“Heidi, there seems to be a problem,” he said. “I checked into my hotel room a few hours ago. The American Airlines agent arranged for me to stay here for the next two nights—and imagine my surprise when a complete stranger walked into my room.”
Roger pointed to me when he said “stranger.” Heidi looked at me and raised her brows as I attempted to give her my best smile.
“She came into your room?” she asked with an accusatory stare.
Wait. What in the hell? She’s the one who gave me the key to his room!
I took a step forward. “Yes, because when I checked in, you told me my room was sixteen thirty-three. So, I went to that room. My key worked, I walked in, and lo and behold, he was in there sleeping in my bed. Naked!”
Heidi snapped her head back to Roger and gave him a slow once-over, most likely imagining him naked.
Damn it. I messed up…again.
Roger smirked, and it took everything I had not to slap that smug smile off his face. Gah, why did he have to be so handsome and witty? If I didn’t already think he was a jerk, I was positive I’d have gotten caught up in his charms too.
Wait. What?
Heidi cleared her throat as I shook the weird thoughts away. She stared down at her computer. “Let’s see if we can fix this.”
Roger and I looked at each other. He lifted his hand and rubbed his fingers together. “Get ready to pay up, princess.”
I shot him a dirty look, and when I knew Heidi wasn’t looking, I gave him the finger.
“Feisty. I like it.”
With a roll of my eyes, I replied, “You would.”
She typed for a good minute before just staring at the computer screen for what seemed like forever. Then she frowned. Lifted her brows. Chewed on her lip. Glanced up at us, then back down at her screen.
“I’m starting to lose that warm and fuzzy feeling that says you’re going to fix this for us, Heidi,” Roger stated.
Swallowing hard, she looked at me and then Roger. “The hotel keeps a few rooms on hand if they need them for flight crew or passengers. Somehow…I don’t know how the system did it, but when it booked you into the room, Mr. Carter, it never marked it. So, it booked Ms. Michaels into the same room as well.”
This was an easy fix. I leaned forward and in my sweetest voice asked, “Okay, well, can you just give one of us another room?”
“Her,” Roger said with a wink in Heidi’s direction.
This time, his charm had no effect. “I wish I could,” Heidi said, “but there are no more rooms available.”
“None?” Roger and I asked in unison.
Heidi slowly shook her head. “None. Not a single room. I’m so sorry.”
Roger sighed as he threaded his fingers through his brown hair. Heidi let out a weird little groan, and I forced myself to look away.
“Well, looks like we’re bunking together, Annalise,” he said.
I jerked my head up and stared at him. “What?”
Heidi had the same reaction. “Wait, you’re staying in the same room?”
We both ignored her. “Together? You want to stay in the hotel room together?” I asked with a disbelieving laugh.
He leaned closer, narrowed his eyes, and asked, “Do you want to sleep in the airport? Or out here in the lobby?”
“Oh, we can’t allow that,” Heidi said. “No sleeping in the lobby.”
I frantically shook my head. “No, I don’t want to go back to the airport. I almost died driving here. I’m pretty sure the Uber driver had never seen snow before.”
With that brilliant, dimpled smile of his, Roger replied, “Then come on, roomie. I’m exhausted.”
He turned and started back toward the elevator. I glanced over at Heidi, who had been watching him leave. She turned to look at me.
“I’m so jealous of you right now,” she whispered.
With an overly exaggerated sigh, I followed after Roger.
Once we were back in the room, Roger went straight into the bedroom. He pulled his T-shirt over his head but luckily kept his sweats on. He crawled into the bed, then looked at me with a questioning expression. “What?”
“Um…where am I supposed to sleep? The sofa in the living room isn’t big enough for either of us.”
With a wide smile, he slapped the large, king-size bed. “Crawl in, princess. Don’t worry, I’m so fucking tired I won’t even know you’re there.”
My mouth fell open. “You want me to sleep with you?”
