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At my room, I fumble with the keycard twice before finally getting the door to open. We walk in to find the place is pristine. Maid service has been through and made the bed up tighter than a drum. There’s a little chocolate perched on the pillow, and not a single hint that less than twelve hours ago, we tried out every available flat surface during our sex marathon.
“You’d never know,” Seth murmurs, voice low and rough, reading my mind.
“Yeah, unless you had a blacklight.” I giggle as I check the bedside table. The lamp I knocked over is upright and perfect. There’s even a fresh bottle of water tied off with a ribbon.
I pack in record time, shoving my outfits, laptop, and all my toiletries into my rolling suitcase. I double-check the bathroom just to make sure while Seth sits on the edge of the bed, arms folded, watching me with a very satisfied look on his chiseled face.
“You got everything?” he asks, voice soft but so sure.
I nod. “I travel light.” Lie of the century. I just didn’t think I’d have much room in my tiny crew cabin on the cruise ship, so I left most of my belongings in the storage room in the back of my brother’s garage.
He stands, stretching. The move does criminal things to his shirt. “Ready to go home?”
It takes me a second to realize he means his home. Our home. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” I say as we head back down to the lobby. It only takes a second to check out, and I’m grateful for the mostly deserted lobby.
We tumble into the Mustang, the leather seats cool against my skin. My suitcase barely fits in the car, but Seth lifts it effortlessly, tossing it over the bench like it’s a feather. As we pull away from the curb, I crank the window down, and the thick, humid air rushes in, tousling my hair and filling my lungs with the scent of blooming magnolias. Seth’s hand finds its way to my thigh, his warm grip sending a shiver of reassurance through me.
The drive out of downtown feels surprisingly intimate, almost like a scene from a movie. He gestures toward the local landmarks—a quaint hardware store, the infamous town fountain that’s supposed to have magic water, and the coffee shop that he swears serves the best lattes on the planet.
Fifteen minutes later, we turn down a long, curving driveway, trees arching overhead, until the view opens up to reveal a sprawling white ranch house with a wide and welcoming porch.
Seth kills the engine and turns to me, searching my face for a reaction. “Welcome home,” he says, voice thick with pride.
“It’s gorgeous,” I breathe, and for once, I mean every word. It settles somewhere deep in my chest.
He’s out of the car before I even think to move, popping my door open, yanking my suitcase from the back, and holding his hand out for me. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”
Inside, the place is all polished wood and sunlight. There’s a massive, open kitchen that looks like it’s made for family dinners. Seth leads me past a living room with an L-shaped couch that could fit a football team, down a hallway lined with bedrooms, and finally to a master suite tucked at the back.
“You can have any room you want, but this one’s got the best view,” he says, dropping my suitcase at the foot of a king-sized bed that’s drowning in pillows.
He hangs in the doorway, hands in his pockets. “You want to unpack before dinner?”
I nod my head, needing a little time to collect myself. “It won’t take me too long.”
“Take your time.” He winks and walks over to kiss me on my forehead. “I’ll go order us a pizza.”
Once he’s gone, I take stock. The room smells like cedar and a hint of Seth’s spicy scent. I stash my makeup bag under the counter and hang my outfits in the closet next to his stuff. There’s something intimate about our things side-by-side, like we’ve been doing this forever.
