“Don’t worry. I’m wide awake. I can make it.”
She bit her lip. “I don’t know...”
“Hey,” he said gently, “we can stay here if you like.” At her doubtful look he said, “I think my credit is good at this place.”
That made her smile. “I should think so.”
“So come on,” he said, "let’s get ourselves booked in. We can head back early tomorrow morning.”
That night, just a few strokes before midnight, Drake walked Meg to the door of her hotel room. When she turned her face up to his he could see the shadows of sleep clouding her eyes. “Good night, Meg,” he said softly and then, giving in to the urge, he pulled her into his arms.
She did not resist. She melted against him, her soft br**sts pressing against his chest, and he yielded to the temptation of those lips that had been tormenting him all night. He bent his head and took possession of her mouth, groaning as she opened to him. He wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to his chest, then he kissed her until she clung to him as if she had no more strength left.
Finally, as much as he wanted more, he let his arms slide down and away and then he stepped back. Her lips slightly swollen from the kiss, she was breathing heavily, gazing up at him from heavy-lidded eyes as she leaned back against the door. Was there any sight as sexy as a woman who’d just been thoroughly kissed? God knew, he wanted her more tonight than he ever had before. But no, he had to stay cool. He could not afford to rush and spoil everything.
“Goodnight, Meg,” he whispered again, his voice hoarse this time.
“Goodnight, Drake,” she whispered back and then, with an air of resignation, she turned and pushed her key card into the door. “I’ll see you in the morning,” she said softly then turned the handle and went into her room, closing the door behind her.
Drake stared at the solid wooden panel of the door and cursed this barrier that stood between him and the woman he desired. He wanted to take her in his arms and make sweet love to her but he could not. Slowly, he turned and walked to the elevator then took it to the penthouse floor of the hotel where a suite had been prepared for him. This was where he wanted her, her body writhing under his in an ultra-soft king-sized bed into which their bodies would melt. But it was not to be. Not tonight, anyway. He would have to do his best to take his mind off Meg.
Somehow, he had to cool down. Drake stripped and dropped his clothes on the bed then walked na**d to the bathroom. He turned the water on and stood under the stream as it cleansed his body and cleared his mind, making him alert again.
He threw on the luxurious robe the hotel had provided and walked back to the living room where he flung himself onto the sofa. From where he sat he had the perfect view of the suite’s telephone. He stared at it. God, he wanted to call her. Even if nothing else came of it he needed to hear her voice.
Just as he was reaching for the phone it began to ring.
******
With palms gone damp with her nervousness, Meg clutched the phone receiver and held it close to her ear. Had he already gone to bed? Would he think she was crazy to be calling him at this hour of the night? And what if he did answer the phone? Then what?
She bit her lip. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. All she knew was that she didn’t want the night to end. Even if all they did was talk, she just had to hear his voice. After she’d gone inside her hotel room, Meg had done the usual ‘get-ready-for-bed’ things – showered, brushed her teeth, brushed her hair till it fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Then, dressed in the hotel's terry robe, she’d climbed into bed to wait for sleep to claim her. No such luck. She’d tossed and rolled in the bed for almost half an hour before finally giving up. There was no way she was going to sleep tonight, not without talking to Drake one more time.
Truth be told, talk wasn’t the only thing she wanted. In fact, it was sort of low on her priority list right now. There were so many other things, things that made her body shiver just thinking about them.
But talking was a good way to start so, after minutes of hand wringing and deep breathing, she’d gathered her courage about her, picked up the phone and dialled.
Drake picked up on the first ring. “Hello.”
His voice was deep and mellow, not like he’d been sleeping at all. Had he lain there, tossing and tortured as she had?
“Hi, Drake,” she said, her voice soft and hesitant. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Not at all. I was just about to call you.”
“You…were?” Meg’s heart skipped at his words.
“Yes, I was…thinking about you.” There was a pause then she heard him sigh. “I want you, Meg, so badly it hurts. Can I see you tonight?”
Meg’s breath caught in her throat. Had he really come out and asked that question? She hadn’t expected that. Now what should she say?
“Yes.” The word escaped her lips in a soft, breathless whisper. Her hand flew to her mouth and her heart began to pound faster. There. She’d said it. And now there was no turning back.
“I’ll be down in a sec.”
“W…wait.”
But he’d already hung up. Holy cow. Drake was on his way down to her hotel room and he was expecting sex. More hand wringing, palms growing even more moist. Could she handle it? Maybe she should call him back. But no, he’d probably already left the room.
She rested the phone receiver in its cradle and slid off the bed. Smoothing her damp palms down her h*ps she dried them on the terry robe. Good heavens, was she ready for this? Maybe she should tell him no, that she’d made a mistake. Maybe she should-
There was a knock at the door and Meg started. He was here. Already? No more time for maybes. She took a deep breath and went to open the door.
Drake was standing in the doorway and as he looked down at her, his hair still damp from a recent shower, his eyes burned with a fierceness she had never seen before.
She stepped back, not saying a word. She didn’t need to. She knew what she wanted and the look in his eyes left her in no doubt as to what he wanted. This was going to happen.