“Service elevator and fire escape are through that door,” Landon explains. He’s watching me with a small frown. “Do you like it?” he asks.
For a second, I wonder if he’s serious. “I think it’s gorgeous,” I tell him.
He smiles. “There’s a library too. I’m sure you’ll find a poetry book or two.”
“Thanks.” I return his smile. “So, I take it you’ve stayed here before.”
“Whenever I’m in the city, yes.” He turns away from me and walks to the edge of the living room, opening the double doors that lead out to the terrace, and letting in a cool breeze that ruffles his hair. He looks perfect, standing there, like a gorgeous actor in an old Hollywood movie.
I join him at the terrace, enjoying the view of the bay and the fascinating lights on the Bay Bridge, which I’ve read about, but never seen outside of pictures. “It’s a lovely view,” I comment.
He turns around, facing me. “Yes it is,” he says slowly, making me think he’s talking about me. He moves towards me, only stopping when he’s almost touching me, and runs a finger lightly over my cheek. His eyes are burning with a familiar intensity, and I know that if I close the distance between us, I’ll feel his erection, hard against my thigh. Sweet tension takes hold of my belly, as I wait for him to do something, kiss me maybe, and complete the magic of our surroundings with his expert touch.
“I’m sure they’re done unpacking,” I hear him say. “Let me show you to your room.”
My room? I try to hide my confusion. The last thing I want is to be shown to my room, except if he’s going to join me there. I look at him from beneath my lashes, wondering what he’s planning.
Ralph is nowhere to be seen as Landon leads me through the living room, along a short hallway, to a door that opens into a beautiful bedroom. There’s a perfectly made four-poster bed dominating the room, with curtains that match those hanging from the windows. A lounge chair rests at the foot of the bed with a long cylindrical cushion. Beside the window, there’s a desk with an impressionist landscape hanging above it. There’s also a dressing table with a large mirror, a hanging bookshelf filled with books, and a door that probably leads to the bathroom and dressing room.
“Wow,” I say softly, stepping past Landon into the room. I walk to the bed, running my fingers over the soft sheets, before turning around to face him. He’s still at the door, leaning on the doorframe and watching me.
“Aren’t you going to come in?” I ask, cocking my head to the side and giving him an inviting look.
He straightens and walks into the room, right to where I’m standing, and with his hand around my waist, places a soft kiss on my lips. I can feel the steely control beneath his kiss, almost as if he’s determined not to let it get any further.
I have no idea why.
“You must be tired,” he says softly, leaving me puzzled. “And you have a lot of work to do tomorrow. I’ll see you in the morning Rachel, goodnight.”
With that, he walks out of the r
oom, unbuttoning his cuff as he leaves. I stand there watching him, aroused and confused, wondering if there’s something I’m not getting.
I WAKE up slightly disoriented, wondering where I am. The memories of the trip and Landon’s uncharacteristic behavior last night flood in all at once, and I get up, still wondering what the hell happened. I thought the whole point of being here together was to have sex… again and again according to him. Yet last night, even though it had been obvious that he was at least as aroused as I was, he had held back. Why?
I could have seduced him, tried at least to shatter that steely control. But I’d held back, mainly because it seemed unnecessary to make it so obvious how much I wanted him. I’m paying for that now, my whole body highly strung, wanting a release it had been expecting last night.
I’m wearing one of the t-shirts I usually sleep in, having had no reason to bust out my sexy lingerie last night. I walk over to the windows, admiring the San Francisco skyline and trying to pick out some of the more popular buildings. My phone rings and I hurry back to the bed to pick it up. It’s Laurie.
“I just wanted to make sure you arrived safe and sound, and he hasn’t kidnapped you and taken you to his lair.” She says the last word with a theatrical evil voice.
“Nothing like that,” I tell her. “We’re at the Rosemont Royal in San Fran. You won’t believe how lavish it is.”
“I can imagine.” She sighs. “I miss you though. There’s nobody to complain about my addiction to reality TV.”
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Make sure you enjoy yourself. Brett and I are taking advantage of your absence.”
“TMI, Laurie.”
“What? We have no secrets between us. So what happened with Landon?”
“Nothing, actually. We arrived, then went to bed… separately.”
“Really?” she sounds doubtful. “That’s boring. I thought he was going to make you come until you begged him to stop.”
I sigh. “I tell you too much.”