Taking the electronic key from the receptionist, he signed the credit card receipt, then gave it back.
“Room 333. The elevator is around the corner to the left.”
Ginny was already shaking her head before Gavin could step away from the desk. “Can you give us another room?” Raising her voice so the clerk could hear her, she ignored the hostile glance coming from Gavin. “One that doesn’t have so many threes?”
“Oh, sure.” The clerk went to her computer, keyed another card in and gave it to Gavin.
“Thank you,” Ginny spoke up again, unintentionally drawing attention from the line of people waiting to check in behind them.
The older woman smiled, raising her voice back. “No problem. I’m a little superstitious myself. Room 732.”
Gavin glared at her all the way back to her side.
“What?”
“Everyone in the lobby now knows which room we’re in.”
“At least they won’t come looking for us in room 333.”
Her attempt at humor fell short.
“What was wrong with the first room?” he snapped at her.
“Trouble comes in threes,” she quoted. She didn’t know from where, but she had heard it before.
“Let’s go before I decide to keep on driving.”
“Are you getting tired of my company?”
When Gavin stared her down, she decided it was in her best interest to get busy.
Taking the handle of her suitcase, Ginny rolled it through the lobby then made a left. Seeing the elevator ahead, she turned to make sure Gavin was following her.
“What?” he snapped.
“I was just making sure you were following me.”
Gavin stabbed the elevator button with enough force that Ginny was surprised it didn’t pop out of the wall.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a little cranky when you get tired?” she offered helpfully. A man should know how he was coming across, especially toward a woman. Even more so to the woman who was interested in him romantically. As a romantic hero, Gavin would have failed miserably. At least Nickel would have rolled my suitcase, she mentally criticized the man she loved.
“No,” he snarled.
Ginny rolled her suitcase onto the elevator before Gavin could enter, quickly pushing the seventh-floor button as soon the doors closed, afraid she would get stuck in there if he misused the elevator panel like he had outside.
“Well, you are.” Ginny gave him an affirmative nod of her head. “Just so you know.”
“Ginny, I promised myself I’d never hurt another woman, but you’re making it damn hard.”
From Gavin’s ashen expression, he regretted not keeping his silence.
Ginny almost pretended she hadn’t heard, but his tortured face made it impossible.
“You would never willingly hurt anyone, Gavin.”
“What you know about me couldn’t fit in a shot glass.”
“I’ve been around men who hurt women, and you’d never willingly stoop that low.”
“Like I said, you don’t know me.”
Ginny let the subject drop when the elevator opened. Their room was just four steps away, so it was easy to find. She was glad, since Gavin looked ready to drop.
Keying the door open, he held the door open for her to go inside before he did. Locking the door behind them, Ginny interestedly watched as he removed his belt, then folded it together several times before shoving it under the door.
“That’s a nifty door stop,” Ginny complimented, rolling her suitcase farther into the room.
Seeing she was about to lift her suitcase onto the first bed, Gavin stopped her. “Take the other bed. I want to sleep closer to the door.”
“Gavin, if someone tries to come in, we’ll both hear them no matter which bed we’re sleeping in.”
When he ran a hand through his hair, she plopped the suitcase onto the second bed.
“You need to get some sleep,” she advised, as he began prowling around the room as if there was someone hiding under the beds.
“I will. I want to watch the news first.”
“Go for it,” Ginny said, unzipping her suitcase. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Carrying her clothes, Ginny went inside the bathroom. Shutting the door, it took her a few minutes to take her clothes off, imagining Gavin on the other side of the thin wall between them.
Ginny laughed at herself for being nervous to get undressed. Gavin had not so much as given any hint that he saw her as a woman. She had practically begged him for compliments a couple times, but she might have been wearing jeans and her favorite sloppy sweater.
Turning on the shower, she washed off, managing to avoid getting her hair wet. She had washed it late last night, and she didn’t want to disturb Gavin if he had fallen asleep by running the blow dryer.
She slipped into a grey night shirt and pajama bottoms, and tied her housecoat closed after brushing her teeth, then tiptoed out of the bathroom to find Gavin leaning back on his bed. His only attempt to make himself more comfortable was to take his boots off.