Page 54 of Tempt

But I knew deep down inside I wasn’t nearly as confident that our real lives back in London would let us keep our little slice of heaven out here beside the rolling hills.

Chapter 19

Theo’s hotel was gorgeous. Set down a long road that separated it from the town, it was an older building with beautiful stonework and enormous lawns. It looked more like a mansion than a hotel. We were treated like royalty and taken right up to the room, which was spacious and modern, but with a traditional flare. The lines were clean and straight, but the woodwork was elaborate. It was a very pleasing combination.

Plus the bedding was red. Red blankets and white sheets against a mahogany bed screamed sex. That added in with the six-foot cut glass windows that looked out over the back lawn and I was in heaven.

“This is a sexy hotel, Theo.”

He bounced his eyebrows and tossed our bags on the table. “Then we should have lots of sex in it.” He took me in his arms and I melted because yeah… the man who thought romance involved shared office space had just given me a day straight out of a fairytale.

“Are you happy?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Are you?”

“Yeah. It’s nice to be away from everything, you know?”

“Yeah.” He kissed me. “We should grab lunch before the rain moves in.” Then he winked. “We can spend the rest of the day in bed.”

And that was the problem—that was what both of us wanted. Sex on the car had been incredibly satisfying, but it was just the start. We’d shared an experience and neither of us wanted to stop it. His hands were always on me, and mine were on him. We kissed every chance we got. I wanted to curl up in his lap and stay there. It was highly unlikely we’d stop until we were back in London. Going back to work on Monday was going to be a bitch of a wakeup call.

We walked down the road to the main street and wandered into the first café we found. The lady who owned the cafe knew Theo immediately.

“You’re back! It’s so good to see you.” She was older and had very kind eyes. Her graying blonde hair was swept up in a bun and she had a fabulous bright blue apron.

Theo leaned down to plant a kiss on her cheek. “I’ve brought a friend with me this time. Susan, this is Allison.”

She smiled at me. “Oh, I like this change of pace.” Then she winked at Theo. “It’s very good to meet you Allison. Welcome.”

She fussed over us and didn’t let us order. Apparently it wasn’t that kind of place. The food was picked for you, not the other way around. A hot pot of tea was delivered along with two delicate cups and I loved watching Theo hold it. The man had been well trained and made me look like I had no idea what I was doing in comparison. Which was saying a lot because I was very well trained in the art of tea drinking. (Even if I didn’t like tea.)

“You hold that cup like you know everything about it. Like, if you closed your eyes you could find it on the table blind, pick it up by only the handle, and take a sip without spilling a drop.”

“I can,” he said. And then he proved it, closing his eyes and giving me quite the eloquent performance.

“I’m duly impressed.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised when Susan delivered a tray of chicken salad sandwiches, but I was. “These look amazing,” Theo practically purred.

Susan blushed and swatted his arm. “You always say that.”

“I always mean it.”

She shook her head and scurried away.

I took a bite and had to agree, they were amazing. “Does everyone know about your chicken salad addiction, or just half the country?”

“And here you thought I was a recluse.”

He had a point. “No, you aren’t a recluse, you’re just a workaholic.”

“Idolike my privacy and I don’t enjoy the company of many people.”

“Doesn’t make you a recluse.”

We ate in comfortable silence for a while. Theo finished before me and started playing with his fork and knife so much it became annoying. “Is something wrong?” I asked.

“No,” he lied. He grinned at me and bounced his eyebrows.

---