"Hell yeah." He lifted his head and met my gaze for a long moment before turning to glance at the silver tray sitting on a stand near the bed. "More lobster?"
And just like that, I was giggling again. I almost never giggled. I shouldn't be giggling now. And yet, I couldn’t seem to help it.
Over my protests, he'd long ago ordered a whole slew of finger food, including these amazing little lobster roll appetizers and peppered steak-bites. He'd fed me with his own fingers in little nibbles as he'd slowly teased and tempted my body.
And now, I was sated in every possible way.
I'd never been in a penthouse suite before, and I was still surprised at how big it was. Even the bed was enormous, at least compared to what I had at home.
Although this was the same hotel where my mom had been staying earlier, itwasn'tthe same room, thank goodness. According to Jax, she'd been staying lower, in a room that was nice, but not like this.
As I caught my breath, I glanced around. The suite – as luxurious as it was – couldn’t begin to compare to the place that Jax called home.
I said, "So I guess Jaden's back, huh?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, we're here, aren't we?"
Jax pulled away, and nestled himself beside me. "He's still gone, but that's not a factor."
"Oh?"
He gave a low laugh. "What, you think him being around would've stopped me?"
"It wouldn't?"
"Hell no. It's a big house, remember?"
I smiled. From last night, Ididremember. But if privacy wasn't an issue, why was he splurging on a hotel room? I wanted to know, but wasn't quite sure how to ask. "So…."
"Why are we here?"
"Well, Iamsort of curious."
He turned and brushed a lock of damp hair away from my eyes. "We're here, because you're gonna kiss that worry goodbye. Remember?"
He meant worry about my mom's thoughtless extravagance. I knew this, because he'd said so earlier, when he'd surprised me in the parking lot of the restaurant where I worked. By some miracle, I'd been sent home early, and like magic, he'd been right there in his car, waiting.
I smiled at the memory. And yet, I had to admit, "I'm not sure I'll be able to. I mean, I still hate that you got stuck with the bill."
"I didn't get stuck," he said. "It was my idea."
"But—"
He leaned over and silenced me with a kiss. One thing led to another and soon, worry was the last thing on my mind.
It wasn't until early the next morning when I realized something funny. With an embarrassed laugh, I said, "I don't know what I'm gonna wear home."
We'd just gotten out of the shower and were sitting in white hotel bathrobes on the balcony overlooking the ocean. I gestured vaguely toward the suite's interior, where my tattered clothes were still scattered about. "I mean, I can't wear my uniform, at least not without making a spectacle of myself."
He smiled. "Who says you're going anywhere?"
I loved the idea of staying, but that simply wasn't possible. At noon, I had to work.
Originally, this hadn't been the case, but after being informed last night that I was being sent home early, I'd talked one of my co-workers into giving up her shift the next day – today, in fact.
If only I'd known that I'd be spending the night with Jax, I might've taken the day off regardless. But Ihadn'tknown, which was probably for the best.
