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Then he wrapped the braided leather around her throat, using it to cut off her air as he fucked her well into the night, only letting her gasp in enough labored breaths to stay conscious. As if he needed to prove to himself he could do it. That no matter what he did, he could keep her safe.
She didn’t even know how many times she came last night. She lost count somewhere along the way.
What she did know was she’d need a vacation to recover from her vacation. Even Micah didn’t have the stamina or all-consuming desire to use her so fully.
Tiptoeing around the suite, she did the absolute minimum of her morning routine in the bathroom, slipped on a pair of sweats and a tank top, and padded out to the hall. Once she safely closed the door behind her, she relaxed, heading downstairs in search of caffeine. She was halfway down the curved staircase when she noticed Zach behind the reception desk.
Zach smiled broadly as soon as their gazes met. “Good morning, Nell.”
“Good morning.” The caffeine could wait. She crossed the lobby quickly, the marble tiles smooth and cool beneath her bare feet. “I wanted to thank you for our little picnic yesterday. That was so sweet.”
His smile finally reached his eyes. “My pleasure. I’m glad you all enjoyed yourselves.” Glancing toward the empty staircase, he asked, “Is your handsome prince still asleep?”
She laughed as she pictured him dressed up like the prince inSleeping Beauty. “For now.”
“Then let me be the first to wish you a happy Halloween,” Zach said with another big grin.
“Happy Halloween,” she said back, leaning against the reception counter. “Iloveyour bow tie.” It was covered in little grinning jack-o-lanterns.
Zach’s lips got all sorts of wobbly, and he put a hand over his heart. “Thank you.” He wiped a fake tear from the corner of one eye. “I’ve been wearing themed bow ties for every single holiday forliterallyyears. And you’re the first person in this place to ever say a thing about it. Which I’m pretty sure means we’re now best friends.”
Nell’s laugh rang through the lobby, echoing back from the vaulted ceiling. “Oh, is that how it works? Good to know, bestie. Speaking of, I’m surprised there aren’t any decorations around here.” She took a glance around, though she already knew she wouldn’t find anything.
He heaved a dramatic sigh. “I ask about decorations every year, but no one around here seems to care. Which, if you think about it, makes absolutely no sense. Every single person in this place is kinky as fuck.”
“Right? We’re literally a group of peopleobsessedwith sexy little costumes. Halloween was made for us.”
Light straight-up glittered in Zach’s bright eyes. “Okay, joking aside, I think we can claim the besties title now.”
Nell was pretty sure he was still joking. That didn’t stop his declaration from warming her heart. It was like that lovely, weird feeling she got after taking a big gulp of hot chocolate, like tendrils spreading out from the center of her chest. “What do you say we rebel?”
At that, his smile turned downright impish. “Explain.”
“Let’s throw the first annual Fairford Manor Halloween party,” she said, her mind moving at lightspeed as she formulated a whole plan. “Send out official invites and everything. What are they gonna do, not attend their own party?”
Zach’s whole face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. “You arediabolical.” Grabbing her hand, he led her around the edge of the desk and into his little office.
An antique wooden desk took up nearly one whole wall, the top strewn with several stacks of papers and files, an open laptop off to one side.
Dropping into the fancy-ass burgundy leather desk chair, Zach swiped his thumb across the touchpad. A login screen appeared asking for his pin.
042988.
She didn’t mean to follow his fingers as they typed in the password. It just sort of...happened.
A long, complicated spreadsheet with what looked to be hundreds of rows and columns filled the screen. She didn’t get more than a glance at it before Zach minimized the window. As he pulled up an internet browser, she glanced around the rest of the small office.
Aside from the framed art on the walls and a few potted plants, the only other thing here was a long, narrow table with an office-style mailbox on top. It was split into multiple labeled cubbyholes, most of the cubbies empty or nearly so. The one labeledAiden, on the other hand, overflowed onto the table beneath.
“Okay then,” Zach said, rubbing his hands together as the screen filled with Halloween party decorations. “There’s no way we can get anything delivered same-day all the way up here. But planning our party for tomorrow gives people enough time to come up with costumes anyway. Let’s see what we can get here with overnight shipping.”
Nell leaned over his shoulder as they scrolled through pages and pages of potential decorations, ranging from spooky to silly, grotesque to elegant. Basically anything they both liked ended up in the cart, though they realized they’d have to rein it in quite a bit when they saw the total.
“Yeah, if I spend over two grand on sparkly pumpkins, I might not have a job tomorrow,” Zach said with a laugh. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom really quick. You start narrowing this down.” He scurried off, the soles of his shoes clicking against the lobby’s marble tiles.
As Nell sat down, she had every intention of doing as he asked. And yet, she found herself opening a new tab.
No.The admonishment in her head was definitely in Holly’s bossy voice.
