Elena.
She was standing in the lodge lobby looking my way andsmiling.
What the fuck is she doing here?
“Here you go,” Vicki said from behind me.
I grabbed the coffee from her without breaking eye contact with Elena. “Thanks,” I muttered, stepping away from the counter and walking briskly toward the lobby.
I hadn’t heard from Elena in weeks, and now she was here, standing in the Sable Point Resort and Spa. I could hardly believe my fucking eyes.
I wanted to drop to my knees right here and now, beg her to never leave again. Because after one morning with her on the slopes, Imissedher.
I missed her feisty attitude and her quiet calm, her cutting barbs and her comforting reassurances. She was a study in contrasts, and I was drawn to it all. Sucked in until I could barely breathe.
“Hi,” she said, peering up at me through dark lashes.
“Hi,” I responded.
We stood there for a few moments, quietly taking in each other’s presence.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Her next words were so quiet, I barely heard her.
“I couldn’t get you out of my head either,” she said, finally responding to my last text—but in person.
“Is that so?” I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.
Elena nodded slowly, biting her plush pink bottom lip. My cock swelled at the sight. Fuck, but I wanted to bite that lip.
“I was just heading to check in. Will you—” She faltered a bit, and her gaze darted around the lobby, like she was looking for someone. “Will you come up with me?”
Holy fuck, it’s happening. Elena had just invited me to her hotel room. It was showtime.
Play it cool, dickwad. Don’t fuck this up.
“Yeah, sure.” I grabbed the strap of the duffel bag on her shoulder. “Let me take this for you.”
“Thank you.” She offered me a small smile as we made our way across the lobby toward the front desk of the lodge. “Hi, I’m checking in for Elena Stone, please.”
“Of course. I’ll just need to see an ID and credit card please.”
Elena finished checking in and getting the keys to her room while my mind whirred.What the fuck does this mean? What’s going to happen when we got upstairs? I know what I wanted to happen, but what’s the deal with her husband? Stone is her married name. Is she divorced now? Divorce takes time. Maybe she started the process a while ago and it’s finally official. She could have kept his name.
We stood side by side in the elevator, staring at each other through our reflection in the shiny metal doors. Neither of us said a word.
When theelevatordingedand the doors slid open on the fifth floor, I stuck my arm out the keep the doors from closing and let Elena pass. Her vanilla and burnt sugar scent floated up and caressed my senses.
God, I’d love to bottle that scent and take a bath in it.
I followed Elena down the long and narrow hallway, the dark wooden beams framing the walls like the bones of some great cabin. The air carried that familiar mix of pine and smoke, laced with the crisp scent of melting snow tracked in by skiers dragging themselves back from the slopes. Soft lantern-style sconces cast pools of golden light against the log-paneled walls, their glow reflecting off framed vintage ski posters. The corridor was quiet, except for the occasional muffled thud of footsteps behind one of the heavy wooden doors.
When we finally reached the door for room 509, Elena waved the keycard over the scanner. The light turned green and the lock disengaged before she pushed it open.
It wasn’t my first time in a room at the Sable Point Resort and Spa. I used to come here a lot with some of the guys. Sometimes, we’d head home. Sometimes, we’d find a tourist to spend the night with.
But entering this room felt different.
