Page 12 of Whatever You Need

“I’m curious. How the hell did you end up going home with that schmuck?”

She rolled her lips together. “I didn’t realize he was a schmuck at the time.” The sarcasm in her voice was thick. “He told me he was a rescue pilot.”

I drew back, squinting my eyes at her. “You bought that line? He didn’t even look like he could rescue a golden retriever.”

She pointed her finger at me. “In my defense, I was filled up on vodka, so clearly my judgment was impaired.”

I titled my head to her martini glass. “Should I be concerned? I’m a whisky drinker, but I’m pretty sure those dirty martinis are made with vodka.”

She plucked a green olive out of the glass with a toothpick and sucked it in her mouth. “I’m on a two-drink limit from here on out.”

“Ahh… I guess that explains why you switched to the soda.” I grinned, and she grinned right back. Something soft settled in my chest.

Her big blue eyes flickered back and forth between mine, then down to my lips where they lingered before moving back up again. I didn’t want her to shy away from me like the night we met. This intense need to take her up to my room and claim every inch of her took me by surprise. Maybe because I was afraid that I’d never see her again. If this was my only opening, I was taking it.

I scooted my chair closer to hers and draped my arm along the back of her stool. She shivered slightly at the barest touch of my fingers. If I could get her on board with my plan, this would be a night that we both remembered. “It doesn’t look like we’re going anywhere tonight. I got a text from my buddy at the station. The roads are already slick and they’re only going to get worse.”

She looked over to the white snow as it fell against the windows. The streets were covered in white fluff, and the lobby was nearly empty except for the few people that were stranded here like us.

She darted her tongue out and swept it over her bottom lip. “It’s a good thing I know the owner. Maybe I should see about getting a room for the night.”

“Actually, I’m already checked in. I was about to go upstairs. I’ve got a nice warm room with a king-size bed. No need to waste your money when I have plenty of space for both of us.”

The line was pretty cheesy, considering she practically owned the damn place, but it was the best I could come up with.

Her eyebrows rose. “Is that code for what I think it is?”

I pretended not to know what she was talking about. “What exactly do you think it means?”

She didn’t even try to hide the smile that played on her lips. “I think you’re hoping to get lucky.”

She had no idea about the things I fantasized doing to her. The sexual tension between us was as clear as the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. I wanted her, and I wasn’t going to pretend that I didn’t. The only thing I wondered was if she wanted the same thing. Playing games wasn’t my style.

As much as I enjoyed our flirty banter, I needed to make my intentions known. “I like you, Amelia, and I’m sure it’s obvious that I’m attracted to you. If you want to put an end to this conversation, we can part ways now. No hard feelings. But if I’m being honest, I’d really like to take you upstairs to my hotel room.” I reached out and stroked her palm. “So, what do you say? Will you spend the night with me?”

The bartender tried to act like he wasn’t paying attention as he wiped down the mahogany bar top. When I turned in my seat to get closer, our knees brushed up against each other. The hitch in her breath sent all my blood rushing down south.

I was strung so damn tight because it seemed to take her forever to answer me. I’d never been the type to get nervous around a woman. Normally, I was confident, but she seemed uncertain and I didn’t understand what her hang-up was. There was no question on whether or not she was attracted to me. And that wasn’t me being vain. Her eyes were very expressive, and she looked pretty fucking interested. So, I was at a loss on what to think, and it was my job to read people.

She adjusted herself on the stool and seemed to tangle with her words a little bit. “I wasn’t lying earlier when I said I don’t normally do this kind of thing.” Her eyes assessed mine as I prepared for a rejection. But then a sheepish smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and I got the impression that she didn’t give it away very often. “And even though you were just lecturing me earlier about the dangers of one-night stands, I’m afraid that if we do go our separate ways that I’ll regret it later.”

“Is that a yes?” I asked for clarification as I ran my hand through my hair. By the way my palms were sweating, I might as well have been a teenage boy asking his high school crush to the prom.

She finally cleared her throat and put me out of my misery. “Yes, I’ll spend the night with you.”

I pushed my weight off the stool and reached for her hand. She eyed it with caution, but thankfully linked her fingers with mine and followed me out of the lobby.

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