Page 60 of Meet Me in the Valley
Rolling my lips under my teeth, I raise my hand to cover my mouth and the smile creeping underneath it.
I feel bad for the waif-like receptionist, her eyes bulging and limbs visibly shaking as Tia rips her a new one. I squint at her name tag. ‘Sadie’ nervously types on her keyboard, clicking and clacking around, all while Tia burns a hole into her face.
The entire interaction is kind of turning me on. Seeing the spitfire come out of Tia when she doesn’t get her way gets me hard. Now, I’ve got a semi.
If confrontation were a person, it’d hate to see Tia coming. One night, in our early years of working at Corrigan Design, the entire team went out to a honky tonk bar after a project completion. Beers were flowing, shots were thrown back, and suddenly Tia and I were two-step champions, moving across the dance floor like we owned the place.
Some guy wearing boat shoes and pastel shorts had the courage—or the stupidity—to interrupt our dance, grabbing Tiain places a man should never grab a woman without asking. If this were any other woman, I would’ve gotten in their face, probably even thrown down and gotten kicked out of the bar.
As soon as this wasp-y motherfucker laid hands on her, I knew better not to get in the way when her claws came out. I took a step back, smiling in anticipation as Tia got in this dude’s face, yelling expletives and roasting his mother.Classic.It ended with her knee shoved straight into his baby maker. I should’ve known then—this fiery, crazy as fuck woman belonged to me.
“I’m so sorry, Ms. Young. Our hotel is hosting a marketing traffic and conversion conference this weekend, and rooms with double beds have been booked out for months. The only room I have with two beds are handicap rooms—which I’m not at liberty to put you in considering you’re not …” She looks Tia up and down with wary eyes, and it takes everything in me to hold in my laughter when Tia’s eyes literally twitch.
“Sadie?” I cut in, earning a saccharine smile and the look of relief covering her features. “The king size suite will be just fine.” I slide my credit card across the black marble counter as Tia gives me an incredulous look on her face.
“Uh, sir. The room is already paid for,” Sadie states nervously, unable to connect her gaze with Tia.
“I know. But I want my card on file so m’lady can spoil herself with room service. Plus, I’m happy to cover the damages she and I will make once we’re done with our stay.”
It’s half a joke. Even Sadie the receptionist found it funny, huffing a laugh under her breath.
Tia, however. The look on her face deserves a mental picture I’m snapping a million times. I want to remember her face at this moment. Flustered, embarrassed, definitely turned on.
Her cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink, and all I want to do is see what else I can do this weekend to keep making her blush like this.
Sadie swipes my card, then presents us with our room keys. “Thank you, Sadie. We appreciate your help. Don’t we, T?”
I lightly pinch her ass, doing what I can to lighten her mood and retract her claws. She squeals under my touch, bumping me with her hip before muttering a terse ‘thank you’ at Sadie.
“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“Shut up.”
“Careful, T. I’ll have you know it only turns me on when you get all angry and shit.”
Pink cheeks and an annoyed eye roll just may be my favorite combination. Excitement spreads throughout my entire body as we approach the elevator doors. I get an entire weekend alone with Tia, and after last night’s revelation, I’m ready to show her just how worthy I can be of her heart. I swallow down the guilt sitting at the base of my throat the size of a baseball, determined to not let it get the best of me while I’m here with her.
Tia remains quiet on the walk over, but her thoughts are loud enough for me to hear. I’ve known her long enough to see when she’s overthinking. Her jaw clenches, her lips slightly purse, and her eyes go off in the distance somewhere.
Stepping into the elevator, my eyes track her, tracing the worried features on her face. As soon as the doors close, it’s like the forced proximity heightens the crackle of electricity surging in the air. It zaps my skin, reverberates through my bones, and raises every hair on my body.
The elevator is a box of mirrors, from the four walls surrounding us to the ceiling. There’s something more intimate about being exposed at every angle—more vulnerable. I can see every breath and every movement between us.
She bites her lip, and her hands grip the handle of her suitcase so tight I see her knuckles turn white. She’s not uncomfortable—she’s turned on.
“Everything alright over there?” I ask her through our reflection directly across from us.
When her gaze lifts, her eyes molt into pools of black. The worry melts from her face, turning into pure desire. I take my time to catalog her as the elevator goes up to the thirty-third floor.
She’s dressed for comfort, no doubt for travel. Tia is never one to be flashy until it matters. She’s always intentional and calculated, something I love about her. I love when she wears those leggings clad to her toned thighs. Her legs are one of my favorite features about her, long and lean. The loose University of Texas sweatshirt slumps off her shoulder slightly, exposing a tan patch of skin I want to explore with my lips. What is it about a woman’s collarbone I find so sexy? Not just any woman’s now, but Tia’s. Her everything. I see everything now, and it’s as if I’ve just discovered fucking gold.
“Mhmm,” is all she manages to say, chest heaving as I indulge myself by looking over every inch of her.
“Nervous to share a bed with me? It’s not like we haven’t done it before.” I’m well aware I’m goading her. If she wanted to wipe the smirk off my face with her mouth, I wouldn’t be opposed.
In true Tia fashion, she glares at me through the mirror. I can still see the lust swirling in those beautiful eyes of hers.
“It’s different and you know it,” she mutters under her breath.
