Page 84 of Slumming It
Assuming Reese was interested – which wasn'tcompletelyimpossible given what he'd just said – it would be so very easy to get from here to there.
But what if I was wrong? What if he wasn't staying here at all? Or even worse, what if I assumed too much?What if he wasn't even interested?
Suddenly, Ihadto know.
I opened my mouth, not knowing what I would say until the words tumbled out on their own. "Are you really staying here? I mean, at the Diamond Resort?"
If he was surprised by the question, he gave no sign. With a teasing smile, he asked, "Jealous?"
I let out a nervous laugh. "Why would I be jealous?"
"Because I'm stepping out onyourplace."
I was no fool. I knew that Reese Murdock didn't belong in our little hotel when a luxurious resort was at his disposal. And yet, I had to ask, "But why would you stay at two different hotels?" And then it hit me. "Oh."
He studied my face. "What?"
I should've known."I'm guessing you have a…well, date here or something?"
This made him laugh, and I felt some of my tension ease. He wouldn’t be laughing if there was somebody waiting for him in his bed.Right?
It suddenly struck me that for a guy who wasn't known for his sense of humor, he'd shown plenty tonight. The laughter aside, he'd actually smiled at me – and more than once, too.
I tried to recall all of the pictures I'd seen of him on the internet.Had he been smiling in a single one?
No, he hadn't.I was almost positive.
But he was smiling now. In a teasing tone, he asked, "What, you think I've got someone waiting in the room?"
"Maybe," I admitted.
His gaze lingered on mine. "Trust me, the room's empty." But then, his expression grew thoughtful. "Unless…"
I held my breath.Was he expecting someone? Maybe his ex-girlfriend? Or…was he seeing someone new?When he never did finish the sentence, I asked, "Unless what?"
His mouth twitched at the corners. "Unless someone's hiding under the bed."
I rolled my eyes even as the laughter escaped my lips. "Oh, stop it."
"And sinceyou'rehere…" He gave a slow nod. "Yeah, I'm thinking the room's empty."
"Oh, please, like I'd have a key tothisplace."
With a wry smile, he said, "Trust me, stranger things have happened."
NowthisI believed. Probably a guy like him dealt with intruders all the time. But this was something I didn't want to dwell on, so instead I asked, "So why do you have two rooms?"
"I don't."
This made no sense, unless…had he checked out of our hotel?This seemed highly unlikely considering that he'd still had the rooms just before we'd left for the drive out here.But maybe he'd arranged for a late checkout?
If he had, Vivian should've mentioned it, but I was dying to know for sure. "So, did you check out ofourplace?"
"Nope."
So much forthattheory. "So, what then?"
"I don't havetworooms," he said. "I have four."
