Page 49 of Wanting You

Someone was immediately at their side leading them to the bank of elevators. He took Chloe’s hand in his and this all felt a little surreal. They had made small talk on the drive over, and he could tell she was a little nervous, but he hoped she wasn’t regretting her decision.

“This place is amazing,” she whispered as they got on the elevator. “I toured it when it opened over the summer, but we only got to see the common areas. I never saw any of the guest rooms. I can’t even imagine what the VIP suite is going to be like.”

He was going to say something blasé, but knew he’d end up sounding like he was bragging. “I’m sure it’s going to be great. And hopefully the view will be spectacular.” Then he realized it was dark out. “Something I guess we’ll find out in the morning, right?”

“Mm-hmm…”

When the doors opened on their floor, the bellman led them to a room at the end of the hall. “You have one of the best rooms we have,” he told them. “A corner suite with a view of the mountains and the lake.” He opened the door and put their bags down before turning on the lights. “The concierge lounge is open nightly until eleven and you can get breakfast there until ten-thirty every morning, snacks from eleven to four, and then appetizers from five to seven, and dessert from eight to eleven. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask. Have a good night.”

Once he was gone, Tanner looked around the room and had to admit he was impressed. There was a king-size bed and floor to ceiling windows where he knew there’d be a magnificent view tomorrow. The bathroom was deluxe spa quality, and there was a fireplace that dominated one wall. There was a small sitting area, a kitchenette, and overall, it was the perfect room.

“What do you think?” he asked her.

“I think this is the fanciest room I’ve ever been in,” she said with a nervous laugh. “I almost feel like I don’t belong here.”

That’s when he went over and put her mind at ease as he kissed her. It was just meant to be a little slow and sweet and something to relax her, but the moment she pressed up against him, things escalated quickly. In the blink of an eye, they were both a little needier. The kiss went deeper, and they were moving across the room in a less than coordinated manner.

When they were standing beside the bed, Tanner tore his mouth from hers and whispered her name. Swallowing hard, he took in her flushed skin, her glossy lips, and slumberous eyes. “That was…”

“Not enough,” she told him, her hand smoothing over his chest. “I know we have dinner reservations in less than an hour, but…do you think they’d deliver it up here?”

“Sweetheart, if they don’t, we’ll find some other place that will.” And then he dove in for another kiss, this one deeper and wetter than the one before. His hand anchored in her hair, holding her to him, and all he wanted to do was get them onto that massive bed, peel her sweater up and over her head, and kiss every inch of her.

“I need you, Tanner,” she panted, her head slowly falling back as he rained kisses along her throat. “Please.”

It was all the encouragement he needed.

Carefully, he maneuvered them both to the bed, and when he looked down at Chloe, with her dark hair fanned out against the white comforter, she looked like an angel. He had really been looking forward to simply taking her out on a proper date tonight at a fancy restaurant where they could eat a fantastic dinner, maybe do a little dancing, and then come up to their room and do…well…exactly what they were doing right now.

And that’s when he realized that’s the night he wanted.

Even if it meant…stopping.

Reluctantly, he moved away from her and stood up.

“Tanner?” her voice was a little trembly as she pushed up on her elbows to look at him. “Is everything okay? Did…did I do something wrong?” Then she sat up, mumbling something about being afraid of this.

“Hey,” he said softly. “What does that mean?”

“What?”

“You just said you were afraid of this happening. Afraid of what?”

She got to her feet and walked over to the wall of windows, wrapping her arms around herself. “It’s nothing.”

He didn’t buy that for a second.

Walking up behind her, he said her name and then waited.

“Look, I get it,” she said, and he could see her reflection in the glass. She was staring out and not really seeing him. “With your celebrity status in the sporting world, you’ve been with a lot of women who were more…I don’t know…just…sexier and worldlier than me. I was mentally prepared for you to maybe be a little disappointed; I just didn’t think it would happen in the first three minutes.”

Grasping her shoulders, Tanner spun her around and didn’t let those big blue eyes sway him. “Are you out of your mind?” he said with part offense and part amusement. “I didn’t get up because I was disappointed in anything, Chloe. I got up because I felt like I was cheating us out of the night I really wanted us to have!”

Releasing her, he took several steps away and huffed out a breath.

“Believe it or not, I genuinely wanted to have dinner with you downstairs and then dance and maybe just walk around the lodge and then come up here. I hated the thought of you thinking that sex was the only reason I wanted us to come here!” Raking his hands through his hair, he let out a growl of frustration. “I would have been fine if we just came back here and talked all night!”

She didn’t look fully convinced. “But…”

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