Page 107 of Tease Me

“Good morning.” He stepped out of the car.

“Well, hello, stranger.” He was hardly a stranger anymore.In fact,Henry was the man I’d seen the most this year, and my insides purred at the thought of spending more time with him.

He removed his small carry bag from the taxi trunk, and as he climbed the five steps toward me, the car drove away. I shuffled over on my seat, and he put his bag down and sat beside me. His usual scent was as delightful as it was familiar.

He nudged his shoulder to mine. “No cookies today?”

“Sadly, no, I’ve run out.”

“Hmmm, that’s a shame.”

“I know.”

“Have you had a good night?”

“Yes, thank you. It was steady. Kept me busy.”

“That’s good.”

We both turned our attention back to the sunrise and as we sat in comfortable silence, I realized how pleasant it was. The sun pushed up from the horizon and cast golden rays across the ocean. Not a single cloud dotted the sky, and as the panorama unfolded, a flock of seagulls scurried across the sand at the waterline as if they were in some kind of race.

“It’s beautiful. No wonder you like to sit here.”

“It’s calming to my soul.”Phew, that was deep.

Henry turned to me. His lovely blue eyes were attentive. “Does your soul need calming?”

I scrunched my nose. “I think you know the answer to that.”

He nodded and turned back to the ocean. “Maybe I can improve on the therapy by inviting you up to my penthouse later.”

“Okay.” I didn’t even hesitate. Going up to Henry in the penthouse would be like walking up to heaven.

He laughed. “Wonderful. What time shall I expect you?”

“Hmmm . . .”It was Friday and the idea of having fun on a Friday night, just like all the normal people in the worlddid, was very appealing.“Would sunset suit you?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Little butterflies danced across my stomach.

He stood and reached for my hand. “Would you care to check me in?”

“I’d love to.”

His fingers caressed my palm, and he helped me to stand. Together, we strolled inside, and I stepped behind the counter and reached for the check-in cards at the back. When I plucked Henry’s name from the pile, I noticedthat he’dbooked this room yesterday. He was lucky to get the penthouse—it was usually bookedwell in advance.

Henry seemed to have some kind of lucky charm watching over him. Or maybe it was just that older men had that confident air about them that ensured all theimportantthings in life were slotted nicely together.

I moved over to the computer to check his room. “Hmmm, I’m sorry, Henry, but your roomis occupiedat the moment. You won’t be able to check in until two.”

“That’s okay—I’ll come back later. Can I leave my bag somewhere?”

“Of course. We can keep it back here.”

Henry came around the counter and followed me into the staffroom. He put his bag down where I indicated and then put his arm around me, nestling his palm at the small of my back. My heart pounded to a thumping beat as he molded his body to mine. His eyes were alive, glancing from my eyes to my mouth and back again.

My breathing quickened as I silently begged him to kiss me. I ran my tongue over my lips, inviting him. He lowered his mouth to mine, and I closed my eyes andmelted into his embrace. At the press of his tongue, I parted my lips, tasting hints of peppermint and coffee.

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