Waking Up to You Overexposed - By Leslie Kelly Page 0,56
asked, knowing he’d be hard and hungry for her the entire forty-minute drive to the hotel.
“Yes.”
“Where’s your sister?”
“She stayed with Grandpa. The two of them are old backgammon enemies. She brought his board and I doubt either of them will be willing to quit until they’ve played a half-dozen games.”
He would definitely have bowed out if her sister had wanted to attend tonight’s function, but Oliver couldn’t deny he was glad Madison had declined his offer. No, he didn’t give a damn about some fancy party, during which the big wineries would pat themselves on the back. But getting away with Candace for a night sounded like pure heaven.
They made the drive in her rental car. The old farm truck he used was not exactly formal ball material, and he couldn’t imagine driving it up to the valet stand and handing over the keys. Since her car was a convertible, they put the top down for the drive. It was breezy, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. A perfect day. She seemed to delight in it. Her long hair whipped behind her and she closed her eyes, obviously savoring the feel of the sun on her face.
Of course, when they hit the city, that changed. Downtown San Francisco was, even on a Saturday afternoon, a busy mass of humanity, and traffic was a bitch. They didn’t arrive at the hotel until late afternoon and weren’t ensconced in their room until after five.
She whistled as they entered and spied the plush room, the huge bed and the great view of the bay out the window. “Nice. You sure you can afford this, groundskeeper?”
“I’ve got a few dollars tucked away,” he said, reaching for her and drawing her into his arms.
She twined hers around his neck. “Seriously. You didn’t need to pay for all of this. I’ll pitch in.”
Laughing, he refused the offer. “Do you really think I’m working for your grandfather because I need the money? For that matter, do you really think I’ve ever actually cashed one of the checks he’s given me?”
Her mouth fell open. “He’s not paying you? Good grief, Oliver, you work like a maniac!”
“I don’t think he’s figured it out yet. I don’t need the money, sweetheart. I needed the escape. Needed a place to stay, and hard work to do, so I could figure things out.”
She stepped out of his arms, taking his hand and pulling him toward the bed. Unfortunately, rather than stripping naked and leaping onto him, she sat down, patting the space beside her for him to sit, as well.
Oh. Great. They were going to talk.
“And have you?” she asked. “Figured things out, I mean?”
“I’m getting there.”
She lifted her hand and cupped his jaw. “Are you going to be all right, Oliver?”
He turned her palm toward his mouth and kissed it. “I am. I promise.”
There was only one thing that could derail him from being all right, something over which he had no control. But he couldn’t push her, couldn’t force her. Hell, right now, he couldn’t even bring himself to ask her, not if it meant spoiling the last full day they would have together. By this time tomorrow, her grandfather would be home and Candace would be packing to leave for Los Angeles.
Maybe he could convince her not to go. But maybe he couldn’t. Which meant today might be all he had, all he would ever have of her, for the rest of his days.
“What do you...”
“Later,” he insisted, pressing his mouth to hers for a deep, hungry kiss. She twined her hands in his hair. Oliver continued to kiss her, breathing her in, memorizing her scent and her taste and the way he felt at this moment. God, did he ever hope he wouldn’t have to bank these memories for a long time, and that she wasn’t really going to walk away from him tomorrow. Whatever this promise was that she’d made, surely she could get out of it. No way could she feel about him the way he suspected she did and not stay here and fight for a real relationship.
When the kiss ended, she persisted. “I want to know what you’re thinking.”
“Shh,” he insisted, kissing his way to her wrist. He flicked his tongue out on the pulse point, then continued moving up her arm, pushing her sleeve as he went. “Enough talking.”
“Mmm,” she said as he abandoned her arm and moved to her neck, nuzzling the hollow. “You don’t play fair.”