Page 48 of Tempt Me Forever

I admired her in the mirror. Kimberly was a beautiful woman.

"I'm going to need about half an hour. Okay?" she said.

"Sure. I'll wait for you downstairs in the lobby. I saw a bar there. I'll get a drink."

"Okay." She seemed relieved.

"You do have a jacket, right, besides your coat? You're going to get sick otherwise."

"Don't worry about me, Drake. I have everything I need."

"Just come down when you're ready."

I needed some distance and a drink to clear my head. Two versions of myself seemed to be warring inside my brain. It was the first time this had happened to me, and it was frankly disconcerting. The truth was, I couldn't be around this woman and not want her.

On the way to the bar, I stopped by the reception desk to check on the reservation. “Hi. We spoke earlier about booking a table.”

She gave me an apologetic smile. “We ran into a problem.”

I frowned, reading her name tag. “Amanda, I’m getting that table tonight. Now, let’s go through the options.”

Chapter Fifteen

Kimberly

Aspen was even morebeautiful in the dark, if possible. The city lights were all on, and they were breathtaking. If I narrowed my eyes, I could even be tricked into thinking they were Christmas decorations. They weren't, of course—they were just celebrating winter.

"She smiles," Drake said in his low voice when we got out of the car at the restaurant.

"This place is growing on me," I said.

He offered me his arm, and I took it. The skin on my fingers singed on contact, and I pulled them back quickly.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"My hands are cold," I lied through my teeth. "I forgot my gloves at the hotel."

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