Page 87 of Beauty Beneath the Sorrow
“Yes.”
He smiles confidently. “I can do that for you in under an hour, sir.”
“Wonderful,” I say, pulling out my credit card from my back pocket.
He swirls in his chair and starts typing at his computer. “Is there anything else that we can do for the lady, sir?” he asks without breaking his focus on the computer screen.
Money is no option, and I have plenty of it, but I don’t want to go overboard. The last thing I want to do is scare her away. I better keep it romantic and simple. “Add another six dozen to that,” I tell him. “Oh, and champagne with chocolate strawberries.”
The man’s eyebrows rise above his thick-framed glasses. “Youwant a twelve-dozen? Is that correct, sir?”
“Yeah. That’s correct.”
He cracks his neck and rolls his shoulders, then rests his elbows on the glass covering on the oak desk. “We have dedicated proposal packages.”
My heart halts all movements and slams into the back of my ribs.Marriage?Oh my god.With Lina?In a fucking heartbeat.
I chuckle, rubbing the side of my arm. Taking a quick look over my shoulder, I check again for anyone from our flight crew. “I have to get her to like me enough first.”
His eyebrows furrow, and his mouth puckers. “Of course, sir. We will make sure she likes you—a lot.”
“My man.” I smile, reaching over to shake his hand. “Thank you.”
“It’s of utmost importance that our guests have the best experience here at the resort,” he says, shifting back to his computer. “I’m going to need a few things from you before we begin.”
As I give him my credit card, suite number, and an estimate of when Lina and I will be back after dinner with the rest of the crew, I think about what else I can do for her. I’ve never had such a strong desire to spoil or take care of another person in my whole life.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lina
Carter and I sat on opposite ends of the table during dinner. We’re being overly cautious, but it’s probably not necessary. We are friends, partners, and coworkers. We shouldn’t be overthinking this. I thought it might look more suspicious that we weren’t speaking to each other, so I complimented him on his smooth landing at the Los Cabos Airport earlier. This airport has a shorter runway than typical. It was awkward and completely random, but I needed to use something to break the tension between us. And, as I become more interested in flying myself, I’ve started to pay attention to things like that.
Avery is the only person here who knows about Carter and me, but that doesn’t stop me from being paranoid about everyone watching us. It’s almost like the world can sense what’s going on before we’ve even had the chance to address it thoroughly ourselves.
As the drinks flow, so does the conversation and food. Carter looks engaged in conversation with others, but I’ll catch his amber eyes trained solely on me every few minutes. My eyes fall into his line of sight, and as soon as they lock, a shockwave zips up my spine. I crack a smile and blush. I straighten my back andlook away, pretending not to notice, but they always find him again. The side of his lip curls up into a confident smirk, making my thighs clench and my knees weaken.
We had a secret nonverbal conversation through our gestures and subtle glances. He could read my mind and was completely aware of what he did to me—and he enjoyed it.
But I wasn’t the innocent one during all of this. Every chance I got, I’d capture his gaze, then wrap my tongue around the straw of my drink. Gliding up and down the sides, I made sure he was watching the way I coated it with spit before opening my mouth wide to take it all in. Both times, his jaw would twitch, and he’d get a slightly frustrated yet desperate look on his face. I loved it.
Now, Carter has me once again pushed up against another hard surface—a position that’s become the norm for us. This time, it’s the cold mirrored walls of the elevator. It’s impossible for us to keep our hands off each other. His mouth is leaving wet, frantic kisses down my neck and along my collarbone.
With my fingers combing through his dark hair, I let out a soft moan. “It was so hard not to climb over that table tonight and pull your cock out.”
“Fuck, Lina, I love when you tell me how bad you want it,” Carter mumbles into my skin before his mouth is back on mine. His kiss is anything but soft and sweet. It’s hungry and purposeful and fucking perfect.
The elevator dings, alerting us that we’ve arrived on the correct floor. He quickly pulls away. Without a thought, my hand naturally slips into his. Before exiting through the doors, he glances over his shoulder, giving me a quick little smile, and then leads us out.
The floor looks different than the one where the rest of the crew is staying. The doors to each room are double and more spaced out, and the scents of lavender and eucalyptus fill my nostrils.
Carter leads me only a short distance down the hall, then stops in front of two large white doors. He slips the key card from his pocket as I catch a glimpse of the plaque on the wall; it readsOcean Suite.
Placing one hand over his, I halt his movement.
“Carter.”
His eyebrows pinch together in confusion. “Yes, baby?”
