Page 30 of The Claiming Series: Collection 1
Instinctively, my hand moves to her hair, stroking through it and teasing the strands with my fingers. I can’t stop touching her. It's addictive. Resting my head against the window, I close my eyes, and a sense of peace and contentment washes over me, the likes of which I've never felt before.
I’m attracted to Lily on so many levels. Physically, of course, but it’s so much more than that. I like sex as much as the next guy, but I want it to mean something more than satisfying a physical need. I want a woman I can make loveandmemories with.
Which is where the woman nestled against me so trustingly comes in. Once again, I wonder at the spell she seems to have cast over me. One thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt—Lily is my match in this life and the next.
Two hours later, we arrive at The Royal Oak Hotel in uptown Houston. My muscles are stiff and crampedfrom sitting in one position but fucked if I was going to disturb Lily curled up against me.
“Lily.”
I shake her shoulder gently, not wanting to startle her.
“Go away,” she mumbles, pressing her face further into my chest while her hand tightens on my thigh.
“Lily, we’re here,” I say gruffly.
Her eyes snap open, focusing on my chest. “This isn’t my pillow.” She frowns, then her eyes widen in realization. “Oh, shit. Sorry!” she squeaks, jerking into a sitting position so quickly she almost gives herself whiplash. She looks around, slightly bewildered, seeing we’ve reached the hotel. “We’re here? How long was I asleep?”
“Couple of hours,” I reply.
“I’m so sorry,” she apologizes again. “I haven’t slept well the last few nights. I guess the motion of the car lulled me off to sleep.”
“It’s fine,” I wave it off. “Although, you do snore.”
Her mouth drops open, and she shoots me an indignantlook. “Do not!”
I give a careless shrug. “Guess we’ll know for sure after we’ve spent the night together.”
Her cheeks bloom with color. Her mouth drops open and then snaps closed, but she doesn’t say anything.
“Come on. Let’s get you inside,” I chuckle, tipping my head toward the hotel.
She reaches for the door handle, almost falling over herself as she stumbles into the blustery November afternoon.
“There’s a storm coming,” I say, steering her inside with a hand on her elbow while Brian follows behind with our cases.
I watch Lily’s head swinging from side to side in awe as we walk through the atrium lobby with its Swarovski crystal chandelier, extravagant artwork, and cascading fountains.
The immaculately dressed young man at the reception desk looks up with a welcoming smile as we approach. “Good afternoon. Welcome to The Royal Oak Hotel. How can I help you?”
“We have reservations. Callum Rogen and Lily Olsen,” I inform him.
The young man taps away on the computer in front of him. “Ah, yes. Here we go. You both have a luxuryguest room. If you’d like to follow my colleague here, he’ll show you to your rooms,” he says, pointing to another immaculately dressed man hovering behind us.
The man—Danny, according to the name badge pinned to his lapel—takes our cases from Brian, who leaves us with a courteous nod. We ride the elevator to the twentieth floor, following Danny along the corridor until he comes to a halt outside a door.
“This is your room, Mr. Rogen,” he says, opening the door with the keycard and handing it to me with a flourish. “And this is your room, Miss. Olsen,” he adds, moving along to the next door. “We’ve prepared the Brunel suite for your meeting later, Mr. Rogen. It’s clearly signed, so you shouldn’t have trouble locating it. I hope you enjoy your stay, and please don’t hesitate to let us know if you need anything,” he finishes with a warm smile.
I murmur my thanks, handing Danny a hundred-dollar bill as he takes his leave and heads back down to the reception desk.
“Well, I should go and freshen up,” Lily says, tipping her head toward her room.
“I’ll give you a knock at two. Give us time to grab adrink before they arrive,” I say softly, my eyes lingering on hers.
She manages a jerky nod before stepping inside and closing the door behind her. I feel like my feet are glued to the floor as I stare at her closed door. She’s going to “freshen up.” My mind runs away with the idea, and images of her soaping her naked body in the shower, her skin supple and slippery, have me clenching my hands into fists at my sides. Without realizing it, I’ve taken a step closer to her door, my needy cock pointing firmly at where he wants to go.
She’s fighting the connection between us, considering all the reasons she thinks we can’t be together. Looks like I’m going to have to give her a giant push in the right direction.
Inside my room, I pace the floor, oblivious to my luxurious surroundings. Sweat beads on my forehead even though the room is cool. My rational mind is at war with the desires of my body.
