The only sound he’d made were his footsteps in the snow, but he understood.
This was where she worked. Of course, they would discourage employees from going up to the guests’ rooms. “Is there a back door?”
She stopped walking for a moment and shook her head with horrified eyes. “We have to walk past the front desk.”
Elliot thought for a moment and then reached out and flipped her hood over her head. His hands somehow settled on the sides of her face and he just stood there, lost in her eyes.
She gazed at him openly, every emotion revealed for him to see. Right now, she trusted him. Enough to show that she wanted him. “You have the most expressive eyes.” And the softest skin. The most inviting lips and…
He leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers. He couldn’t help himself. It was like she was crying out to him to touch her, to taste her.
He couldn’t resist. Why would he?
When he released her lips, he pulled back less than an inch and noticed a snowflake caught on one of her eyelashes. He captured it with another kiss.
She swayed and their lips met again.
This time her arms wrapped around his waist. Her lips opened beneath his. Running his tongue along her teeth, he couldn’t help but think of pearls –– sharp little pearls. And the soft flesh behind her lips –– so warm, tender…sensitive.
No minty spray, no gum… and yet she tasted sweeter than the finest brandy. There was something so damn genuine about her.
He’d imagined touching her, all damn night, over and over… but the real thing sort of blew his mind. She fit against him perfectly. He pressed his erection into her belly.
She moaned.
Shit, shit, shit. She was on pain meds! He couldn’t do anything with her tonight. What kind of person would that make him?
She sighed sadly when he pulled away.
“You need to get some sleep,” he whispered. Which was true. Probably truer than he knew.
From the sounds of it she’d needed a vacation for about ten years now.
“Ummm…” She snuggled against him. “That sound’s wonderful.”
Elliot swooped her into his arms for the second time that night, and carried her across the parking lot. As he neared the doors, they automatically swooshed open.
A clerk glanced over at him with questioning eyes. “Just married.” Elliot told him as the elevator arrived.
Chapter Four
She had no idea where she was. She felt a little fuzzy, and then the pain on her chest brought the previous night’s events rushing back.
Work! The hotel! Elliot!
Oh my god!
Not only was she in Elliot’s room, she was in his bed, tucked up beside him.
It was still dark outside. Well –– not dark exactly –– outside the window, falling snowflakes reflected the moonlight.
She must not have slept long.
She knew nothing happened. She still had on the hospital gown and although Elliot had removed his shirt, he still wore his pants.
Her hands drifted down his chest to settle on well-defined abs. Butterflies within her own tummy fluttered in awe.
He was a fricking knight in shining armor.
Way too good to be true. If she gave herself half a chance, she’d fall hook line and sinker, and then, inevitably, he’d cut bait. He was every girl’s heartache.
But, oh, how sweet it had been to let him take care of her last night.
And kiss her.
And cuddle her.
And kiss her some more.
Removing her hands from his warm skin, Noel rolled away and slid off the bed. Quiet as can be, she located her shoes and jacket. Her stealth amazed even her.
The keys to the bar were still in her front pocket. She needed to get down there, drop the till in the safe, get her phone and then get out of the damn hotel. Sleeping in a guest’s room was a fireable offense. God, if she lost this job…
Hopefully the bar wasn’t in too bad of shambles. Hopefully Lisa and Rory had at least mopped the floor and wiped down the counters.
Crouching by the bed, she allowed herself one last peep at Elliot.
That same strand of hair had fallen across his eyes and she resisted the urge to push it back. She also resisted the urge to kiss him goodbye. He really was too good to be true.
She chastised herself for being sentimental and then, regretfully, snuck out of the room.
* * *
She’d been lucky.
Nobody had been at the desk when she crept out of the elevator and she was able to tidy up the bar, drop the cash in the safe, and then slip out through the employee entrance in back.
She’d forgotten about the storm. Nearly six inches of powdery crystals had accumulated on her car. Cleaning the snow off her windshield left her stitches hurting more than she wanted to admit. To top that off, her drive home took twice as long as normal. By the time she arrived at the little trailer she and Carley shared, the snow had stopped falling and the sun glowed just above the horizon.
She wished she could have lounged in Elliot’s bed all day long. Except it might have been weird. He could easily have felt awkward with her there, embarrassed for her neediness the night before.
Regardless, every part of her body ached and despite needing the money, there was no way she was up to cleaning condos today. Not if she was going to make it to the bar for her shift at four.
She texted her boss at the cleaning service, wrote a note for Carley, set her alarm and fell into bed.
She thought she would have fallen asleep right away, but her brain refused to turn off.
Instead, the previous night’s events taunted her.
Elliot carrying her across parking lots. Elliot holding her hand while the doctor stitched her up … Elliot kissing her neck when they’d entered his room … Elliot. Elliot. Elliot.
No, she shouldn’t think about him. She shouldn’t imagine how great it would be to get to know him better. He was a guest. Here one day, gone the next. It took all her will to push him from her thoughts.
