Page 44 of Kiss Me Forever

Chapter Twelve

Megan

Travis, Luke, and Istood side by side at the reception desk of Delia’s Hotel as we filled out the form with our personal information. It was right across from the convenience store I’d noticed when we first arrived in the square.

I was super aware of Luke's presence next to me. He was still completely soaked. Knowing we were going to spend the whole evening and tomorrow morning together was making me jittery. I’d been counting on yet another long bath tonight, with a juicy bath bomb, to unwind.

"Here are your keycards," the receptionist said, giving the first one to Travis. "You’re on the second floor." Then she gave me mine. "You’re on the third floor." Luke was the last one. "And you’re on the fourth."

"Thanks." I looked around the lobby and noticed they had a basket full of umbrellas. Perfect. I would need one later.

The three of us headed to the elevator, and no one spoke while we rode up to Travis's floor.

As soon as he got out, I felt even more aware of Luke. His words from this morning floated back to the forefront of my mind. “Lucky for us, my brother is with us today.”

But Travis wasn’t here right now.

"What are your plans for the time being?" he asked.

"I need to go shopping. I saw a general store across the street. I need to buy toothpaste and a toothbrush and things like that. But I want to look in the room first and see if they have shower gel and a few other things."

"I'm sure they do," Luke said.

"Yeah, I think so too, but I still need some supplies."

“You'll get sick if you go out there. I was checking the weather app, and the temperature has really dropped." His voice was strong and commanding, dripping with authority.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "They've got umbrellas downstairs."

"Megan, with this wind, you'll get wet anyway. Go later."

"You're a bit too bossy,boss. You know that?" I was trying to deliver my message while keeping it lighthearted, but I needed to go to the store, and I wasn’t sure how long they’d stay open in this small town.

A sound reverberated from his throat. He took a step closer to me. On instinct, I moved back and felt the elevator’s mirrored wall behind me.

"I'm not your boss outside of working hours, Megan. I can barely keep myself in check while we're on the clock. I won't pretend I can do it once we’re off."

My breath caught. We were so close that I felt his breath on my cheek. I could practically feel his chest expanding with every inhale, and his cologne completely overwhelmed my senses. Thankfully, the elevator doors swung open.

"My floor," I whispered. The things he was doing to my body were tantalizing, and I needed to get away. I had no control over myself when I was around him.

He took a step back, holding his hand out toward the door. "Please."

I stepped out, walking toward my room with determined steps. What was it with us and elevators?

My floor had five rooms, and mine was at the end of the hall. I was excited about having a corner room; it should be larger and possibly come with a view.

Unlocking the door, I went inside. Pity there was only one window facing streetside. I couldn't remember if there was a building adjacent to this one. It didn't matter anyway. I was just going to sleep here, so I wouldn’t have time to enjoy the view, especially since it was raining. I put my bag on the bed, massaging my shoulder a bit. It felt sore after carrying my laptop.

I went into the bathroom, inspecting the contents of the toiletries: shower gel, shampoo, and body lotion. I couldn’t use hotel shampoos—I had a very sensitive scalp and risked waking up tomorrow with red and itchy skin. I’d buy a small shampoo and conditioner along with toothpaste and a toothbrush. I also needed panties for tomorrow, maybe hose. I was pleased that they had a giant hairdryer. I turned it on and used it to dry my damp hair.

The little bit of rain that had wet my hair made me feel cold. I knew I had to wash my hair when I got back from the store because it looked dreadful. The sooner I did it, the better. I assumed we'd have dinner in about two hours, which didn't leave me much time. I didn't bother taking my bag, just took my wallet to go shopping.

Hopping in the elevator, I headed down to the reception area, keeping my fingers crossed that Luke wouldn’t be there. I wasn't sure if I could control myself if he tried to boss me again about not leaving the hotel. If he went into sexy beast mode as he’d done in the elevator, I was liable to jump him in the middle of the lobby.

I liked strong, confident men, but I didn’t like being told what to do. Though there was something about Luke that made me want to obey, which I found extremely strange. I’d have to think about that more later.

I headed straight to the reception desk. "May I borrow an umbrella?"

---