AllFreeNovel
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Gemma: I love the book! Still reading, but it’s exactly the break I needed.
Chris: I’m glad. How was today’s negotiation meeting?
Gemma: Can we talk about the book instead?
Chris: We sure can. What part are you at?
They’d continued like that until Chris and Daphne reached the hotel, which was so close they could have walked. Chris had wondered why they didn’t just stay at the meeting hotel, but after seeing that one, he’d presumed it was because that hotel—while suitable for Hollywood meetings—was not meant for mere writers, even if they were bestsellers.
He was wrong. Their hotel was equally nice, but tiny, the sort he knew from client accounting would be considered “boutique.” Which meant small and fancy rather than grand and fancy. Definitely no meeting space room here.
As they checked in, Daphne stayed quiet, giving only murmured answers to his questions, until they were upstairs.
“You want me to leave you alone for a while?” he said.
She turned and blinked, and he swore he could see her mentally rising to the surface.
Her eyes widened. “No. I’m so sorry. I’ve barely said five words—”
“It’s been an exhausting day. If you want a quiet night in with room service, that’s fine. If you want dinner out together, that’s fine, too. Totally your call.”
“I’m not ready to call it a night, but I’m not sure I want to go out and people.”
He smiled. “No peopling then. How about room service in your room? We can talk about the meetings, and you can kick me out whenever you’ve had enough.”
Or… not kick me out.
Nope, he wasn’t going there, however much he might want it.
Here’s the thing about hope, buddy. It only gets you so far. After that, you need to take matters into your own hands.
He’d wait and see how the evening went. Maybe a little flirting and, if that worked, a kiss.
Yep, definitely going to be taking things into your own hands tonight. Alone. In your shower.
“That sounds great,” Daphne said. “If you’re up for company.”
His brain was still stuck on what that inner voice had been saying, which put an entirely different spin on Daphne’s response.
Yeah, at this point, I think she could tell you her shower was broken and joke about sharing yours, and you’d only end up sitting on the bed while she used your shower.
“Chris?”
He shook it off. “Yes. I mean, that sounds good. Room service for two.”
Sigh…
“You okay?” she said. “You seem a little out of it. Tired?”
“No, no. Now let’s see your room. Make sure the shower’s working.”
She frowned, and he remembered that part of the conversation had been entirely in his head.
He shook his head and laughed. “Just kidding. The last time I was at a hotel, the shower was broken.”
“Ah.”
“If it is, you can always use mine.”