Only after worrying about her job, the fact that a hotel guest had paid her ER bill, and feeling guilty about leaving Carly so long, did she manage to drift off.
And no sooner, it seemed, had she fallen asleep then the alarm went off.
She would have slept longer if she could. Crazy how a few tiny little stitches had left her feeling like she’d been hit by a Mack truck. Unfortunately, it was time to get dressed and drive back to the hotel.
And although she knew not to take guests seriously, she couldn’t stop herself from being excited to see Elliot again.
If he came in.
If he was even still at the hotel.
She hadn’t asked him how long he was staying although he had finally told her why he was here. He’d told her about his sister, Ellen, being in rehab. He’d been worried he wasn’t enough for her. Didn’t he realize how wonderful it was that he’d taken time out of his life to come when Ellen needed him?
Oh, hell, he really was some kind of knight in shining armor.
What if he didn’t come into the bar tonight?
What if he did?
She couldn’t think about him. She shouldn’t think about him. She needed to do her job and move on with life as though nothing had happened. Likely that was what he was going to do.
Men in hotels wanted one thing. She’d learned this the hard way. When she’d first taken the job as a server at the Mountain Top Resort, she’d let one of the guests talk her into a date. He’d wooed her, made her feel like she was special. She’d believed he cared for her. It had been incredibly romantic, with him taking her to the best restaurants in town on her nights off, sending her flowers, and finally, asking her up to his room.
She’d broken the rules back then too. She’d given in the last night he was in town.
And then never heard from him again.
He hadn’t even given her his real name, because when he’d left without s
aying goodbye, she’d looked up the guest register. His room had been reserved under an entirely different name.
When Noel realized that he might have even been married, she’d thrown up.
But that hadn’t made the hurt go away.
No, she’d learned the hard way not to take male guests seriously.
Which was why her inability to stop thinking about Elliot bothered her so much.
“Hey.” Rory walked into the small bar area and hung his coat on a row of hooks. “Good to see you today. A text would have been nice. Lisa and I weren’t sure if you were coming back or not, so we just locked up.” Rory was usually a pretty sweet guy. He was cute. Had asked her out a few times when he started working there, but it hadn’t taken long to realize he was worse than most of their guests.
Ski instructor during the days, waited tables at night. He told her he was gonna guide raft trips this summer. Most of the women he ended up with didn’t seem much better though. She no longer felt sorry for them.
“Forgot my phone. Thanks for taking over. Just a few stitches but it took a while, and then the roads were bad.” Rory looked concerned for all of five seconds.
“Hey, great, so would you mind covering for me if I got out of here a little early tonight. Close up my section?” Ah, so there were strings …
“No problem, Rory. Just make sure to do all your other side work before you go.” It was going to be a late night. She was already tired.
An older man, she’d waited on him before, strolled up to the bar and took a seat. “Hey little lady. How ‘bout getting a drink over here?” He was one who made her skin crawl.
Noel smiled and laughed. “Sure thing Mr. Watkins, Pendleton double, on the rocks?”
“You know me so well.” He winked and grabbed a handful of the snack mix left around the bar in little cups. Noel felt his eyes on her as she filled the glass with ice and then poured his drink.
He was stuffing another handful of the mix into his mouth as she sat the drink in front of him. “Did you want anything to eat yet?”
He chuckled through his mouthful of food. “I’m looking at what I’d like to eat.” He leered and then laughed again. Noel wanted to tell him to go to hell. He’d gotten inappropriate with her a few times before.
But he tipped outrageously. If she could handle a few insulting comments…
God, she was getting too old for this.
Or something.
“You forgot your prescriptions, Noel.” Her heart jumped.
It was Elliot. Standing at the other end of the bar, he placed a stapled white paper bag on the bar top. He wasn’t looking at her though. He was glaring at Mr. Watkins.
* * *
The jerk was two words from getting his face pounded. Elliot couldn’t believe what the ass hat had said to Noel. And then had the audacity to laugh at his own bad behavior.
No wonder she’d acquired such a brittle smile.
And then she turned her gaze on Elliot.
And gave him the real thing.
Like a punch to the gut, he wanted to sweep her into his arms again. Carry her out of this place and make sure she never had to deal with bastards like that again.
Which was ridiculous, really. He barely knew her.
But that hadn’t stopped him from feeling disappointed to find her gone when he’d woken up this morning.
No note. No ‘Thank You, Ell-ee-ot.’
But here she was now.
And he had one more night in town.
“My prescription?” She glanced questioningly at the bag. “Oh, the antibiotics.”
Along with that natural, welcoming smile she’d sent him, she had a look of uncertainty about her. If she’d come out from behind the bar, he’d clear that up as well.
She grabbed the bag and shoved it under the counter. When she faced him again, her smile wasn’t quite the same. Her shield was going up. “How’s your sister today?”
