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I closed my eyes and collapsed on the pool table, face down, trying to catch my breath. Suddenly, I was embarrassed. I had come to this town, thinking I could just have a one-night stand with a hot, single guy. Somewhere along the way, I’d developed feelings for Jared. It was absurd, but I even felt like I could stay here in his cozy cabin forever.
That wasn’t an option.
But now what? He’d seen a side of me that I didn’t even know existed. And now, I just wanted to curl up in a ball, I was so mortified.
I had to get out of here. I had to get out of herenow.
“Wow,” he said.
I immediately missed Jared’s nearness as he slid out of me and stepped away. That was something else. My eyes popped open, then I squeezed them closed again. How did I face him? Especially without any clothes on.
Covering my chest with my arms, I straightened and looked around. My dress was on the floor, just a few steps away from the pool table. I knelt as gracefully as I could manage and scooped it up, then turned my back to him so I could squeeze it over my head.
“I really need to go,” I said. “I mean, it was great and all, but I have to go.”
I snatched up my purse, which was at the other end of the pool table. I didn’t even glance in his direction. As I started toward the door, I half-expected him to stop me, but he didn’t. Nothing happened. If I stopped to question that, I’d lose my nerve.
No, I was halfway to the door by now. I had to keep going.
“It was great meeting you,” I called out. “Thanks for everything.”
When the door slammed behind me, I should have felt better, but I felt worse. There was no other choice. I had to go. Because once his arousal wore off completely, Jared would realize I was not the desirable woman he thought. And that was when I’d really get my heart broken.
7
JARED
She was gone. If not for the bra and panties still on the floor, I might wonder if I’d just imagined her. How long until she realized she’d left them behind?
If it was anybody else, I would have been fine with her walking out that door. But it wasn’t just the best sex of my life. It went way beyond that. Every minute I’d spent with her had been the best of my life. The connection we shared was rare.
I’d be damned if I was going to let her blow it. I snatched up her bra and panties, made sure the oven and stove were off, and headed straight out the door, almost forgetting my keys, I was so flustered.
Aside from my motorcycle, my driveway was empty, my date no doubt having made it halfway back to her hotel by now. Hopefully, she wouldn’t grab her stuff and leave town, but if she tried, I could surely be at her hotel before she did.
Still, I was relieved when I pulled into the Blackbear Bluff Inn parking lot to see that same white sedan parked there. I’d glimpsed it both in this lot earlier and my driveway when I opened the door to her before dinner. She was still in town. It wasn’t too late.
As I climbed off my bike, I stuffed her panties and bra in my back pocket. I was going to have to do some convincing to get the front desk clerk to give me her room number. Clutching lace underwear would just make me look like the stalker I kind of was.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Bryan behind that desk. Bryan and I went way back. He was younger than me by a few years, but he was a good guy. He lived in an apartment connected to the lobby so he could be nearby in case a stranger stumbled into town and needed a room at two in the morning.
“Hey, man,” I said, doing my best to sound cool, calm, and collected. “You have a guest staying here. She left something at my place.”
I just hoped Bryan didn’t ask what. In a bigger town, the front desk clerk would no doubt protect the privacy of the guests, but Bryan knew me. If I said a woman left something at my place, that’s exactly what happened.
“The chick in two-twenty-three?” Bryan asked.
I was surprised at my immediate reaction to the word “chick.” Zoey wasn’t a conquest. She wasn’t even a quick lay. She was the type of woman you uprooted your entire life for. She was the woman I loved.
I loved her. Those three words pushed me forward.
“I can just run it up to her room,” I said, suddenly aware I had absolutely nothing in my hands. What if he asked what I was delivering? “I don’t want to interrupt whatever you’re doing.”
Bryan shrugged. “Whatever. You know where the elevator is.”
That was almost too easy. I shook my head as I took long, impatient steps toward the one rickety elevator that serviced the two floors of this building. Zoey deserved better protection than what she’d get in this building, but that was okay. If I had any say over it, she’d be under my protection for the rest of her life.
I stood in front of her door for several long seconds, listening for any signs of life on the other side of it. If she was packing, I couldn’t hear it, but I had no idea how thick or insulated these doors and walls were.
