I walked faster and reached Daniel’s side.
My unease was put to rest once we walked inside. The place was freaking stunning. A chandelier hung in the foyer, and a grand staircase curved up and to the second floor. Though fancy, it felt welcoming. Comfortable. The way a home should be.
“Good evening,” a guy said, walking out of a room to the left. His brown hair curled slightly, and when he brushed his bangs out of the way, I saw a faint scar at the top of his forehead that disappeared into his hairline. “I’m Cole Hensley, one of the owners. How can I help you?”
“We’re looking for a room,” Daniel said, approaching him. “We’ve been all over this town, and every motel and hotel are full.”
Cole scrunched up his face, and I knew what he was going to say before he said it.
“I’m afraid we’re full too.”
Daniel’s shoulders stiffened, and I could tell he was doing his best to keep a brave face, probably for my sake.
Just then, a gorgeous man with slicked-back blond hair came around the corner. He went over to Cole and kissed his cheek before looking at us. “Hello.”
“Hi,” I squeaked.
Daniel arched a brow at me.
“They need a room,” Cole said with a frown. “But we’re full. Is there anything we can do? I don’t want to send them back out into the cold with nowhere to go.”
“Let me see,” the blond bombshell said, clicking something on the computer. A strand of his hair slipped from its hold and curled near his eye. Cole softly smiled and brushed it aside. That’s when I noticed their wedding rings.
My heart melted. I might’ve been a feisty bitch who bedhopped my way through life, but what I wanted more than anything was an epic romance, a soul-moving love that I felt to my very core. The kind of love Quinn and Monty shared.
“We’re full, but there’s one room you can have,” the blond said, smiling at me before moving his stare to Daniel. “We have it closed off at the moment because it has trouble heating this time of year and we need to fix it. But if you don’t mind sharing, it’s yours. Discounted of course.”
“That would be excellent,” Daniel responded, pulling out his wallet. “Better than sleeping in the car. We’ll take it.” He paid with a card and signed for the room before Cole handed him a key. “Thank you.”
“I’m Ian Hensley,” the blond said, shaking Daniel’s hand. “If there’s anything you need during your stay, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Breakfast is at six and goes until nine.”
Daniel thanked him before looking at me. “I’m going to grab my laptop from the car if you want to go to the room.”
“Nah, I need to grab something too.”
“Very well.”
We walked back out into the cold night, and I unlocked my car. While he scrounged around in the back seat for his laptop and briefcase, I popped the trunk and grabbed the overnight bag I kept stashed there.
“Mighty presumptuous of you to assume we’d be spending the night,” Daniel said, eyeing my bag.
“Oh, I didn’t. I always carry a bag with me,” I explained as we walked up the sidewalk toward the porch. “Don’t think badly of me or anything, but I can be kind of a party animal on the weekends. I never know where I’ll end up or with who, so I keep a change of clothes and some toiletry items in my car just in case.”
“Impressive.”
I laughed. “I just told you, in not so many words, that I’m a wild child and you say impressive.” I did my best impersonation of his voice on the last word.
“No matter the reason, it’s smart to be prepared,” he said. “What you do on your own time is no business of mine. Last I heard, clubbing and sleeping around wasn’t against the law or company policy.”
“That’s… cool of you to say.”
“Why are you frowning?” he asked, opening the front door for me. “Would you rather I lecture you?”
“No.” My skin tingled from the shift of cold air to warm. But if I was being honest, that tingle came from Daniel walking so close to me. “I’m just surprised, I guess. You seem so uppity. I thought you’d look down on me.”
“You think I’m a snob?”
“Not a snob, no,” I said, checking out the décor as we went up the stairs. I felt like I was in a damn fairy tale. I had the amazing mansion in the middle of the forest, now I just needed my prince. “More like… you’re this sophisticated badass, and I’m the lowly servant.”
He shocked me with a deep chuckle. “You’re not a servant, Reed, and you’re far from lowly. You’re confident and know what you want in life. A go-getter. I admire that.”
He admired me?
Why the fuck did that make my heart skip a beat?
We reached the top of the stairs and turned right. I appreciated the design of the manor. It was classy and elegant, but also lived-in and kind of old-fashioned. Quinn would’ve loved it.
“Here we are,” Daniel said, stopping at the last door in the hall.
A corner room. Yay. That meant more privacy. Not that I expected us to do anything once inside. We’d sleep in our separate beds as far away from each other as possible.
“Open the door,” I said. “The suspense is killing me.”
He slid the key into the lock and turned the handle before entering the room and flipping on the light.
“There’s a freaking fireplace?” I asked in awe, walking in behind him. “Oh hell. If only we had some wine. Then it’d be perfect.”
Daniel stopped walking so suddenly that I bumped into his back. I was about to gripe at him when I saw what he was looking at.
“There’s only one bed,” I whispered, eyes wide and my heart beating faster.
Oh, fuck.
Chapter Six
Daniel
“I’ll ask Ian if there’s a cot,” I said, placing my laptop bag and briefcase on the bed before turning around.
Reed was so close, and when he glanced up at me with big, hazel eyes, my cock swelled. There better be a cot because there was no way in hell we could share a bed. I could barely restrain myself enough as it was.
“Do you want me to go instead?” he asked. “You look exhausted.”
“So do you.” I stepped around him and headed for the door. “I’ll be back in a minute. Go ahead and get ready for bed. It’s been a long day.”
Understatement of the century.
The sound of clothes rustling behind me had my cock hardening even more, and I quickly left the room, then adjusted myself once outside in the hall. I took a deep breath, held it, and released it, hoping my desire for Reed fled with the rush of expelled air.
A door opened, and a young woman with short brown hair stepped out. She was wearing a red silk robe over cotton pants and fuzzy slippers.
“Good evening,” she greeted me with a smile. “Did you just get in?”
“Yes. Forced here by the lovely weather.”
She chuckled and pulled her robe closer around her. “I’m Claire.”
I didn’t know why she was being so friendly. Usually people at other hotels just ignored everyone else during their stay. But maybe the comfortable environment of the bed-and-breakfast affected that.