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“Hmmm.” I purse my lips in contemplation, making the cocky man wait. Callum doesn’t like that and pokes my side with his finger. It makes me laugh, the sound a little loud, and I blush. “You suck.”
“Your answer, Miss Rubens.”
“Yeah.”
“Good girl.” Callum all but drags me out of the room using a back entrance. It leads to a long hallway that holds back-up chairs and a secondary entrance for the kitchen staff before curving left. No one’s here and we walk right through, following the signs that lead to different sections of the hotel that are for staff only.
The last door we encounter, though, this one says valet parking.
“You have a car here?” I ask, following him out into the cooler night air. This time of year is enjoyable, not too cold or warm out, but the nights can nip at you. Especially in my strapless, emerald bodycon dress with a little ruching at the waist. The length is modest at just below the knees, while the fit accentuates my every curve, which the man currently keeping a firm grip on my hand has been enjoying all evening.
“A rental.” I shiver and Callum removes his jacket, draping it across my shoulders. “Better, or would you rather we stop at your place so you can change?”
“I’ll be fine, but you might need to carry me or buy me flip flops.”
“It will be my pleasure.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” My eyes look toward the entrance, and an idea comes to mind. “I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?” The two men working the valet area turn toward us, the older of the two looking to reprimand, but his co-worker saves him with an elbow to the side. “Wait for me. I’ll go with you.”
“No need, I’m just going to the restroom right quick. Give me five.”
“Okay. I’ll be here.” Leaning over, he pecks my lips before turning to face the two men. “Here’s the ticket. Heavy tip if it’s back quickly.”
The younger man jumps from his seat inside the small two-person kiosk. “Yes, sir.”
I leave him there and head inside, rushing to the in-house mini-store and grabbing three things before Callum comes to investigate: hotel moniker on the joggers and shirt while the flip flops are plain black. Not the sexiest outfit, but it’ll do in a crunch like this.
After paying, I rush to the bathroom not far from the reception desk and nearly rip my clothes off in my haste. It feels like heaven to take them off, especially the shoes, and I nearly shove the expensive garments in the bag the attendant gave me. There’s a knock on the door while I’m shimmying into the bottoms, which becomes a little harder while I tug down the shirt.
“That man is so impatient.” My hair’s been down all evening in soft waves down my back and I open the small clutch with me tonight and dig through for a hair tie. “Bingo!”
Quickly, I tie my hair up, check for smudges in my simple makeup, and walk out. He’s standing there when I exit, and the look on his face is comical. Callum does a double take, then narrows his eyes. From head to toe, I’m inspected as he reaches for the bag with my dress and shoes inside.
“How do you look even more beautiful like this?” Not the question I’m expecting, and I giggle because words fail me. The compliments and attention and the way he’s always watching is enough to drive any woman mute, but for me, it’s the lack of control of my impulses.
Right now, I want to kiss him stupid outside of the hotel bathroom, but can’t. One kiss wouldn’t be enough for me. With him, it never is.
“You ready?” I ask instead, trying to walk past him, but Callum isn’t a man to be denied. And secretly, this thrills me. His grip on my arm isn’t tight yet unyielding, and I find myself being pushed against the wall by a very amused man.
Lowering his face to mine, he pauses just a few inches from my mouth. “Did you really think I’d let you walk out of this hall without stealing a kiss?”
“We can’t.”
“Says who?” There’s no playfulness now. This is a man determined. “Who the fuck is going to stop me from showing the woman I love how important she is to me? Who’s the arsehole stupid enough to try?”
“No one.”
“Correct.” A little closer now, he skims across once. “I’m not hiding us. That’s a disservice to you and our relationship, and I won’t stand for it.”
“Then why sneak out of the ballroom?” Up until this moment, I didn’t realize this bothered me. Yeah, it’s fun to rush through long corridors with a man unafraid of the devil himself, but walking out together would’ve been fun too. Is it all on him, though? I’ve been watching myself all night and keeping things as innocent as possible. “Sorry, that’s not entirely on you either. I’ve been—”
“Aliana, I do what makes you feel comfortable. My claim on you has already been established; if someone knows or doesn’t, that’s irrelevant to me.” This time I get a peck. Small, but it sets me ablaze with want. “That, and I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. We’d still be doing the bloody goodbyes that never end with Mariah and Javier, or agreeing to head out somewhere because that woman can convince a monk to snort a line or two.”
“Tell me about it. She convinced me to join her for a spa day next week.”
“What’s so bad about that?” He looks genuinely perplexed.
