“No.” She followed him, chuckling. “I have the magic last name.”
He gave her a puzzled look but let her take the lead. As she’d expected, there was a suite available. After they got their room key, a bellhop approached, but Luke waved him off.
The lodge was only three floors—probably the smallest of Covington’s hotels, but it suited Glacier better than anything else would have. They took the elevator to the third floor and found their room at the end of the hallway.
Luke walked in first and whistled as he looked around. “This place is amazing.” He turned and smiled at her. “Your dad had great taste.”
She smiled back. “He did.” His hotels were classy without being too over-the-top. She always admired him for that. Of course he’d hired professional designers, but he hadn’t shied away from giving his own opinions as well.
She had a vivid memory from when she was about six or seven. He’d been arguing with an interior designer about curtains for a London hotel. When it came down to a final decision, he’d let Ophelia choose. She still remembered how special it’d made her feel. But then . . . he’d always made her feel special—important.
The inside of the suite matched the rest of the lodge with the natural theme. There were three rooms. A sitting room with couch, a chair, and TV in the corner. Off to the side, it opened up to two bedrooms. She wandered over. One had two queen-sized beds, so she moved to the next. The second bedroom was larger and contained what looked even bigger than a king-sized bed. There was a mirror on one wall and two nightstands.
Wildlife photography hung on the walls. The curtains and bed coverings were neutral and looked expensive. The cedar smell had stayed in the lobby and changed to a calming vanilla in the room. A door was opened partway on the right and she pushed through it, revealing a giant, stone-tiled bathroom featuring a decadent walk-in shower, a Jacuzzi, and two sinks.
She couldn’t wait to use the Jacuzzi later. It would feel amazing after a long hike. She turned back to the room and watched Luke drop their bags next to the bed.
“What should we do first?” He pulled a stack of pamphlets out of his back pocket then plopped down onto the bed.
Hesitantly, Ophelia joined him. She wasn’t sure being on the same bed was such a good idea if they were going to do anything other than have sex today. Their chemistry was too intense. And right now, she wasn’t really in the mood to mess around. Her hardenin
g nipples said otherwise, but she didn’t want to be in the mood. She wanted to explore what the park had to offer, and try to figure out what her dad would have wanted for her.
Luke handed her a few pamphlets and they looked through them. There was one for a ride through the mountains in big double-decker busses. But doing a guided tour seemed kind of . . . constraining. She wanted to explore on her own terms.
“Hmm.” She placed that one on the bed.
Luke raised a brow. “No bus tour?”
“No. Do you have a map?”
He flipped through the papers in his hand, then passed one to her. She unfolded it and grinned. Open, it was half the size of the bed and showed hiking trails and lookout points, plus lakes and rivers too.
“Do you know where you want to go?” Luke asked, gazing down at the map.
She shook her head. “I just . . . want to explore. I want to experience everything my dad did. Fall in love with this place like he did. Without a tour guide.”
Luke fingered a lock of her hair that had fallen into her face then brushed it back. Unable to help herself, she leaned into his touch.
“You miss him,” he stated rather than asked.
A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it back, then nodded.
He looked over at the bedside clock. “Almost dinner time. What do you say we explore the area around the lodge for now, then grab some food? First thing tomorrow, we’ll go for a hike.”
Regaining her composure, she smiled shakily. “That sounds good. I want to clean up first though.” She was sweaty from sitting so long in the car.
“Sure.” He gestured toward the bathroom. “Looks like you have some choices in there.”
“Shower is fine.” She moved toward the door. “I’ll be quick.”
The slate floor was cold on her bare feet inside the shower but warmed up once she ran the water. She hummed to herself as she washed the remnants of traveling off her body. Her eyes drifted shut as she let the water pour down her hair and back.
Everything had felt so surreal up to this point. Being with Luke, her crazy fantasies fulfilled and then some, the weird bond they were forming . . . It was almost like a dream. Or like an out-of-body experience. It wasn’t happening to her, but to someone else, and she was there feeling it with them. She still couldn’t believe how it’d all fallen into place. Who’d have guessed a criminal stealing her car would lead to all of this?
But now that she was here, in her father’s beloved national park, she’d been slammed back into reality. The fresh wounds of his death felt raw again. She was still ignoring the weight of the decision hanging over her head, but eventually it would creep in on her.
When she opened her eyes, she spotted a figure. For half a second, she’d forgotten about Luke and startled. He walked in, naked, his cock looking like it was straining toward her.