Page 505 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“You were right,” I told Chadwick at the end of the night as I sidled up beside him at the bar set up in the lobby. “Aleena was beating herself up about everything. She’s lost six pounds over the week from the guilt. I can’t believe I waited so long to make things right with her. I feel a thousand times better.”
Chadwick ordered us each a glass of red wine before turning to me and resting one elbow on the bar. “See? I knew you two just needed to talk it out. No sense in holding on to resentment when everything worked out in the end.”
“I half expected you to say ‘I told you so.’”
“I’m not petty like that.”
I laughed. “Oh, you’re not?”
“Nope.”
The bartender passed us our glasses of wine, and we moved away from the bar to make a final lap of the party. We had dozens of people to give our Christmas wishes to, but we were both exhausted. We’d made contact from across the lobby about twenty minutes ago and silently acknowledged that we were both ready to go home.
I sighed. “I’m just glad it’s behind us. Now she and I can enjoy Christmas without this storm cloud hanging over our heads. She just made a mistake, she didn’t do it intentionally to hurt me. She’s a good friend.” I smiled wistfully. “It’s funny, I feel lighter.”
“I told you so.”
I scoffed and shoved him playfully. “Jerk!”
He chuckled. “You take that side of the room. I’ll take this side. Meet at the front doors in ten minutes.”
“Deal.”
We broke apart and went our separate ways to wish everyone a good evening. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he hugged his father goodbye. Alastair saw me and waved. I waved back, and not long after found myself waiting at the lobby doors with Andrew. We made small talk about Charlene and their daughter and how he had a lot of giftwrapping to do when his shift wrapped up tonight.
Chadwick arrived at the end of the conversation and overheard the part about giftwrapping.
“You should go home, man,” Chadwick said.
“I still have another three hours to go, sir.”
Chadwick shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, nobody will die from having to open their own door. Go. Be home with your wife and kid. Don’t worry, your pay won’t be docked.”
Andrew thanked Chadwick profusely, and when we got into the back of our limo, I told him that was a very nice thing he did.
“I didn’t know he had a kid,” Chadwick said as the limo pulled away from the curb.
“A daughter. Her name is Chelsea. Last I heard she was obsessed with dance and wants to be a ballerina when she grows up. Poor Andrew,” I snickered, “he hates the ballet.”
“I don’t blame him. Now, enough about Andrew. Come here.” He patted the empty seat beside him.
I slid across the leather. “Here?”
“Perfect.” He cupped the back of my neck and kissed me. The world passed by outside and Christmas music played in the back of the limo, but I could hardly hear it. Whenever Chadwick had his hands on me, everything else faded into the background and got all fuzzy. His kiss was all that mattered.
He ran a hand up my thigh, pulling the silk of my dress up my skin all the way to my hip.
“The driver,” I whispered when he tried to nudge my legs apart. I kept them pinched together.
“He won’t bother us,” he said. “We have twenty minutes to kill.”
I eyed the partition between us and the driver. “Are you sure?”
His hand pressed more firmly against the inside of my thigh. “I may or may not have told him we’d be making out like kids on prom night back here. I’m sure.”
“My Romeo.”
“Don’t say I never did anything for you.”
