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"I want to order something to eat. Are you hungry?" My voice was calmer and sounded strange to my ears.
She nodded, so I left the bed to retrieve an unopened bottle of wine and the room service list. Even if the kitchen was closed, I knew people could be persuaded to accommodate us.
When I returned, Lia had donned the robe from the back of the en suite door. She was perched on the bed like she was destined to be there. There was still a faint glow on her cheeks from our encounter, and her miles of golden hair were the prettiest, most chaotic mess I'd ever seen. She glowed like a precious jewel, shining brighter than everything around her.
Her company soothed me. The more I thought about it, the most I realized I had been shut down to relaxing, intimate nights like these. I'd never allowed anyone so close. Never had I harbored the impulse to bring someone to me. No plans, no agenda, no business; I just wanted Lia. And there she was.
Thank God.
Lia took the kitchen menu from my outstretched hand and glanced over it. We decided on dessert to go with the wine. While we waited, I returned to bed and nuzzled her neck. She smelled sweet. I brushed my lips against her, tasted her, and savored the warmth of her skin under my wine-chilled lips. That warmth spread into my chest.
I felt better than I had any right to.
Lia
Raph and I took turns feeding each other mouthfuls of light, airy strawberry shortcake while we sipped the bubbly dessert wine. I couldn't imagine a better way to commemorate our spontaneous date.
The flavor of the wine complimented the faint, light sweetness of our dessert. I wouldn't let myself think of anything else. All other troubles melted away, distant memories I couldn't conjure. I didn't have a care in the world. Just strawberries, citrusy wine, and a warm, gorgeous man wrapped around me. It felt like heaven.
When we finished eating, Raph pulled me into his arms, and I went willingly.
"You feel good," he said into my messy hair.
I sighed, barely clinging to consciousness. My belly was warm from the alcohol, and my eyelids slid closed. I nuzzled into the crook of his arm. So, so warm.
I must have dozed off, because when I opened my eyes again, the room was dark and Raph's even breaths punctuated the passing seconds. Spending the night felt too heavy. One wrong move and I could tear apart everything that defined me.
I knew for sure that Raph was Mystery Guy. I hadn't been able to find him because he was gone. He'd left for New York.
Having that information felt right. It was the missing piece I'd filled in a hundred different ways with my imagination, but that was the problem, too. His place in my life was too great.
If I overstepped my bounds, I was going to get hurt. We had a friends-with-benefits thing going, and that probably didn't include sleepovers. I had no business sleeping beside him, especially since he would leave in the morning for his business trip. I was out of line.
I disentangled myself from the bed linens while holding my breath. Careful not to jostle my sleeping boss, I got dressed, found my purse, and slipped out into the night.
My heart didn't stop pounding the whole cab ride home.
This is for the best.
Chapter Seventeen
Raph
Isat up and scanned the hotel room at daybreak. It hadn't been a dream, Lia had been with me. But the empty side of the bed was cold, and the crumbs on our dessert plate were hardened and stale. I wanted to spend a little more time running my hands over her soft creamy skin… especially now that I knew who she was.
Our revelation hadn't been enough to change reality. She was still my employee, and she ran out in the middle of the night. I had no right to care.
I groaned and rubbed at my temples. Both my mind and body wanted her with me, even if that wasn't rational.
Why did she go? We could have had some breakfast and quick fun before I left for New York.
I clenched my fists. I wanted just a little more. There was never enough with Lia.
Though I wanted to, I couldn't stick around lingering and reminiscing, so I packed up what little I'd brought to the decadent room and headed down to the lobby for checkout. I would return in a few short days for Lia's final presentation of her design for Experience.
My mind was still on Lia when I walked into Experience mid-afternoon. Her sudden departure left me uneasy, and I couldn't refocus though I tried every tactic I could think of.
Geoff never had these issues because he never got involved. I had. That damage was already done, so what was my next move? There wasn't space in my life for a woman, regardless of how my heart or my cock felt about it.
