Page 79 of Just This Once

I debated on whether to open the sliding door and walk outside to investigate further, but I wanted to see the rest of the inside first.

So I turned to an open doorway that led into the bedroom.

In the entrance, I froze solid, my mouth falling open wide.

I’d always thought the biggest bed they made was a California King, but this thing would swallow a king-size bed whole. It was made for orgies, I swear. And I was supposed to have sex in ittomorrow?

I slipped off my flip-flops as I stepped into the enormous bedroom so my bare toes could plow through the fibers of the super soft carpet.

With a shudder, as I already anticipated a different sort of plowing, I turned away from the bed and poked my head into the bathroom.

“Holy shit,” I uttered, my voice echoing hollowly.

I was pretty sure my entire apartment could fit in here as well. Hell, the shower alone could store my kitchen.

I shook my head, dazed and still trying to wrap my thoughts around the fact that Parker and I were supposed to meetherein this fancy-ass suite.

I started from the bedroom, sure someone had made a huge mistake by letting me in and that I was going to get kicked out—possibly even arrested—when the door across the enormous foyer opened.

Yep. Here we go. Time to putgo to jailon my bucket list.

Certain that I was going to find Bridget with a handful of hotel security streaming into the room, I blinked when I saw who actually entered.

Because it sure as hell wasn’t Bridget.

Parker’s gaze clashed with mine, and he paused when he saw me.

We each froze, staring across the marble expanse, neither of us speaking.

Eyes heated with hunger, he stepped fully into the room without a word before he shut the door behind him.

And I knew. I wasn’t going to have sex in that big-ass bed tomorrow. I was having sex in ittonight.

20

HOPE

Itried to catch my breath, but it kept eluding me.

Finally, I swallowed and managed to say, “You’re early.”

Wearing blue jeans, a worn concert shirt, and white Adidas—looking nothing like the rich-boy millionaire he was—Parker slipped his hands into his pockets and negligently strolled into the foyer. “Funny. Looks like I’m right on time.”

I sank closer to the wall behind me for support and reached back, my fingers fumbling until they found the doorframe that led into the master bedroom. Where the bigger-than-a-king-sized mattress was.

“What’re you doing here?” he asked casually, slowing to a stop when he reached the round table in the center of the room as if he needed to keep that small buffer between us.

“Y-you said I could pick up my key,” I reminded him. “Which I did. But then I was curious about the room. So…” I spread my arms. “Here I am.”

“Here you are,” he murmured, glancing down at my body as if he wanted to consume it whole.

Sucking his bottom lip between his teeth, he leaned his hip against the table as if ready to get comfortable there, and his gaze lowered to the grocery sacks.

Hitching his chin toward them, he asked, “What’s all this?”

“Just…” I lifted one shoulder. “Just some stuff I wanted to use to help prepare for tomorrow.”

His eyebrows rose with interest. “Like…sex toys?”

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