“I understand.” She nods shyly and looks up at me through her lashes. “So, what now?”
I look up at the road ahead, the same street that we’ve been down several times already. This little resort isn’t big, and there aren’t many things to do other than shop and eat good food. Which is intentional, of course, because we came here with one big thing in mind.
“Why don’t we go back to the hotel room?” I suggest. “That is if you’re still…”
“Yes,” Candy says, with enough heat that I know she really means it. “Yes. Let’s go.”
And I signal to Bernard to do just that, wondering where I managed to pick up enough luck that she still wants to be with me after such a colossal mistake.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Candy
I follow Finn along the corridor, walking on a plush carpet that can’t possibly be more than a year old – judging by the fact that so many footsteps would undoubtedly wear it down – and admiring the framed photographs of famous and rich visitors to the hotel as we pass them on the walls. I knew that this place was special, but it seems to be getting more and more special by the moment.
I almost walk into Finn when he stops in front of one of the doors and produces the key, deftly unlocking it with a twist of his wrist that makes the hotel-branded keychain jingle. I’m excited to see what awaits us inside the room, I can’t lie. I’ve been curious about that since we pulled up outside this morning and I saw how grand the building is.
When Finn opens the door and ushers me to step inside first, I immediately begin to see why so many people of means decide to stay here. Everything looks brand new and is of the highest possible quality. This isn’t the cramped kind of hotel room I’m used to, where you have to almost stand on the toilet to get a shower and the one bed is made of what feels like saggy cardboard. There are no itchy blankets, no curtains that don’t quite cover the window, no malfunctioning A/C.
No, this room is almost a home in itself. The bathroom features a magnificent marble bathtub, two sinks with two mirrors and vanity lights, mood lighting in every room adjusted from a central tablet, a huge widescreen television facing the plush king sized bed, all kinds of free utilities and samples, a blackout blind controlled by the same tablet or by voice command…
It’s more than I’ve ever dreamed of.
“This can’t be normal for you, surely,” I say, staring around in awe. “You’re exaggerating.”
Finn laughs. “Alright, in this case, maybe,” he says. “When I come out here, I usually drive home again for the evening. But then, I never had anyone to stay here with.”
I smile, turning to him. My heart is fluttering in my chest like a caged bird. “Now you do.”
“Now I do,” Finn agrees, breathing in, his hand coming up to stroke my hair. He runs his fingers down the side of my face, considering me. “Why don’t you have a relaxing bubble bath?”
I suppose he must have realized that I’m nervous. I’m glad that he picked up on it, and also that he didn’t say anything. It would have only made things worse – but this way, I can pretend that all I want is a nice soak and that it’s not about calming my nerves at all.
“That sounds lovely,” I tell him, just about keeping the tremor out of my voice. It’s not as though I’m having second thoughts – I still want this, like nothing else. But I’m still nervous because this is all new to me. Even if I trust him, I also hope that it won’t be terrible – that he won’t decide we have no compatibility in bed, and everything was a waste.
Finn moves to pour me the bubble bath as I undress, taking off the beautiful new gown that he bought for me and laying it carefully on the back of a chair. Then I hesitantly step forward, in only my underwear now. Finn turns from where he sits on the side of the tub, one hand in the water to check its temperature, and his eyebrows rise.
He doesn’t say anything, but I can sense him drinking me in with his eyes. As much as I want to hide and cover myself up out of embarrassment, I also love the way he looks at me, the way his eyes worship me. I let him look at me, until he switches off the water, and stands in front of me.
I have to look up at him now, he stands so tall above me. The nerves come back with a vengeance, fluttering away inside my stomach, making me wonder if this was all a bad idea. But it can’t have been – because here I am, with Finn, and he’s looking at me like I’m the most amazing thing he’s ever seen. And even though the nerves remain, they don’t overwhelm me. Not when he’s looking at me like that.