But there he was. All six foot three inches of glorious man holding two white ceramic mugs. I loved The Eloise Inn, but they really needed to look into in-room coffee.
“Thought you might want this.” He held out a mug.
What I wanted was to roll back time. Well, not completely. I didn’t want to forget kissing Austin.
“Thank you.” I took the mug as his gaze tracked down my body. My very naked body covered only with a white bath sheet.
The right thing to do would be to get dressed and talk about this far, far away from the bed that seemed to get bigger every time the two of us were in this room together. Instead, I dropped my chin and swallowed the lump in my throat.
“About last night—” I said at the same time Austin said, “I’m sorry I kissed you.”
I blinked and my eyes whipped up to his. “What?”
“I’m sorry I kissed you.” He didn’t look sorry. There was a small smile on his mouth, and Austin never smiled at me. Never. Except he had last night, like he was right now. Those brown eyes were darker than normal. He didn’t seem at all uncomfortable or upset to find me freshly showered and wearing a towel.
“You kissed me? I thought I kissed you.”
“No.”
“But I kissed you back.”
“You did.”
What the hell was happening? I was never drinking again. Clearly, some women were born capable of rational thought after two nights of drinking. Not me.
Austin stood across from me, his eyes flickering between my eyes and my mouth.
“Why?” I whispered. “Why did you kiss me?”
He turned and set his mug on the nightstand, then crossed the room. He didn’t touch me but he stood close, only inches away. “You said yesterday that I didn’t like you. But that’s not true. I like you. I’ve always liked you. And I guess, I just . . . I let my guard down. I’m sorry.”
My jaw dropped. “Sorry?”
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable?” I sounded like a parrot. A hungover parrot.
He nodded. “It was unprofessional.”
“Unprofessional?”
“You’re my client, Cleo.”
“But you wanted to kiss me.”
“Yes.”
Austin had wanted to kiss me. Well, what the actual fuck did I do with this information?
My head was seconds away from exploding, like the time I’d dropped a sack of flour in the bakery and the entire thing had gone up in a white puff.
Okay, so I hadn’t made a move on Austin. He’d been the one to initiate the kiss. My brain began to reengage and details from last night cleared through the wine fog. Austin had touched my face. He’d cupped my cheek. He’d been the one to lean in.
And here he was, apologizing for it. Regretting it.
“Let’s forget it ever happened.” I set my coffee mug on the TV stand and bent to open a drawer for some clothes. I balled up a pair of panties in my fist and hid my bra in a tee, then took out a pair of jeans.
“Cleo . . .” Austin sighed as I stood, my clothes clutched to my chest.
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Please, Austin. Don’t. I feel embarrassed enough as it is. I don’t want you to feel guilty.” I gave him a small smile, ready to run and spend Christmas Day locked in the hotel bathroom. But he stopped me with his next sentence.
“I don’t feel guilty.”
“Huh?” My mouth fell open. “You don’t?”
“I will never feel guilty for kissing you.”
I blinked. If I was confused, at least the tortured look on his face made me feel like I wasn’t the only one struggling to make sense of this. “I don’t understand.”
“Me neither,” he muttered, running a hand over his jaw. “Look, I like you.”
“You said that already.”
Austin stepped forward, closing the distance I’d put between us. “I know I’m not your favorite person and that I’ve been an asshole at times—most of the time—but I can’t pretend anymore. I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you. Truly sorry. You didn’t deserve it. I’m not proud of it.”
Poof. My brain went poof.
“I like you, Cleo.”
This had to be a dream because if Austin liked me liked me, I’d melt into a puddle. Good thing I was wearing this towel to sop it up.
“I’m sorry I kissed you.” He lifted his hand and cupped my cheek, like he had last night. The zing of electricity stole the air in my lungs and I leaned into his touch.
“I’m not,” I whispered.
“No?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“Do you hate me?”
“Some days,” I admitted.
That earned me a full-blown smile, straight white teeth and all. Puddle status was imminent.
“What is happening?”
Austin’s gaze dropped to my lips. “I’m kissing you again.”
“Oh,” I breathed as his whisper caressed my cheek.
Then his mouth was there, hovering over mine before he dropped a kiss to the corner of my mouth. Then another. And another. He peppered my lips with kisses until I leaned in and the clothes in my arms dropped to my bare feet.
Austin’s arms wrapped around me and he crushed me to his body. The gentle kisses were gone and he smashed his lips on mine. I opened, letting his tongue sweep inside. His taste exploded on my tongue and I moaned, wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders to hold him tight.
Holy fucking shit, Austin was kissing me. And my God, he was good at it. My legs trembled and I tightened my grip on his shoulders before my knees could give way.
Austin tore his mouth away and dropped his forehead to mine. “What do you want?”
“You. I’ve always wanted you.”
He leaned back, his eyebrows coming together. “You have?”
“Come on.” I giggled. “You have to know that I’ve had a crush on you since the day my father brought you into Crumbs.”
“You had a smudge of chocolate on your cheek and your fingers were purple.”
I’d been making blueberry pastries that day and the moment Austin had walked through the door, I’d chastised myself for not wearing gloves. I’d been so embarrassed that he’d seen me with purple fingers. “You were so gruff. You said five words to me.”
