Disappointed, I twist back to the main living space, passing a towering, live Christmas tree decked out in gold and silver baubles. Another door leads me deeper into the never-ending apartment. I find more storage and another half-bath, and several oak doors leading off a long hallway. But it’s the stone stairs twisting up and to the right that has me climbing them, following the short corridor until I realize I must be above the main living room. A rustic, solid-looking wooden door as wide as two men, prevents me from going any further. Set into the curved wall of the tower, I am bitterly disappointed to find my explorations cannot continue.
When I pull on the iron handles, it barely rattles on its hinges. In fact, it doesn’t budge at all. Letting out a little growl of frustration, I head back down the stairs, returning to that long, wide hallway. Three tall figures await me, making me startle.
“Oh thank god,” I say, recognizing those powerful outlines, though I’ve not seen any of them in suits and dress shirts before. Regardless, it’s with fright that I place a hand over my pounding heart, though I’m also drinking in the beautiful sight.
Roo chuckles. “You’re finally here.”
I nod, realisation hitting hard.
Luca steps forward, enveloping me against a familiar chest. “We knew you wouldn’t be able to resist investigating the tower.”
The short beard he favored in Vail has gone. Clean-shaven, his cologne is a comforting scent.
Slowly, I pull away. “What can I say? It’s suddenly become a viable fantasy.” And I want to live every single one of mine inside its majestic walls.
Turning to Brecken, I slide my arms around his waist and settle my head on his shoulder, absorbing his strength and warmth. “Good to see you,” he murmurs into my hair.
He, too, smells divine, the vetiver and lemongrass fragrance that lifts off him clean and crisp.
Pulling back, I look at all of them as I say, “I’m so happy to be here.”
Reuben jokes, “I bet you peered in every door you came across.”
“Can you blame me if I did?” I defend, not wanting to admit I did just that. “I wasn’t sure if you were gonna jump me.”
“All in good time,” he murmurs, folding his arms across his chest and smiling darkly.
Luca’s mouth hitches. “By the looks of things, you’ve got five more doors to explore. Go take a look. Let’s see if you can work out who sleeps where,” he baits.
I grin. “What do I win if I get them all right?”
“What do you want?” he asks, his eyes gleaming. “More vacation time?”
I laugh quietly at the good memories before turning my attention to my task. With them trailing me, I walk down the hall and open a heavy fire door to find a beautiful bedroom. Taking a few steps forward, I look around, trying to work out who occupies this space. It’s impossible to tell, the room tidy and lacking in personal items. But when I peer into the ensuite, there’s a lingering aroma of ambergris and sandalwood.
All three of them are standing by the door when I twist towards them. “Luca,” I tell them confidently, striding past their stunned faces.
Luca swears under his breath, Reuben chuckling as they follow me out and down to the next door. In here is another exquisitely furnished room, also with an ensuite. Like the other bedroom, windows overlook the rear of the hotel, towards the mountain. A guitar is propped up by a wall that has me gasping with delight.
“Who plays guitar?” I demand to their silence.
There’s a stack of design books on the desk, a nice set of drawing pencils too. On the back of a chair I spot a hoodie that I recall Reuben wearing. On account of the precise lines in the room, the symmetry of every. single. thing. I turn to Reuben and point.
“Aw, fuck.”
“You didn’t tell me you played.”
“It would’ve ruined the fun.”
True.Guessing which room belongs to whom is pretty cool.
The next room reveals the same layout as the others, just with slightly different furnishings and color schemes. On account of my mad deduction skills so far, it’s easy to tell this is Brecken’s room. But the receipt from a high-end lingerie store on his desk has me very intrigued, not least that he’s purchased from the store, but that the amount totals over three thousand dollars.
When I look his way, smoky eyes slam into mine, that six-four body striding forwards and eating up the short distance between us. From a back pocket, he produces a tiny little notebook with a short pencil tucked into an elastic at the spine.
“Write down your fantasies in here.”
A cocktail of lust and unease shudders through every cell. Does this mean they might be interested in exploring something different? “Will this be legally binding?”