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I shrugged. “Should have taken me up on my offer.”
She grinned. “Yeah,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Maybe so.”
I parked the car in the lot and jumped out. I moved quickly around to the other side of the truck and opened the door, helping her out.
“Such a gentleman,” she said.
“That's me.”
I pulled my jacket tighter around my body and walked her to the front door of the hotel. She might have declined my offer to protect her at my place, but I'd be damned if I wouldn't see her to her room safely. It seemed like the right thing to do.
I held the door open for her and escorted her through the lobby. I stopped at the bank of elevators and push the button to call for a car. I turned to her and smiled.
“Home safe and sound,” I said.
“Looks that way.”
As the doors to the elevator slid open, we were standing face to face, our eyes locked and the air around us infused with something – almost an air of expectation.
An expectation of what though, I had no idea.
CHAPTER SIX
MADISON
“I'd ask if you'd like to stay for a drink, but the mini bar is kind of lacking,” I laughed.
I stood in the doorway, with it open and Oliver standing outside, still not entirely sure how we'd gotten there. We'd been standing face to face at the elevators downstairs and then somehow, as if we had some unspoken agreement – or more like, we were both moving through some sort of hypnotic trance – we'd both gotten into the car and taken it up to my floor. And now, there we were. At my room.
My pulse was racing and my heart hammering in my chest, both terrified and exhilarated at the same time. Part of me wanted to ask him to come inside, to join me for – well, I don't know. For something that probably wasn't a drink – a thought that sent twin currents of fear and excitement shooting through my veins.
Oliver stood with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the ground, his face awash in thought and emotion. It seemed clear to me, though, that he also didn't seem to want to leave. With his hands still in his pockets, he leaned forward, leaned into me. I almost thought he was moving in for a kiss, so I closed my eyes and leaned toward him only to feel his lips pressed against my cheek instead.
I opened my eyes as he pulled away and my face fell. My cheeks burned with embarrassment and, I'm sure, were turning a shade of red not normally found in nature. I wasn't sure how I'd been so wrong and felt kind of stupid about it. I really didn't want the night to end though. After everything I'd been through, it was nice to have some fun with somebody I was enjoying spending time with.
“You know, I'm sure we could raid the mini bar,” I said, turning and glancing at the mini fridge. “I think they had some beers in there, at least. Might not be the best drinks ever, but it would at least wet your whistle.”
“Hey, I'm always up for a beer,” he said, a smile spreading across his face that showcased those adorable dimples of his.
I stepped aside and with a sweep of my hand, invited him into my suite. While it was nice, it certainly wasn't home. The place felt foreign and uncomfortable to me – and the mattress really was every bit as bad as I said it was. It had a living room area with the mini bar and an alcove with the bedroom. There was a large flat panel TV hung up above a faux-fireplace, but the last thing I wanted to think about was fire.
It was a decent room, but I just wanted to go back to my place. My home. I wanted to be among my things, where I was comfortable and at peace.
We walked through the living room and sat down on the sofa facing the television. Burgundy curtains surrounded the windows, covering them and keeping anyone from seeing inside. I'd made sure to pick a place with only interior entrances. It made me feel safer, even though anyone could probably come up the elevator and knock. It was more or less an illusion of security but it at least gave me some semblance of protection and comfort. That was something, I supposed.
“Nice room,” he said.
“It's not my room, though,” I said, leaning back against the couch.
My dress rode up and showed off a little knee and I caught Oliver staring down at it, briefly. He turned away quickly, looking everywhere but at me.
“No,” he murmured. “But at least you're safe here.”
“Tell me something – why do you care so much about my safety?” I asked. “After what I did to you back in high school, I'd—”
“You were just a kid,” he said. “Hell, so was I. Like we had any clue about the world or anything. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I asked you out. I—”
Without giving myself time to think – or back out of it – I quickly leaned forward before he could finish his thought, and pressed my lips to his. Years ago, we'd kissed, and I remembered his lips were softer than any boy I'd ever kissed before. Even all these years later, all grown up, and with his hands roughed up from hard work, his lips remained soft and gentle.
