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“Oh…” I laugh out loud because I’m more ecstatic than embarrassed. I wrap my arms around his neck and give him an exaggerated peck on the lips.
He laughs. “I guess I’m not in trouble then?”
“I guess.” But the excitement fades when I realize that wasn’t our only problem.
He seems to read my mind. “Can we go talk a minute?”
I turn to Kel. “I’ll be back.”
She nods and waves and I let Aiden lead me to the back of the hotel and out to a patio. There’s a bit of a breeze and I instinctively rub my arms. Aiden steps into me, stares down at me with a thoughtful gaze and replaces my hands with his, warming me. “Sorry. I’ll keep this short.”
I feel a sting behind my eyes. I barely know the man, yet this goodbye is tearing me up inside. “It’s okay. I know what you’re going to say. It was fun…”
Aiden grabs his chest, stumbles back a step. “Fun? Tell me you didn’t mean that because that’s sure as hell not what I was going to say.”
I half-smile, shaking my head. “No…I just—”
Aiden’s hands are in my hair, his lips cover mine in a slow searing kiss that feels like a promise. Then his lips slide to my ear. “I can’t go back to living my life like I never met you, Meg.”
“So what do we do?” I say when he pulls me to his chest.
He holds me a moment before pulling back, staring at me without speaking. Then he says, “I spoke with my business manager this morning. Remember I told you, I would be opening up more hotels?”
“Yeah, I’m sure that will keep you extremely busy.”
“It will. We’ve scouted locations in Vegas, Seattle, Cincinnati…and Los Angeles. They’ve been waiting on me for a final decision.”
One side of my mouth turns up when he hits the last city, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. “Some good prospects.”
“My business manager…and my GM, have been pushing for Vegas.” He pulls his lips under his teeth a moment. “But I told them both this morning it’s LA. Darla can hold down the fort here while I oversee things on the west coast.” He grabs me and presses me into him. “That’s where you’re from, right?” he says playfully and then kisses my neck.
I squirm and giggle. “Aiden…my God, that’s…huge, but…” I look down, suddenly unsure.
He lifts my chin. “It’s a lot, I know. Did I scare you? Because—”
“No, it’s just, I don’t want you to make such huge business decisions based on me. So actually, yeah, it is scary.”
He nods and takes in a deep breath, which causes a new panic. Because I just realized walking out of here and away from Aiden is scarier than what he’s proposing.
“Like I said, LA was already a possibility. Meg, every fiber in my body tells me this is what I need to do. I will build a fantastic hotel in LA—likely the first of many. It will be a success and it will put me in your vicinity while I do it. But if you decide you were just having ‘fun’ and want to go our separate ways, so be it. But I don’t think that’s going to happen…do you?”
I take his face in my hands before kissing the life out of him. “Not by a long shot!”
Find more great romance by Lia Fairchild, including her new release Building Bridges.
About Lia
Bestselling author Lia Fairchild writes romance and women's fiction. Fans of her books praise her endearing, real characters who overcome their flaws to become their own heroes.
Fairchild is addicted to the warmth of Southern California and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a multiple-subject teaching credential. She is a wife and mother of two teenagers.
Visit her at www.liafairchild.com
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