Hi. Good to meet you.
“One look at you and I was tongue-tied. I wished I had come to the bakery before taking the job with your dad. I wished I had met you first.”
I sighed, my heart squeezing. “If my father finds out, you’ll lose your job.”
“I will.”
I unwound my arms from his neck and expected him to put me down, but his hold only got stronger and he lifted me, my toes dangling above the carpet. His eyes searched mine, waiting for me to decide.
Because that look of confidence, of complete surety, told me that Austin had already decided. He didn’t care if he lost this job.
If all we had was this trip, then I didn’t want to think about what happened tomorrow. I wanted to be with Austin. Just this once.
“Kiss me anyway.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. Austin crushed his lips to mine and the heat in the room spiked. In only a towel, I was burning up and so desperate to feel his skin against mine, I yanked and tugged at his shirt.
His tongue plundered my mouth, leaving no corner untouched. His fingertips dug into the curves of my hips as he turned us and walked us to the bed.
“Damn, Cleo, how I want you.” He tore his mouth from mine and dropped it to my neck, trailing wet kisses along my skin.
“Yes.” My fingers dove into his dark hair and I threaded them through the strands.
He growled against my skin, then dropped me to the edge of the bed.
I stared up as he reached behind his head and yanked off his shirt. Oh my abs. Was this the reason he didn’t eat baked goods? Because a six-pack was a good one. I’d forgive
him for every missed bite of my food if he just let me run my hands over his washboard stomach.
My mouth watered and I reached for the button of his jeans only to have my hand swatted away.
“Not yet.” He dropped his gaze to the front of my towel.
I lifted a hand to undo the tuck in the terry cloth only to have my hand swatted again. “What was that for?”
“It’s rude to unwrap someone else’s gift.”
And there it was—the puddle. It pooled between my legs.
Austin took my hand and pulled me to my feet. His finger trailed across the bare line of my shoulder, causing a shiver to race down my spine. That same finger skimmed my collarbone before dipping into the hollow of my throat. He moved slowly, taking each inch deliberately, until I was panting beneath his touch.
“Austin.”
His focus was entirely on his finger as it finally reached the line of the towel. Then with a flick of his wrist, it was gone, forgotten at my feet.
I held my gaze on the hard plain of his chest, taking in the dusting of hair on his pecs. I studied the contoured muscles of his arms and how the ropes of his biceps and triceps wrapped around one another, all while he studied my body with the same intensity.
His eyes traced every curve of my breasts and the swell of my hips. They dropped to the apex of my thighs. When I dared look up, there was so much appreciation and lust in his gaze, it stole my breath.
Austin lifted a hand to cup one of my breasts as he shuffled closer, the heat from his chest hitting mine. He rolled my nipple between his fingers, and his eyes never stopped wandering, leaving tingling trails on my skin.
“My turn.” I reached between us for the waistband of his jeans. He didn’t stop me as I opened the button and dragged the zipper over his straining arousal.
I ran my palm along his length, pressing hard as his erection filled my hand. He was long and thick and perfect. An ache bloomed in my core, the throb of desire matching my thundering heartbeats.
Austin hooked his finger under my chin and turned up my mouth, claiming it with his own as he laid me on the bed. Then he pulled away to strip, returning to me with a ferocity I’d never felt before.
He wanted me. I felt it in the swipe of his tongue and the firm grip of his hands. He wanted me, only me.
I’d been blind to it before, but as he kissed and sucked and licked, it all became clear. The insults. The critiques. The dismissals. He’d used them all as tools to keep me away.
With an arm around my back, Austin hoisted me deeper into the plush bed. His weight pressed me into the mattress and when I spread my legs, he relaxed into the cradle of my hips, never once breaking our kiss.
My hands roamed over the hard lines of his back, my short nails digging into the solid muscle of his body.
Every lick of his tongue and nip of his teeth made the ache in my core spike. “Austin.”
He reached between us to fist his shaft but stopped. “Fuck. No condom.”
“I don’t care.”
“Are you—”
I nodded and arched my hips. “Please.”
I’d been on the pill since high school and I hadn’t been with a man since college. Dating over the past four years had been nearly impossible. It was hard to date when you were infatuated with your bodyguard.
Austin dragged the tip of his cock through my folds. “God, you’re wet.”
“For you.” Always for him.
He rocked inside, slowly, back and forth until he slid inside, filling and stretching me.
“Austin,” I moaned, my throat arching up in a surge of pleasure.
“Christ, you feel good.” He dropped a string of kisses down my chest until he reached the curve of my breast. Then he took a nipple in his hot mouth, biting on the hard nub, and I cried out his name again. The mix of pleasure and pain sent a rush through my veins.
Austin eased out before pumping inside again, the sound of his hips slamming into mine echoing through the room along with my whimpers.
His rhythm started slowly, deliberately, until he was moving in a motion that would definitely clue the room next door into exactly what we were doing.
Fucking. I was fucking Austin Myles. Oh, yes, I was screwing Austin and damn, but it was good. So, so good. I’d scream it from the hotel roof if they’d let me.
