Page 37 of The Marriage Deal
"The newlyweds sleeping in separate beds? The ever-expanding grapevine would love that."
Elle frowned. "You did this deliberately, didn't you?"
"Trust me, if it were up to me, I would have made sure we sleep in separate rooms. You snore."
She gasped. "I don't!"
I shrugged. "I heard you. We could record you if you think I'm lying." Her snores were cute and strangely lulling, but the shock on her face was too fun for me not to toy with her. "Kept me awake last time."
Her eyes widened. "No way."
"Just kidding. But you do snore."
"I can't believe it," she began pacing, as though I had dropped earth-shattering lore on her. She paused. "What do I sound like?"
I thought of the noisiest machine that could come to mind. "Like a tractor."
If her eyes could get any bigger, they would.
I chuckled. "Like a cat. It's kinda cute, actually."
"You find my snores cute?"
She seemed perplexed by this. Oops. I must have revealed too much. An uncomfortable silence settled in the room as both stared at each other. How could one woman look so beautiful so effortlessly? Desire pooled in my groin. Her plump lips looked good to kiss. My feet itched to close the gap and taste them. My hands itched to feel her body. One move and my wishes would come true.
Elle cleared her throat and the spell. "I will, uh," she gestured to the overall nothingness behind her. "I will go tour the hotel. See what the place looks like." She ran out of the room. Fuck. I had already ruined my chances before I even began.
16
Elvira
THE GROUNDS WERE MUCH MORE magnificent than I expected. Thompson had chosen well for a historical outing. The hotel was a historical building—an old mansion owned by a general and used by Union soldiers during the war. And it looked like it too. To preserve the mansion's historical character, the owners carefully maintained everything in its original state except for modern necessities such as electricity and Wi-Fi, even keeping the grounds in a style reminiscent of the nineteenth century. Large trees surrounded the property like a hedge, offering privacy.
I strolled along the soft grass, stretching my legs. The flight and then the drive had stiffened my muscles, and it felt good to feel blood rushing in my body. The beautiful, well-landscaped grounds and the pretty flowers surrounding the little fountains did nothing to capture my attention away from my thoughts. Today was different. It was one of those days that one tries not to think about, but no matter what you do, people remind you of it. Unwittingly of course, but I was glad it did not happen today. But sometimes… sometimes I wish I could celebrate it. Sometimes I wish I could be happy on a day like this without… I tried to do what I could to forget and not think about it. My thoughts instead went to Levi.
Levi was different. I couldn't pinpoint what exactly had changed about him, but there was something different. He wasdisarming. Sometimes it made me wonder if I was seeing things. He has been a new and improved person ever since the cafeteria event. I could even go as far as to say a little before that.
I should guard myself against him. Ice Levi, I can deal with. Hot Levi, on the other hand, was something else. I still could not sleep without replaying each of our kisses in my head, and when I was alone in bed, I wanted more. I might have made myself come from a fanfic of both of us I wrote in my head. No matter what, imagining myself being with him for real was stupid and should end. As much as he was kind and, dare I say, nice, he was out of my league. Playing with men like him had left me burned. If there was one lesson to take away from my time with Wyatt, it was that. Hotness be damned.
As I was strolling, I wandered off the path and lost my bearings, and when I tried to get back to the hotel, I could no longer tell where I was. To add to the problem, in my rush to get out of the room, I left my phone in my purse. Just my luck. I reached a small cottage and was still wondering how to get back or if I should check to see if there was anyone in the little building when Patty and Lily came across my path. They didn't look as lost as I was, and Patty was pointing out items to Lily as they strolled. Lily was the first to notice me, and her face brightened. She nudged Patty, who was in the middle of pointing to a makeshift white-painted cannon in the center of the garden and waxing about it.
"Hi Elle!"
Lily waved at me, followed by Patty.
"Thank God I found you guys. I thought I was lost!"
Patty and Lily closed the distance between us. "Lovely place, isn't it?" Patty said.
"Our previous retreats haven't been this nice, so I have to thank you two," Lily added.
I shrugged. "I didn't do anything. I am only the wife who tagged along. Levi is the one you should thank."
"Yeah, and I don't think we would be here if he weren't married to you," Patty said. "By the way, I never said congratulations. I knew you two were the real deal."
She was the second person telling me this, and I was starting to wonder if they were confusing Wyatt with Levi. They were both the youngest professors in the history department, and I doubt these busy people had time to care about what the youth in their faculty were up to.
"Loved the jet by the way," Lily said, her voice animated, her eyes bright. "You two should be a permanent staple to the group. I could get used to this." She gestured around us. Patty subtly nudged her in the ribs.
