And to think when I first met this woman, I’d thought she was flaky. A few months later, I’m realizing she’s the one with the firm grip on life, and it’s me who has a lot to learn. Even crazier than that, I’m hoping that when she writes that new story, I get to be part of it.
CHAPTER 22
Hudson
I couldn’t help but kiss her.
After an entire day and evening looking at her with barely a touch, I’d begun to feel like a man who hadn’t eaten in days, and she was a big, juicy steak. So when the kid at the valet jogged off to get my rental car, I tugged Stella’s hand and pulled her to the side of the building.
“What are you doing?”
“Eating your face.”
She giggled. “Eating it? That doesn’t sound too romantic.”
“Trust me.” I wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her flush against me, while my other hand gripped her neck and tilted her head where I wanted it. “I’ll romance you—whispering in your ear, sending you notes to let you know I’m thinking about you. You just might want to shield your phone when you’re around others before you open my messages.”
She bit down on her bottom lip, and I groaned.
“Give me that.” My mouth descended on hers, and she surprised the shit out of me when she caught my lip and bit down.
Pulling her head back just slightly with my flesh between her teeth, she flashed an evil smile. “I might eat your face first.”
We were both still laughing as I sealed my mouth over hers for a long-ass kiss. The sound of a couple nearby was the only thing that kept me from feeling her up right outside the restaurant.
We returned to the valet station, and when our rental car pulled up, I waved the kid off as he went to open Stella’s door. I handed him a tip while she climbed inside.
I was glad it was a long drive to show her all of the touristy crap, because I needed some time to recover after that kiss.
Settling in behind the wheel, I buckled. “I was thinking we could hit the Hollywood sign and then go over to Hollywood Boulevard to take a walk. That’s where the Walk of Fame is. Maybe tomorrow we could check out Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, and a few other places.”
“Would you mind a change in plans?” she asked. “I was thinking we could just go back to the hotel.”
As much as I hated touristy crap, I’d been looking forward to showing her around. I definitely wasn’t ready to call an end to our first official date. But today had been a long day for her, so I hid my disappointment.
“Sure. Of course. You must be tired. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Actually…” She reached over and laid her hand on my thigh. “I’m not tired at all.”
And…the woman just kept on surprising me. I turned my head and caught her gaze. “You sure?”
She nodded with a shy smile. “How long is the drive back? I wasn’t paying attention on the way here.”
“It’s about a half hour.” I put the car into drive. “But I’ll get us there in twenty minutes.”
***
I replayed Stella telling me she wanted to go back to the hotel over and over in my mind as I broke a half-dozen traffic laws on the drive. She’d laid her cards on the table. She wanted to be alone with me, but I didn’t want to assume that meant she wanted to have sex. I’d have to remember that, because I tended to go from zero to a hundred whenever my lips so much as touched hers.
We’d gone to dinner early since we’d planned to go sightseeing after, so when we walked into the hotel lobby it was barely eight o’clock.
“Do you want to get a drink at the bar?” I asked.
“I haven’t touched the bar in my room, and it’s stocked pretty well.”
I smiled. “To your room then…”
Back in her suite, Stella slipped off her shoes while I walked behind the bar to see what she had. She hadn’t been exaggerating; the thing had more choices than any hotel room I’d ever stayed in.
I lifted a bottle of merlot and a full-size bottle of gin. “Are you in the mood for more wine or something else?”
Stella was rummaging through her purse. She sighed with exasperation as she tossed it on the couch. “Do you have condoms?”
Okay, then. Something else it is.
I set the bottles down and stepped out from behind the bar, keeping a few feet of distance between us.
“I do.”
“With you now?”
I chuckled. “Yes, with me now.”
She swallowed. “I went back on the pill a few weeks ago, but you need to be on it a full month before you’re protected.”
I took a step closer to her. “We’re good.”