The room service delivery guy stood beside the man I’d thought I’d have to wait another two weeks to see.
I flung myself at him. My arms wrapped around his neck and he caught me, wrapping my legs around his waist.
Waving the bill at the delivery guy, I kissed Leo, reveling in his musky scent, firm grip on my ass, and equally ravenous hunger for me.
The probably insanely embarrassed delivery guy slipped the bill from between my fingers.
“Thank you.” We both let out gasping, laughter-filled appreciation to the man who let the door slam closed behind him.
Our nearly six weeks apart between his visits over the past six months had tested the limits of my love for what I’d always dreamed of doing. Each morning, I’d pat his empty side of the bed, and roll over each night staring at undisturbed blankets and pillow with a longing in my heart before I closed my eyes.
“I missed you.” He set me down on the desk. The soft fabric of his pants tickled the insides of my thighs.
“You said you were on a business trip for the next two days.” I slipped his buttons out of their holes, exposing his smooth chest to my gaze and fingers.
“I did. I’m here right now.” His fingers found the zipper to my dress, tugging it down my back.
My fingers flew to his belt, unzipping him and slipping my hand inside his pants.
He clenched his jaw and sucked in a sharp breath as I stroked his cock.
“Too good.” He knocked my hands aside and hiked my skirt up, tugging my panties to the side, and pressed the blunt tip of his head against my pussy.
A sigh escaped my lips. It melted into a moan. Every inch stretched and opened me up until he’d sunk completely into me. He rested his forehead against mine.
“I couldn’t wait.”
“No complaints from me.” My chuckle was lost when he rocked his hips against me, grinding and thrusting. His hands slipped inside the open back of my dress, but other than that we were fully clothed, clinging to one another as we hurtled to our own personal brinks.
“Too long. It’s been too long since I’d touched you.” He held onto the back of my neck, burying his face against my skin and inhaling.
The desk rocked and banged against the wall. I tightened my legs around him, locking them around his hips as I held on through the rippling waves of pleasure. Every cant and buck of his hips tapped and rubbed my clit, sending a cascade of tingling feelings all through my body until I was blindsided by my orgasm. It ripped through me, stealing my breath as my walls clamped down around him.
He swelled even bigger, his orgasm triggered by my own.
I sat on the edge of the desk, holding onto him. His heartbeat raced under my hands. Panting, sweaty and blissfully happy, I leaned back and kissed him.
His hands found the sides of my face and he held me tight, letting our mouths do a talking that required no words.
“Let’s get a shower.” He helped me off the desk and we spent the next twenty minutes getting reacquainted again.
We collapsed onto the bed. I brushed my sweaty hair out of my face, panting, smiling, and happier than I’d ever thought possible.
“Three more weeks,” he mumbled, running his fingers though my hair. “Have you decided yet?”
The phrase had ricocheted around my head for the past nine weeks, since the requirement to choose our placements within the Waverly Hotels Group had come up. Leo had only uttered it a few times since I’d mentioned it.
Sydney. Tokyo. Paris. Johannesburg. Buenos Aires. And finally Paris. Six cities in six months. Some of the places I’d dreamed of traveling to, and I’d lived in each one, working, exploring, discovering new things about myself while I went to work each day, unable to contain my excitement for my work.
But there had been a piece missing.
“I asked for a placement in Philly.” I looked up at him from the circles I’d been drawing on his chest.
His hand tightened around my shoulder. “Zara, don’t—”
I pressed my fingers against his lips. “You can’t talk me out of it. I already turned in my placement forms.”
“But look at this.” He gestured to the window with a picture-perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. Globetrotting while staying at the Waverly Hotels hadn’t dampened my travel itch, but scratching it occasionally was different than packing up my whole life and moving halfway around the globe.
“It’s beautiful. Every night when I go to sleep and every morning when I wake up, I can’t believe I’m here.” The lights twinkled, lighting up the iconic structure for a celebration. “And I can’t wait to come back again, but I’d like to go home—with you.”
He kissed me with a fierceness and resolve that made spots dance in front of my eyes. “How do you know you’ll get the spot?” Worry creased his brow.
“As awesome as Philly is, I don’t think it’s at the top of many people’s lists. The program director was surprised when he looked at my ranking. It’s pretty much a done deal. All that’s left is a signature and I’ll be coming back to the city in three weeks. Back to you.” I dropped my gaze back to his chest. “I’ve missed you.”
The belt on his pants jingled as he shifted to the edge of the bed.
Had he hoped I wouldn’t come back to Philly? Was he trying to make a quick escape? Phone calls, texting, video chats, and some pretty steamy phone sex had tided us over in between his monthly trips to visit me. At least, I thought it had.
“Does this mean you’ll finally say yes?”
I sat up, pulling the blankets with me “Moving in with you is a—”
He sat up, pushing himself higher in the bed, and held an open ring box in his palm.
I looked from him to the ring that looked suspiciously like the one I’d sported for months. It hadn’t lost a hint of its shine, and it sparkled even brighter through the unshed tears pooling in my eyes.
“Is that—” the words caught in my throat.
“Yes, only this time it’ll be for real, if your answer is yes.”
“Leo—”
“I know I’m a semi-employed washed-up pro football player, running an event planning company that’s limping into the next year, and you’re poised to set the hotel redesign market on fire, but you’d make me the most frustrated, most insanely awed, and happiest man on earth if you’d agree to be my wife.” His throat worked up and down. The vulnerability of his confession and the beauty of his question brought tears to my eyes.
I crawled up the bed, straddling his legs, the sheets a tangled mess between us. “Yes.” My cheeks hurt I smiled so wide.
He shouted and flipped me over, grinning, and slipped the ring onto my finger. “You know what we should have at the reception?”
We gazed into one another’s eyes, filled with so much love and contentment, and said the words at the same time, “Ax throwing.”
Epilogue
LEO
“Stop talking over each other.” August stood with his arms spread out at his sides. “We’re all tired as hell, but we need to get on the same page for April. Who has clients booked for the next month?”
All hands went up except for Hunter. He’d been off all night.