“No problem, Mr Roe. We’ve been expecting you. I’ll just grab your keys. Was it a nice drive?”
“It was good, thanks,” I say as she passes over a single black cardboard sleeve.
“Wonderful. Both cards are inside. Oh, lovely, we’ve upgraded you to a suite. You’re on the eleventh floor, room eleven nineteen.”
“And Mr James?”
“I’m sorry?”
“The room for Mr James. I booked for two people.”
“Yes, you did, you booked one room for two people.”
“Nooooo. I booked two rooms for two people.”
“I’m sorry but that’s not what it shows in the system.”
“We need two rooms. Can you just book us another one? He can have the suite, I’m happy with a standard room.”
“I’m sorry, Mr Roe, but we’re completely full.”
“What’s wrong?” Arlo asks, joining me at the desk.
“There’s only one room,” I say, my chest going tight.
“One room but two beds, right?”
I look at the woman behind the desk, her light blue eyeliner highlighting the blue in her eyes, and her bright red lips turn down into a frown.
“I’m afraid not. There is a couch,” she says, and Arlo picks up the keycard sleeve from the counter.
“I can sleep on the couch. You can have the bed. It’s fine,” Arlo says, and I spin toward him.
“You’re taking the bed. You’re the one with a big day tomorrow. The whole idea of coming here tonight was so you would have a good night’s sleep before the reading, you get the bed.”
“It is a king size, maybe you could share?” the woman says, and my cheeks are immediately on fire.
“We’ll sort it out. Thanks,” I say, grabbing my and Arlo’s bags and heading for the elevator. I press the up button over and over but the light only flashes and won’t stay on.
“I think you need the card,” Arlo says, tapping the room key over a black pad below the buttons and then hitting up. It illuminates and stays that way until the elevator chimes and the doors open.
“I’m sorry,” I say as they close, and he laughs.
“It’s one way to get me alone in a hotel room,” he replies with a chuckle.
Oh god, he doesn’t think I did this on purpose, does he? I stare at him, my mouth going dry.
“How was that for a line?” he asks, stepping out of the elevator onto the eleventh floor and turning to smile at me, chest out, proud, happy, and too fucking adorable.
“Umm, perfect. But you know, I—”
“I know. Now come on. Let’s check out this suite and order room service. I’m starving.”
Chapter ten
Arlo
Were my hands totallyshaking when I said it? Yep, but did I say it anyway and try to act cool afterward when he blushed and those hazel green eyes of his shone like they were filled with a million stars? Again, absolutely.