that room with Vi in my arms.
“Can’t say I blame you,” the man mumbled under his breath as he took my card.
When I heard Vi coming down the hallway, I gave the man a stern look and said, “Not a word.”
It turned out that my fears of him shaming or embarrassing Vi were completely unfounded because she breezed by the front desk and said over her shoulder, “I hope our loud, phenomenal sex-capades didn’t keep anyone up last night.”
She was already walking out the front door when the surprised man tipped his head back and guffawed with laughter.
When I turned to follow her, he said to me, “You’ve got your hands full with that little minx.”
“Don’t I know it,” I heartily agreed before following the surprising and enchanting woman of my dreams outside.
31
Violet
As soon as Oliver left our room, I had tried to call Soraya. I wouldn’t share the intimate details of our perfect, sexy night together, but I needed her calm reassurance that everything would work out for the best, and that I would be able to let Oliver go when the time––which was approaching far too quickly––came.
When she didn’t pick up my call, I let out a growl of frustration. The news that I’d spent the entire night rolling around naked with Oliver was too important to leave as a voicemail, so I jabbed at the ‘End Call’ button.
I had expected the guilt to roll in this morning over sleeping with someone other than Dylan, but it hadn’t yet emerged. My gut told me that Dylan would want me to be happy, and there was no denying that Oliver’s sexy and talented body had made me very happy––over and over again.
Although I refused to compare the only two lovers I’d had in my lifetime, it was impossible not to notice that the easy intimacy I’d shared with Dylan was also present with Oliver. It didn’t make any sense, since I barely knew the man, but I felt almost as comfortable sharing my body with him as I had my high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband.
Perhaps Oliver’s extensive experience in the bedroom made him confident enough for both of us? It was the only explanation I could think of for our uninhibited, passionate loving. What should have been awkward and on the verge of shameful had been open, honest, and raw.
Our passionate lovemaking was as addictive as a drug––at least for me. Letting him go and trying to find this level of affection again with someone else was going to be the true challenge. It simply didn’t seem possible for lightning to have struck me twice. I was sure it wouldn’t find me a third time.
Sighing as I pulled the room’s door closed behind me and checked that it was locked, I reminded myself for the umpteenth time that Oliver bedded women regularly. It was more than likely that this wasn’t anything special at all to him.
After toying with the gruff front desk clerk, I strutted out to the car. Once inside the vehicle, Oliver turned to me and said, “You are absolutely full of surprises.”
The loving gaze he gave me was literally breathtaking. It took every bit of strength I could muster to tear my eyes away from him to start the car and head into town.
Mimi’s Diner was bustling with activity, and it hadn’t changed a bit since the last time I was there. Mimi shuffled by effortlessly carrying three plates and two mugs of coffee. Somehow, she handed me two plastic menus without spilling anything as she said, “Vi, I was wondering when you would stop by. It’s so good to see you, hon. Sit wherever you can find an open spot.”
The woman barely broke her stride as she welcomed us and delivered the plates piled high with food to a table of hungry-looking teenagers.
I found an available booth toward the back of the restaurant and slid into one of the bench seats. Oliver sat down across from me. Dylan had always opted to sit right beside me, preferring to have our legs touching and to be able to hold hands. Looking into Oliver’s sparkling eyes, I realized that sitting across from each other could be pleasant and intimate, too.
When Mimi came by to take our order, we requested an obscene amount of food. Her eyes twinkled when she teased us, “I bet you two will find a creative way to work off all of those calories.”
I couldn’t help chuckling as she scurried away to put our order in. The judgment