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Chapter 36
Cole
After going to Layna’s room so she can pack her things, I help by shoving everything into her suitcase. I can tell she wants to argue with me about the proper way to pack her things, but she manages to hold back. I almost laugh at the annoyance in her eyes. I’m going to pay for that later, I’m sure. But I don’t care. I can’t wait to have her in my room. In my bed. Without needing to rush out first thing in the morning. I want to wake up with her in my arms, the way I’ve never been able to in the past.
The walk to my room feels longer than I remember. The anticipation of getting Layna alone and out of that dress is killing me. As I round the corner to my room, I stop short. My suitcase is sitting next to my door and a man dressed in the hotel’s uniform emerges from the open doorway holding a garment bag. My mouth drops open in a question, but I don’t get a chance to voice it before the man speaks.
“Ah, Mr. Prescott, sir,” he says. “I’m so sorry. We were just finishing up.”
Another uniformed man emerges from my room holding another of my bags.
“Finishing up what?” I ask.
“Moving your things to your new room,” the first man answers. “We were hoping to have it finished before you retired for the night.”
“New room?” I ask.
What the hell is going on?
The man nods. “Top floor, as requested. With a city view. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you there. We have all your things packed. Unless you’d like to do a last sweep of the room?”
A new room. On the top floor. I glance over at Layna, but she looks as confused as I feel. Before I can ask what’s going on, Layna’s phone rings. She glances at the screen and smiles before answering.
“Piper, did you forget something?”
She listens for a moment, her face going soft as her smile widens. “You didn’t need to do that,” she says. “Then tell Luke thank you from us. I love you too. Enjoy your honeymoon. I love you.”
She ends the call and turns back to me.
“This is Luke,” she says. “The room upgrade. It’s a gift from him.”
My confusion must show on my face. “Since when does the guy getting married buy gifts for other people?”
She shrugs. “Groomsman gifts are customary, actually. They’re usually not this extravagant. But I say we enjoy it, Mr. Prescott.”
She hooks her hand in the crook of my elbow and smiles up at me.
“Okay, counselor,” I say. “Let’s go see this new room of ours.”
We follow the two men back to the elevator, Layna’s hand in mine. When we enter, one of the men uses a keycard to access the penthouse level. I look at Layna with a raised brow. She just shrugs. When the doors open, a long hallway stretches out before us. The two men walk to the end of the hallway and one of them uses a keycard to open the door at the end. The other one carries my luggage inside. I lead Layna through the doorway and into the nicest hotel room I’ve ever been in. My eyes go wide as I try to decide what to look at first.
The hotel employee is giving us a brief rundown of the room, but I’m barely listening. I’m too distracted by the view outside the massive windows. It feels like I can see the entire city from here, though I know this is just one small slice of it. Finally, the two men leave and I’m alone with Layna. She walks up behind me and wraps her arms around my waist, resting her head against my back.
She exhales on a sigh. “Alone, at last.”
I turn in her arms and she smiles up at me. She’s so beautiful. Her dark hair is falling over her shoulders in waves and her lips are turned up in a smile. I’ve had sex with this woman more times than I can count. I’ve taken her and been taken by her in so many ways I can’t think of them all. But tonight feels different. Tonight, she’s mine and I’m hers. No more lies or secrets. No more pretending for our friends. No more pretending for ourselves. Tonight, I can show her all the ways I’ve wanted to love her since the night we met.
As if reading my mind, Layna says, “I still can’t believe it. I can’t believe we’re here. Together.”
Her eyes go bright and for a moment I’m worried she’s going to cry, but she blinks away the tears that threaten.
“I didn’t think I could have this,” she whispers.
I pull her tight against me, holding her to me as I speak. “I told you once, remember? That you deserve someone who thinks the sun rises and sets in your eyes. Someone who wants to be beside you through everything in life. Remember?”
She nods against my chest.
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was describing the way I feel about you. The way I’ve always felt about you. You deserve all of that and more.”