He had closed his eyes, but he opened one of them again. “As intriguing as sex with you might be, no. I don’t want to sleep with you. I want to go to sleep. You can sleep next to me.”
“I am not getting in that bed.”
Roger pulled the pillow out from under his head and buried his face in it. His voice was muffled as he said, “Then sleep on the sofa or the floor. I’m tired, and I’m going to sleep.”
As I stood there and debated what I was going to do, I heard a soft snore come from Roger.
How had he fallen asleep that fast? Geesh, he really must have been exhausted.
After looking at the bed, then the floor, then the bed again, I decided it would be safe to sleep in the bed. My gut was telling me I could trust Roger; besides, if he had any ill intentions, would he have dragged himself down to the front desk to get me out of the room?
I chewed on my lip a few moments and then decided it would be okay. Roger was all the way on the other side. I could put a pillow in between us. I was such a heavy sleeper, I was positive I wouldn’t even move in the middle of the night.
I slipped the sweatshirt off but kept my yoga pants on.
With a deep breath in, I whispered, “It’s okay, Anna. It’s fine. He’ll stay on his side. I’ll stay on mine.”
Gently slipping into the bed, I turned and faced Roger. His massive chest rose and fell slowly with each breath. I could feel my eyelids growing heavier and heavier as the weight of today finally came crashing down. I tried to force myself to stay awake a bit longer, but my eyes drifted shut until I finally gave up the fight and let sleep take over.
Warm. I was so comfy warm. A hotel bed had never felt so freaking comfortable before, and I made a mental note to stay at more luxury hotels from then on whenever I traveled. You’d think I would anyway since I had been working for one the last few years.
The feel of something warm lightly blew on the back of my neck, and I wanted to sigh like a contented cat. Was the heater blowing on me?
A sense of complete warmth surrounded me—but when I went to move and stretch out my legs, I instantly froze. I slowly opened my eyes and concentrated on what was up against me.
Roger. My back was against him. No, not just against him, tucked next to him with his arm draped over my side.
Oh. My. God. We’re spooning.
How in the hell did that happen? Where was my buffer pillow? And was he…?
I slowly pressed my ass backward and felt the hard length of his ridge against me. I paused again as I held my breath. Oh, he is big.
Shit, it’s getting hot in here.
Slow, steady breathing came from behind me, and I relaxed some. Roger was still asleep.
Think, Anna, think. How are you going to slip out from his hold? And do you even want to slip out of it, or would it be better to simply pretend to be asleep and let him continue to hold you? It had been so long since a man held me close. So long since I had felt such warmth. And his dick…my God…how wonderful would it be…?
No! No! No! Stop this thinking at once, Annalise Margaret Michaels! No sexy time with the grumpy, hot stranger. You don’t even know him.
I paused in my mental chastising. Okay, but how bad would it be to simply lie here and let him hold me? No harm, no foul.
I froze when Roger moaned and pushed his hips against mine, causing his dick to press into my ass. I bit back a moan of my own and remained as still as I could.
Breathe. Breathe, you fool!
One slow and steady breath in.
Then out. Repeat.
Roger moved again, then paused. He was awake. His body went rigid when he realized we were spooning.
“Shit,” he whispered as I stayed focused on breathing in and out. I decided to pretend I was still asleep to keep either of us from having to face this awkward moment.
Roger slowly lifted his arm off me, then carefully rolled onto his back. Was it my imagination, or was he suddenly breathing heavier?
I felt the bed slowly move as he got out. It sounded like he grabbed his bag before he tiptoed into the bathroom and softly shut the door. The moment I heard the click, I let out a very quiet sigh and buried my face in the pillow.
His dick had been right up against me. His arm around me. His hard, firm chest pressed against my back. I groaned into the pillow as I felt an ache grow between my legs.
Damn him! Damn this Roger Carter for being one of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen. Damn him for spooning me and getting me all hot and bothered.
The shower turned on, and I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. “I need to find another hotel,” I whispered. I sat up and noticed I was in the middle of the bed. My so-called safety pillow was nowhere to be found. One of us had most likely tossed it out of the bed last night.
