“So?” I ask, pouring her a glass and handing it over. “Was it worth it? Just a little taste?”
“I didn’t know you were being literal,” she says coyly, tucking her legs together and sitting up a little on the bed. Maybe it feels strange to her, to be half-naked while I’m still here in my suit. I’m not complaining about the view.
“And that was only the beginning,” I say, lifting my glass to clink against hers in a toast. “Tomorrow, I will give you a special day. The most special that I’m able to plan, given the time. If there was more chance, if you were staying here past the end of the week, I would do something more spectacular.”
“If it was anything like that, it will be special enough already,” Ashley says, then hesitates, looking at me sideways under her lashes. “But don’t you want…”
“Don’t I want what?” I say, playing dumb. I have a feeling I know what she means, but I want her to say it.
“To… enjoy yourself? Like I did?” she says, obviously struggling to find a delicate way around it.
“I had a great time,” I tease her, but then I relent and answer her question seriously. “I don’t need that right now, Ash. I want to make sure that you feel good. Trust me. This week – it’s all about you. It’s your first time. I can have my pleasure after I’m sure you’ve had yours.”
“Well,” she says, coyly, leaning against me. “I did.”
I laugh. “I can’t fault your eagerness,” I say. Inside me, something screams that I must be mad – why would I turn her down? But I know the reason. “I want to make sure that this is the best for you, Ash. The rest, it can come later. I don’t mind waiting. But what I need is for you to enjoy your own body, to explore the very best of how it can feel. I will be satisfied tomorrow.”
“Alright,” she finally gives up. “Then I should get dressed.”
“If you feel more comfortable,” I say mildly. I have the feeling it was one last attempt to make me want to break my own rule and have my way with her, but Ashley gets up and dresses again, and I smirk when she sits down next to me. We sit just like that for a minute – both propped up against the pillows, my arm around her shoulders, our legs stretched out in front as we sip our drinks.
“It’s getting late,” I say, noting the clock on the wall with a sigh. “But I don’t want to go.”
“Then stay,” Ashley says quickly. “I don’t want you to go either, and this is a hotel room, after all. You can stay.”
“In the same bed?” I ask, laughing. “You’re trying to tempt me again.
“I’ll keep my hands to myself,” she says, giving me an all-too-innocent look which only makes me chuckle more.
“Fine,” I say. “I’ll stay. But I will need to make a few plans for tomorrow, and I’m going to sleep half-dressed. That way, we can’t accidentally start something. Alright?”
“It’s a deal,” Ashley says, with an impish smile that makes my heart beat faster.
I swear softly in Spanish. She’s going to be the death of me, I think. “Let me call my assistant, and then I’ll be back.”
I step out into the hall to speak with Carlos, and even then, I speak in a kind of code, alluding at things until he guesses what I mean. Maybe it’s silly to use such caution, but I really do want everything to be a surprise for her. She needs to have the best – she deserves it. I’m going to make sure that the best is what she gets.
After I’m done, and all of the arrangements are made, I slip back inside and find Ashley already changed into a cute pajama set. Thank goodness she’s wearing a camisole and pajama pants because if it was a nightgown, I might really have broken my resolution.
I get into the bed beside her after taking off my belt and suit jacket, leaving me in just a white shirt and trousers. I don’t think it will be so crisp in the morning, but at least this way there is a barrier between us. I let Ashley take all of the covers, knowing that I will be warm enough since I normally sleep in only my underwear, and wrap my arm around her as she rolls onto her side.
We sleep entwined like that, and I keep my head as much as I want to bury myself in her – because I made her a promise, and she needs to know that she can trust me to keep my word.
Chapter Fourteen
Ashley
I wake up the next morning feeling like I’ve had a fantastic night of sleep, and as my eyes slowly open and I remember, I know exactly why.