Page 67 of Shiver

“That’s totally okay. Call me when you can,” I assure her, and she smiles before hanging up.

I’m surprised she felt comfortable taking her out of the house, but I’m glad she did. I’m even more pleased that it’s the park inside her community.

As my eyes skim over Samara, an idea hits me for how to salvage her plans for the day without having to worry about her going to a beach by herself because she absolutely would leave me here if given the option.

“Do you need anything from the front, princess? I’m gonna go grab something real quick.”

She shakes her head. “No, thanks. I think I’m actually going to take a shower or maybe a nap.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

I make my way toward the front desk, careful to check every hallway I pass for any signs of her family. I wouldn’t want to lead them back to her.

When I get to the desk, I’m greeted by two smiling faces whose eagerness to help me sends unease sinking into my gut.

“What can we help you with?” one of the women asks, leaning across the desk, clearly using her arms to push her breasts forward.

In another life, I’d not only look but flirt and probably wind up with her in my bed later. Maybe even both of them. But now? All I can think about is getting back to my room and making sure Samara actually enjoys this vacation.

These women do nothing for me. Hell, no one has since I met Samara, and I’m not ready to think about that too hard.

“Could I get a bunch of flat sheets for the bed?”

“A bunch?” she asks, tilting her head to the side.

I nod. “Yeah, like ten of them.”

Her brows lift as she rises to her feet, but luckily, she doesn’t ask any follow-up questions. “Sure, one moment.”

She heads to the supply closet and comes back with an arm full of white flat sheets. “Thanks,” I tell her, heading quickly to my room with the sheets in my arms.

Samara isn’t in bed, but I hear the water running in the bathroom, so I get to work.

I step out onto the patio and start lining the gate with the sheets, tying them at the top and bottom to keep them from blowing away. When I’m all done, I set up the chairs, laying out towels on each of them.

There’s a small sign on one of the tables with a QR code for the hotel’s room service, so I sort through it and order a bunch of random snacks and drinks.

When I get back into the room, my heart is racing, and my eyes are wide. “Fuck,” I say, but it comes out sounding more like a prayer.

Samara is standing in the middle of our room, wrapped in nothing but a towel. Her long curls are soaking wet, hanging down her back, and her gorgeous almond-colored skin is still damp and glistening.

I watch as a bead of water trails down her neck and between her breasts. The urge to lick it off her skin is overwhelming.

She stands, staring at me, unmoving. Her plump lips are parted in surprise.

A knock at the door drags us both out of our thoughts, and our eyes snap to the door. “Shit, they found me,” she groans out.

I chuckle. “No, they didn’t. I got us room service. Go get your bathing suit back on, please. You’re too damn distracting in that towel,” I tell her as I head to the door.Not that her in a bathing suit is any less distracting.

To my utter shock, she actually does as I ask.

I wait until she slips back into the bathroom before opening the door for room service. A man dressed in a palm-tree-print button-down and khakis greets me. “Hello, sir. You ordered room service?”

“Yes, thank you. Would you mind setting it up by the pool?”

“Of course, sir.”

A few minutes later, he has me sign the bill and heads out. I knock on the bathroom door. “The coast is clear, princess.”

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