“Who spooned who?” I mused as I reached over to the side table and grabbed my phone. Goodness, it was nine in the morning. I had one missed text from my mother.
Mom: Darling, you never sent a text when you got to the hotel. Did you find a room? Please tell me you found a room and you’re safe.
Ha! How did one inform their mother that they did indeed find a room, but with a hot-as-hell naked guy who was now in the shower only a few feet away? For all I knew, he was a serial killer.
Me: Hey, Mom! Sorry I didn’t text, but by the time I got to the hotel and sorted out a problem with the room, it was well past two in the morning. Looks like I’ll be stuck in Chicago for a few days. All flights out of O’Hare are canceled. It’s a pretty wicked storm.
If I knew my mother, she would either be carrying her phone with her like it was glued to her hand, or she’d left it somewhere and it would take her the whole day to find it. Since she had been waiting on a text from me, I was going with her having it on her. Sure enough, her reply came through almost instantly.
Mom: So glad you’re in a hotel! What was the problem with the room?
Me: I’ll call later and explain. Give Daddy a big hug and kiss for me. Love you!
Mom: Will do! Love you back, sweetheart!
I opened my email and quickly skimmed my inbox. I had informed my new boss I was stuck up north because of the weather and wouldn’t be making it there for at least a day, most likely two. This wasn’t how I wanted to start the next chapter of my life, but what was a girl to do? Couldn’t control the weather.
Sure enough, there was a message from her.
Subject: RE: Stuck in the snow
Dear Annalise,
Please don’t worry about it. It sounds like all of the north is getting packed with storms. Don’t stress and we will see you when we see you!
The sound of the shower turning off had me placing my phone on the side table and scrambling back under the sheets. The last thing I wanted to do was face Roger. Not after his junk was nearly all up in my trunk.
I closed my eyes at the sound of the door slowly opening. I could hear Roger moving quietly through the room. He walked back over to his side of the bed and put his bag down. A few seconds later, the door to the room opened and then clicked shut.
I threw the sheet down and exhaled. “Two days. I cannot be stuck in this hotel room with that man for two days.”
Deciding to get up and get dressed so I could hit the gym after a quick stop by the front desk, I threw on some different yoga pants and a Dry-Fit shirt. I walked into the bathroom and noticed that Roger had put his toiletries to one side, and neatly moved mine to the other. You could tell a lot about a man by what he used for his bathroom routine.
He had an electric toothbrush. Used Colgate peppermint toothpaste—gross, Crest-lover here—and floss. Oh, nice. We had a man who took care of his teeth. Come to think of it, when he had smiled, it had looked like an awfully nice one.
I shook my head and kept snooping. Speed Stick deodorant and a black bag that I was guessing held his shaving items. Had he shaved? No, he wouldn’t have had time to shave. Lord, how I loved a man with a five o’clock shadow.
What made me smile, though, was the way all his items were neatly pressed to the other side of the bathroom sink. I had unpacked mine last night and had left everything all over the sink. He could have been a jerk and pushed mine to the side in a pile, but he hadn’t. Why did that make my stomach flutter?
“Oh, for the love, Anna. It’s been too long since you’ve been with a guy.”
After I brushed my teeth and exchanged my pigtails for a ponytail, I headed to the front desk. It was my lucky morning because Heidi was gone. A younger man stood behind the counter, and when he saw me, he grinned.
“Good morning. How may I help you?”
“Yes, I’m in room sixteen thirty-three, and it was double-booked. I was wondering if…”
He shook his head, and I stopped talking. Clearly, he already knew the situation. “Ms. Michaels, I’m so sorry. Mr. Carter was here only minutes ago. I’m sorry to say we still have no available hotel rooms, and with the way this storm is continuing, I doubt we will. I’ve called to a few of our sister hotels to see if I might be able to find a room, and I haven’t had any luck yet.”
I sighed. “Well, it was worth a shot. Do you think you could keep checking?”