Ellen hated it here. “She wants to go to another facility, one she’s been to before in Upstate New York.” He’d promised he’d take her back tomorrow. He’d chartered a flight for them and it was scheduled to leave at 3 p.m.
Somehow he couldn’t tell Noel. He wanted more time with her. If she knew he was leaving so soon, she’d likely freeze him out completely.
One night. He needed one more night with her.
“You off at midnight?” He kind of hated how he sounded. But wasn’t this what he’d had in mind all along?
Noel stilled. She was thinking. He wanted to have sex with her. Did she want it too?
“Yeah, maybe a little after.” She was close enough now so that he could reach out and grab her hand. She didn’t pull away. His fingers massaged the tender skin of her wrist.
“I’ll wait up for you?”
She met his eyes and nodded slowly.
If he didn’t know better he’d think he was all of seventeen and the head cheerleader had just told him he could take her to the prom. Yeah, he was excited to get her alone in his room.
This time without the Vicodin.
She’d tempted him last night. God, how she’d tempted him.
He’d barely closed the door when she placed her hands on his shoulders and began trailing little kisses down his chest. With his own lips exploring her neck, he steered her toward the bed and they’d fallen onto it together.
While kissing her in the parking lot, he’d been hard. By the time they’d dropped onto the bed, he’d barely been able to keep his pants on. She’d moaned and gasped and melted beneath his touch, allowing his hands to explore unheeded. And as he caressed, and squeezed, he learned something he ought to have known already.
This was what a woman should feel like. Soft, curvy, luxurious.
If he hadn’t kept running across her bandages, he might have forgotten her less then coherent state.
But tonight, well, tonight, he would touch every inch, hell he’d taste every inch of her. He wanted to bury himself inside of her a thousand different ways.
He glanced at his phone. It was barely five o’clock. Seven hours. He had to wait seven fucking hours.
He’d hit the work out room and then maybe have some dinner.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Five
How could she say no?
It wasn’t a good idea. She’d suffer for it later. Because despite knowing ahead of time that it was a one night thing, there was no way she’d be able to keep her heart from getting involved.
But those eyes. And his voice.
And he’d bought her prescription for her!
She couldn’t do it.
She couldn’t say no.
And she still had – glancing at the clock above the door – damn – seven hours to wait!
At least she’d shaved her legs in the shower this afternoon, something she didn’t always do during the winter. It wasn’t like anybody would know.
But she’d shaved today.
And she’d used the expensive lotion Carly had given her for Christmas. She only hoped she didn’t smell like whiskey and beer by the end of the night.
Seven.
Hours.
ARGH!
She tried keeping her eyes off the clock. It was the only way she’d survive.
Because, dang, her lady parts, which had begun slow dancing last night, were lined up and ready to do the Cha Cha Slide today.
Was she really going to do this? She began to waiver as each hour passed. By the time she was locking up the bar, she had reconsidered her decision about a thousand times.
It was a little after midnight. Maybe he wasn’t even awake. Maybe she’d knock on the door and he’d come to the door all groggy and send her away.
Maybe he’d gotten tired of waiting and gone out to one of the local night clubs.
He was too good-looking for her.
Too rich.
Too sweet.
Noel hovered in the foyer by the lobby for a full minute before taking a deep breath and slip
ping into one of the elevators.
She had no problem remembering his room number. It was something she’d burned into her memory this morning when she’d closed the door on her way out.
The elevator doors opened on the fifth floor and she froze.
After about thirty seconds they closed. She hit the “five” button again and they swooshed open. Noel wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
The doors swooshed closed again.
Stepping from one foot to the other she hit the five button one more time.
This time she stepped out of the elevator into the silent hallway.
If she went to his room, what kind of woman did this make her? She barely knew him.
And then she remembered last night. How he’d kept telling her that he couldn’t take advantage of her when she’d taken a pain killer. And she’d just been in the ER.
But he’d wanted to.
And god knows, she’d been willing. A little high, for sure, but she’d known what she was doing.
She tiptoed down the hallway to room 511. And then knocked. If he didn’t answer the door right away then –
The door swung open and all doubt evaporated when he peered at her with those incredible dark eyes of his. The foyer light reflected off his black hair and he looked to be freshly shaven.
He’d shaved for her? A little smile tipped up the corners of his mouth. “I was beginning to think you were gonna stand me up.”
Mesmerized by the wonderfulness that was Elliot Stanton, she dumbly shook her head side to side. He pulled the door open and stepped back so she could enter. The top buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, but the tail was still tucked into his black dress pants. He wasn’t wearing any shoes though, just socks. And he smelled so good. He’d showered and shaved and put on more of that delicious cologne.
For her.
A lamp glowed by one of the beds and the drapes were opened wide. Not much had changed since she’d been here last night, well this morning.
Covet the Curves: a Romance Collections Anthology Page 40
