed to the corner where Franky was curled up. Charlie hadn’t realized that Harper had covered her with a beach towel that came with the room.
“Was she cold?”
“No, it’s like a makeshift thunder coat. It doesn’t squeeze her as tightly, but it’s better than nothing. So you should stay with her. And there’s no reason for us both to get wet.”
“Why don’t you take my car? She drives like a dream. Even in this weather. As long as you don’t hit too deep of a puddle and hydroplane.” Charlie rolled her eyes at herself.
“By the time I figure out how to get into your fancy car and then get out and figure out how to lock it, I could’ve just run. You know I’m a runner. I’ll dodge the raindrops.” She grinned, and Charlie’s stomach did a little flutter. Harper’s genuine smile was the best in the universe.