“I’ve already made a note of it and put it in our daily pass-down so that the next person on shift will be on the lookout as well.”
Smiling, I said, “Thank you so much—” I glanced at his nametag—“Hunter. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure, Ms. Michaels.”
With that a bust, I headed back to the elevator and to the gym, which was on the third floor. The entire time I walked down the hall, I tried to think of a solution to the sleeping problem. Maybe they had a rollaway bed I could ask for.
Shit! Why hadn’t I thought of that last night?
Pushing open the door to the gym, I saw a man about my age running on one of the two treadmills. There were two elliptical machines and two stationary bikes as well. I walked over to the other treadmill and stepped on. I hit the buttons and started a nice, fast walk to warm up before my run.
When I glanced up and looked into the mirrored wall, I tripped over my own freaking feet.
“Roger,” I whispered, taking in the sight of him lifting weights. He had on headphones, and his eyes were shut while he concentrated on doing bicep curls. My tongue instantly went to my lips to moisten them.
The man was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt that said, “Born and Raised Cowboy.” I knew I’d heard a hint of southern in that accent.
It looked like the damn shirt was painted on him, it fit so snugly.
“Right? He’s hot, isn’t he?”
My head snapped to the right to find a girl on one of the elliptical machines. She was also watching Roger work out in the mirror. Her dark hair was up in a ponytail, and she looked close to my age, maybe a few years younger. For sure in her late twenties.
“When he started working out, my best friend was running on the treadmill and missed a step. She went flying off the damn thing, and he touched her!”
I screwed up my face in confusion. “He…touched her?”
She laughed. “Not like that. He ran over and helped her up. Asked if she was okay and all of that. I swear the little bitch did it on purpose. Although, she did have to go back up to the room because her elbow was cut open and bleeding.”
Gasping, I asked, “Is she okay?”
Elliptical Girl shrugged. “No clue. I told her she was on her own. No way I was leaving this front-row seat. You should see when he does one-legged squats. He has an ass that you could bounce a quar
ter off of.”
I shook my head as I kept walking. “Wait, your friend got hurt, and you stayed here just to watch Roger?”
Her eyes snapped from the mirror to me. “Oh, my God. Like, is he your man? I’m so sorry! He’s just so…handsome isn’t even the word. He’s so pretty, hot, built, fine…I could go on.”
I laughed.
“You’re so lucky. He’s a gentleman. He helped Lynn and asked if she needed him to go get help. You look good together. With you looking like Cinderella and all, and him…Prince Charming.”
I rolled my eyes. Good Lord, this man had a powerful effect on women, that was for sure. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
She nodded. “Husband then. Lucky bitch,” she whispered.
Before I had a chance to correct her, I heard my name.
“Annalise, princess. What are you doing here?”
I turned and looked in the mirror to see Roger walking up. Elliptical Girl had to slow down, probably for her own safety.
“Roger,” I replied with a smug smile. “I’m about to run a few miles.”
The guy on the treadmill next to me had just slowed down and gotten off. Roger glanced at the now empty machine, then back to me.
“A run, huh? How about a little friendly competition?”
I lifted a brow. I loved a good challenge. Widening my smile into a full-on grin, I asked, “What did you have in mind?”
Roger
SHE WASN’T JUST beautiful. She was fucking thrilling as hell. The way she lit up when I issued a challenge… It was nice to meet a woman who wasn’t afraid to spar back with me. Something told me Annalise Michaels liked to win at everything.
Giving her a quick once-over, I had to concentrate on not going hard just from the sight of her. “First person to stop running loses.”
“Oh, this is going to be good,” the girl on the elliptical said.
Not even bothering to look at her, I said, “Put your bets in, folks.”
Annalise laughed but quickly stopped when the guy who had vacated the treadmill called out, “I’ve got ten on the girl giving up first.”
“I’ll take that bet!” Elliptical Girl said, coming to a stop and walking over to the guy.
Fated Hearts Page 2
