She gave him a brave smile as she pulled back. The weary look faded as she looked to Claire and smiled in earnest. “You must be Claire. I’m so glad to finally meet you.”
Claire sighed and nodded. “Likewise. Your flight was okay?”
“Interesting, anyway. I think I was the last flight in before they canceled the rest for the night.”
Ryder stood back and watched. Grady looked over at him and tried to read his expression. Raising an eyebrow, he silently asked what he was thinking. With a mysterious smile, he shook his head and mouthed,Later.
Cheeks flushed with a brilliant gleam, Hattie seemed completely content as she said, “Come on in. Claire, Grady, you two go upstairs and freshen up. I’ll bring up some coffee. It’s nearly ten, have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
“Well. I’ll bring something to your rooms...?” She grinned expectantly.
“To the blue room,” he answered.
Beaming, she disappeared inside. Haley followed behind, flashing him one final look. “I expect a full report.”
He winked. “Ditto.”
In the foyer, Claire paused next to Ryder. She opened her mouth to speak, then shook her head again, finally saying, “Let’s chat later.”
He nodded, looked back and forth between Grady and Claire, and turned to follow Hattie into the kitchen.
Grady paused at the green room door, and Claire continued toward the blue room. She turned and smiled softly. “Meet you in a few?”
“As you wish,” he whispered.
She chuckled softly, resting her hand on the doorjamb as if she needed to steady herself. “That one I know.”
In the heart of his bedroom, he turned and shook his head at the lack of his stuff in here. What little could be salvaged from the fire was in storage. Packing his gear took a grand total of eight minutes. And that was because he stopped to brush his teeth.
He heard the shower running when he got into the blue room. Hands on his hips, he looked around the suite in disgust. Despite Ryder’s tidy habits, he was everywhere in here. Grady picked up the odds-and-ends that marked his brother’s territory, grabbed the suits and other fancy-pants nonsense from the closet, plus the garment bag and overpriced backpack, and dragged all evidence of Ryder’s presence to the green room.
Within a few minutes, he had their stuff completely swapped. He’d always liked the blue room better anyway.
Shit. A simple swap, no big deal.
Sure.
Huge deal. He didn’t take relationships lightly. Which, in part, might be why he was always too late in snatching up the good ones.
This time... this time, the best of the best chose him. Deep in every aching muscle in his body, warmth and relief soothed away tension and fear, knowing that she’d fallen as hard and fast as he had. Not that she’d said it, but he knew. As they say, when you know, you know.
By the time he finished, he heard Claire shutting off the shower. Moments later, she came out fresh as a wildflower on a spring afternoon, sleek brown hair dripping wet and brushed neatly down her back. Not a trace of makeup, she looked like a forest nymph that had miraculously chosen him, a mere mortal, as her lover.
She looked at him with a question in her eye at his breathless look. “Nothing,” he muttered on a small exhale. If she knew half of the corny shit floating around in his brain, she’d... no, she would think it was sweet.
Claire sunk into the leather chair across from him and nearly cried when she saw the huge cup of coffee and mountain of food from Hattie on the tree stump table between them. That moan of pleasure passed her lips when she took the first bite of grilled cheese. Still wiped out from the snowstorm, he devoured his sandwich in four bites.
As soon as she’d finished eating, Claire leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. Within seconds, she was sound asleep. Not exactly drooling, but... no, she was definitely drooling. Mouth gaping open.
He scooped her up and laid her in the bed, sliding off the bathrobe that she’d tossed on for their late breakfast. Before crawling in next to her, he stripped off his clean clothes and eased into the bed. The gala wasn’t for another few hours, and he was toast. The hypothermia hadn’t helped, nor the last two nights caught up in Claire, but he hadn’t slept a wink since that first day on the ice.
It was just past three when the creak of the bedroom door opening woke him. Groaning, he sat up enough to see who had dared interrupt the most satisfying nap he’d ever taken. Vision blurred, he rubbed away the thick haze of sleep.