He was mine. For today, he was mine. And it felt so right that I closed my eyes and let the pleasure build into a blinding light. The root of his cock dragged against my clit with every thrust. He hit the spot inside that drove me wild until I was shaking, writhing beneath him.
“I’m—” I didn’t get a chance to warn him. I shattered, pulsing around him as I moaned through the hardest and longest orgasm of my life.
The white spots in my vision cleared just in time to let me see the restraint on Austin’s face break, and with a groan, he let go, pouring hot inside me until he collapsed onto the bed.
Our slick bodies clung to one another and I burrowed my face into his neck, savoring his scent and memorizing the weight of his body on mine.
He’d ruined me. Devastated. No one would ever compare and silly me, I hoped I wouldn’t have to find out.
When we’d both regained our breaths, he slid free and eased off the bed. “I’ll get a washcloth.”
“It’s okay.” I pushed myself up to shaking feet. I shuffled past Austin, needing a minute alone to process everything that had just happened, so I shut myself in the bathroom and braved the mirror.
My hair had fallen out of its tie and was hanging loose and damp over my shoulders. My lips were red and puffy. And there was something in my eyes, something I hadn’t noticed before today.
Love.
I was in love with Austin.
How would I ever pretend like this hadn’t happened?
That was tomorrow’s worry. I wasn’t letting it wreck what we had today, so I cleaned myself up and returned to the bedroom.
Austin was beneath the covers, one strong arm behind his head. The other open and waiting.
I didn’t speak as I slipped beneath the covers and curled into his side. His free arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me closer. Then I closed my eyes and let the rhythm of his heartbeat seep into my soul. “Merry Christmas.”
He kissed my hair and pulled me tighter into his embrace. “Merry Christmas.”
Chapter 9
Austin
“Where are you going?” I tightened my hold on Cleo before she could escape the bed.
“I didn’t think you were awake.”
My eyes were closed, but I’d been awake for hours, savoring the feel of her in my arms and the caress of her hair as it draped across my skin. “I’m not.”
“Go back to sleep.” Her giggle tickled my chest. “I’m going to find us some lunch.”
“Don’t go.” I wrapped both arms around her, holding her close. “Not yet.”
“We’ll have to leave this bed at some point.”
She was right. Eventually we’d have to face reality. But at the moment, I didn’t give a damn about anything except her naked breasts against my ribs and her legs tangled with mine. “Let’s just order room service. In ten minutes.”
“Okay.” She nodded and snuggled deeper.
Being with Cleo . . . there weren’t words to describe how well two people fit together. Never in my life had there been a woman like her and never would there be another. She’d destroyed me. She’d changed the path of my life. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do but giving her up wasn’t an option.
“What are we going to do?” she asked, plucking the thought from my head.
“We’ll figure it out. Just know this. Now that I’ve had you in my arms, I’m not letting you go.”
Cleo shifted and propped up on an elbow. “Austin, what’s happening here?”
I lifted a hand to tuck a lock of her hair away from her eye. “Damn, you are beautiful.”
Her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkled in the light streaming through the
window. Her skin was so smooth and creamy. I bent to kiss the freckle on her collarbone.
She tapped me on the shoulder. “Are you going to answer my question?”
I chuckled, leaning back. There was a crease between her eyebrows, her face etched in worry. “Do you think there are any of your muffins from yesterday in the kitchen? I’d kill for one right now. Or a scone. Or anything that you made yesterday.”
She blinked, worry morphing to confusion. “But you hate my food.”
“I love your food.”
“No, you don’t.” She frowned. “Don’t pretend to like it just because you’ve seen me naked.”
I laughed again, thinking of all the times I’d swallowed a chuckle when she was around. Cleo was one of the funniest, wittiest people in the world, but like her food, I hadn’t let myself enjoy her humor.
Shifting, I sat up and leaned against the headboard, my legs stretched down the length of the bed as she sat up to look at me, bringing the sheet with her.
“My favorite is your chocolate cupcakes,” I said. “The plain ones, not the ones with the peanut butter filling. Though those are amazing too, the simple chocolate is my favorite. You gave Blake a box for his birthday and I’ve never been more jealous.”
“Is this a joke?”
“No. I want them for my birthday this year.”
“Really?”
“Really.” I nodded. “They’re the best thing I’ve had in my mouth. Except you, baby.”
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Okay.”
“My next favorite are your muffins. Any kind. Though the morning muffin with the carrots and raisins might be tied for top spot with the blueberry.”
Her eyes softened. “I’ve never seen you eat the morning muffin.”
“I have.”
“When?”
I shrugged. “Whenever you sent stuff with the guys on duty. But I don’t let myself eat much of anything you bake.”
“Why?”
“Because it would give too much away. I worried that if I showed how much I loved your food, everyone would see.”
“See what?”
“That I’m in love with you.”
Her breath hitched. “Austin.”
“I love you, Cleo.” Saying the words loosened something in my chest. Something that I’d been holding in for far too long. “I’ve been in love with you since the day I walked into the bakery and spotted you, covered in flour and blueberry stains on your fingers.”
'Tis the Season for Romance Page 34
