Page 45 of Tempt Me Forever

"Fuck yes. I'll do exactly that."

She parted her lips, then furrowed her brow. "I'll fight you every step of the way," she murmured.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

She glanced downward. A few seconds later, I realized she was counting.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm trying a yoga technique to.... You know what? Never mind. I'll take the bedroom. Thank you. You’re a gentleman."

"Always."

"I beg to differ," she said with a wink, "but you get points for trying. I need to change out of these clothes."

"Yeah, me too."

She stood still. "Do you need to shower?”

"You go ahead. I'll wait."

"There's only one bathroom, right?"

I looked her straight in the eye. "Kimberly, if you're uncomfortable, I can go to the airport and take a flight back to Chicago.”

"Don't be absurd. There are no flights going out anymore.”

"Regardless, I know I teased you before, but if this makes you uneasy, I'll find another way. I'll go to another hotel, even if it’s a hundred miles way.”

"No, that's fine. We’re grown-ups. We have separate beds, and you promise not to peek when I'm in the shower, right?"

I scoffed. "Of course I wouldn't. Is that what you think about me?"

"No, not at all, but I don't know. Things could happen. You could randomly need a towel, to wash your hands or whatever."

I grinned at her. “You gave it a lot of thought. Were you looking for excuses to spy on me when I take my shower?"

She cleared her throat. "I wasn't." She tapped her temple. "My mind has a will of its own."

"You've lost me again."

She fumbled with her thumbs. "I'm just going to hop in the shower."

I watched her disappear to the master bedroom. The bathroom was an en suite, so later, I’d have to go into her space to take a shower.

I took out the shirt I planned to change into, then sat on the bed and waited for Kimberly to finish. The bed made a horrible sound of metal on metal. I moved farther down the mattress, but the sound intensified. Fuck me, if I slept on this crap, no one in a one-mile radius would be able to sleep. Every time I moved, it would wake me up.

Whatever, it was only one night. I couldn’t even try sleeping on the couch, as it was far too small, and my legs would hang off. And the armchair looked uncomfortable as fuck.

Kimberly poked her head out from the bedroom. "Um, question. Do you want us to try to get a reservation to a restaurant tonight? Or do you want to order room service?"

"Your call," I said.

"Honestly, I dislike going out on Valentine's Day on principle. But somehow, I also don't want to stay cooped up in here."

"I'll ask them to make a reservation for us. We'll find something great."

"Love your confidence. You're on," she said, disappearing back into the bathroom.

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