Carmela chuckled as she held the keycard against the sensor on the door. “Mountains? Where?”
“Hello! Gatlinburg. Duh. It’s like the Vegas of the south,”
she replied with a furrowed brow because it should’ve been
obvious.
Carmela held the door open for her. “Learn something new every day, I suppose.”
Inside, the cottage was a beautifully appointed one-bedroom apartment complete with a kitchen, elegant bathroom with a clawfoot tub and walk-in shower, and a view of the ocean from the veranda wrapped around the back of the cottage. The short hedge o ered some privacy without hurting the view. On the glass co ee table were two large beach totes overflowing with gifts. Predictably, the navy-blue bags were embroidered with the couple’s name and wedding date.
As they explored, Carmela turned pale. “Shit, we have to go back to the front.”
Rhiannon crossed the living room to look at ocean, unbothered by the concern in her tone. “Why? It’s not like there’s a place with a better view.”
“I asked for two beds,” she explained, her pitch getting higher and her words more rushed.
Rhiannon’s grin reflected in the sliding glass door before she turned around to face her frantic wedding date. “I know.
I corrected your mistake and changed it to one king-sized bed instead of two singles.”
For a moment, Carmela’s face was frozen and entirely unreadable. “Why did you do that?”
Quirking an eyebrow, Rhiannon put her hands on her hips. “Ummm because what if your ex or that very high-strung event planner happens to check? How would that look?”
While Carmela stared at her like she was trying to solve a puzzle in her eyes, Rhiannon smiled.
“What’s wrong?” Rhiannon asked as she inched toward her. Each step made her blood pump harder and skin flush warm with excitement. “Don’t you want to do this right?”
Darting from Carmela’s dark eyes to her mouth, Rhiannon moistened her lips. It had been so long since she tasted her kiss. An eternity since she held her close and indulged in her touch, her scent. Being together in her dreams didn’t count.
Instead of moving away, Carmela let herself be pulled forward as she took hold of her wrist and drew her in.
“What’s the point of this ruse?” Carmela asked, her voice low and breathy. “No one can see us,” she added like a challenge.
The sound of her voice sent a pulse of desire surging through Rhiannon’s body. She’d never wanted someone so badly that it caused physical pain. “We can’t be too careful,”
she countered, her words quivering as she circled her arms around Carmela’s waist. “Who knows if that redhead is hanging upside down from a palm tree with binoculars trying to confirm our story.”
Carmela’s smile was lightning burning Rhiannon up from the inside. She ached to kiss her parted lips. “She does seem like the kind of person who’s very dedicated to her job.
Though I’m not sure it’s physically possible to hang from a palm tree.”
Rhiannon maintained her serious expression. “I’m sure she can do it if she really puts her mind to it.”
Carmela leaned closer, her eyes fixed on Rhiannon’s lips with the same kind of hunger currently wreaking havoc in Rhiannon’s body.
A knock on the door was a bucket of cold water on their growing fire. “Hi, it’s Michael with your bags,” a man’s voice called.
Disappointed, Rhiannon released Carmela from her grasp.
“You better get that. I’d hate not to have something to wear when I get out the shower.”
Without waiting for Carmela’s response, she walked to the bathroom, pulling her sweater over her head so Carmela would get a good look at her muscular back. She had a goal for this weekend, and showing a little skin was just the beginning.
GETTING ready for the welcome dinner together hadn’t been awkward like Carmela expected. Other than Rhiannon having stayed in a towel nearly the entire time, they’d chatted while putting on makeup and doing their hair. Rhiannon had even zipped up her black dress with practiced ease as if she’d done it a hundred times before.
Despite moments when they’d caught each other’s stolen glances, it had been strangely comfortable. As she waited for Rhiannon to finish in the bathroom, Carmela leaned over the kitchen counter to answer emails after having returned all her pending calls.