Page 97 of One Midnight Kiss

38

NATALIA

The elevator doors slid shut behind us. I couldn’t hold back the laughter bubbling up in my chest. I was high on life, the champagne still fizzing in my veins. Fox was beside me, his tie loosened, his dark hair a wild mess after I’d run my fingers through it one too many times. He looked disheveled in a way I had never seen before.

He was carrying a bottle of champagne. We planned on celebrating our engagement in private after dancing for hours at the party. The elevator dinged, and we tumbled out, barely holding it together as we made our way down the hallway of the hotel. It was the same hotel we had both stayed in last year. Of all the places in Paris, of all the hotels we could have ended up in, it had to be this one. A month ago, I would’ve scoffed at the idea of fate, but now, it felt like the universe had finally decided to cut us some slack.

We found each other and neither of us was going to let go.

I fished around in my purse for the key card, but Fox grabbed my wrist gently, shaking his head. “Not your room, Natalia. I was hoping this would go this way. Come with me.”

“What are you up to?” I asked.

“You asked what I spent my money on,” he said. “I didn’t have a good answer. Well, it was good, but it was lame. So, I wanted to make this night really special.”

He led me back to the elevator and pulled out his key card. The elevator started moving up and up. When it dinged and the doors slid open again, I realized we were on the penthouse floor.

My breath caught as Fox led me out of the elevator and down a short, plush hallway to the large double doors at the end. He inserted his key card with a flourish and opened them, revealing a suite that was breathtaking in its opulence. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the Paris skyline.

“Fox, this is…” I tried to find words, but nothing seemed adequate.

“Ours, for tonight,” he finished for me, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I wanted to end our special day with something unforgettable.”

He led me through the suite, pointing out the features—from the grand piano sitting elegantly in one corner to a jacuzzi in the massive bathroom.

“This is more than just a celebration,” Fox explained as he poured us each a glass of champagne from the bottle he had carried. “It’s a promise, a promise that every day with me will strive to be as memorable as tonight. I want to spoil you. I have all this money and I’ve never really had anything or anyone to spend it on. We are going to live well and have lots of fun making memories together.”

I laughed. “You don’t need to buy me.”

“I’m not buying you. I’m spoiling you because it makes me happy and you deserve it.”

I took the glass he offered, the new ring on my finger catching the light. We clinked glasses before taking a drink. The bubbles tickled my nose.

We finished our glasses while standing in front of the window. He took my glass from me and put it on the table with his own. And then he was on me, kissing me like he’d been holding back for an entire year. Maybe he had. Maybe we both had. His hands were in my hair, my fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt as I tugged him closer, needing him like I needed air. We stumbled together, bumping into a side table, knocking over a lamp that clattered to the floor.

“Oops,” I murmured against his lips, barely able to breathe.

He laughed, low and rough. “We’ll blame it on housekeeping.”

I felt him guiding me as he walked me backward. His mouth was on mine until I felt the back of my knees hit the bed. I fell back, pulling him down with me. He lifted himself on one elbow and looked down at me. I couldn’t believe this was real. That he was real. That we’d finally gotten it right.

“I’ve missed you,” I whispered, my voice raw with the truth of it. “I’ve missed you so much, Fox.”

His eyes softened as he cupped my face, his thumb stroking my cheek. “You have no idea,” he said, the words like a promise. He kissed me again, slow and deep, and everything else melted away.

He broke the kiss momentarily. “I want tonight to be perfect,” he murmured, tracing my lips with his finger lightly as if he were memorizing their shape.

“Tonight is already perfect because it’s with you,” I said, pulling him back down to me. Our kisses grew more desperate, more needy.

He pushed off me and started to strip. I got off the bed and rid myself of my gown. I couldn’t wait to be naked with him. Fox watched me, his eyes tracing every curve as I stepped out of my panties. There was something profoundly intimate about being bare under his gaze, not just physically but emotionally too. Every wall we had ever built crumbled in those moments.

My eyes raked over his naked body. He stepped close and pulled me to him. His kiss tasted like champagne and promise. His hands moved down my back, sending shivers of anticipation through me. I responded in kind, tracing the hard lines of his muscles. His lips moved from mine down to my neck where he nipped and kissed. I tilted my head to the side and let him devour me.

His lips explored the hollow of my throat, trailing a path down to my breasts. His hands were everywhere, setting every nerve in my body on fire. I arched against him, my fingers digging into the rigid planes of his back. He groaned against my skin, the sound sending a wave of pleasure through me.

I urged him up, pulling him back to my lips for another searing kiss. His hand slid down between us. I heard him gasp as he touched me, finding me wet and ready for him.

We dropped to the bed with Fox rolling onto his back. I crawled over his body.