Chapter 9
9
brONTE
W here was I?
My eyes popped open, and I looked around. It was a brightly lit room, and I was in a bed that was not at all like mine.
My first thought was that it was the hotel room where I’d woken up yesterday morning. But no, this was a cabin.
It all came back to me at once. Sean. Yesterday. My first time. How could I have forgotten?
A big smile took over my face, and I turned to my right to see him sleeping next to me. My next move was to look to my left. I’d set my phone on the nightstand next to the bed. I reached over and, doing my best not to make a peep, picked it up, flipping it over to see the time.
My eyes widened at what I saw. It was after nine. Not a huge surprise, considering we’d been up most of the night making love.
I was still a little sore, but he’d given me no fewer than four orgasms. I’d given my first blowjob, and my second, with him encouraging me every step of the way. I had a feeling I was going to get better and better at that.
I rolled my eyes and set the phone on my stomach as I remembered what today was supposed to bring. I wasn’t one of the three finalists, but I was expected to sit with the other non-finalists and watch while three aspiring bakers battled for the grand prize.
I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to go home either. I wanted to stay here, in this cabin, with Sean.
I sat up, propping myself on my elbow. Then, using my fingers, I trailed a path over his chest, down toward his stomach. He stirred and his eyes opened. He looked over at me, a smile slowly spreading over his face.
“It’s after nine,” I said. “I’m supposed to be having breakfast with the other contestants right now.”
His eyebrows arched. “Is that what you want to do?”
I shook my head. “I want to stay here with you.”
His expression didn’t change at first, and I waited, not daring to breathe. This was the part that was scary. This was where he could tell me that it was fun, but he didn’t see a future with me.
Was that possible? I didn’t think so. I trusted him implicitly, like I’d said last night. I was scared, plain and simple. I’d never done this before. I had no idea what to expect.
“Do you want me to go?” I asked.
Now his eyes widened. At least that was something. Anything but a neutral expression was welcome right now. I needed a hint of what he was thinking.
“I don’t want you to ever go,” he said. “I know that’s a lot to ask. But you plan to move to Seduction Summit, anyway. You just have to get the business loan, right?”
The reality of everything came crashing down on me. Telling my parents I wasn’t going to law school. Dealing with their disappointment. Packing up and moving to a new town.
But why did I have to feel responsible for that? I was a grown-ass woman. I had a college degree and a business plan. I didn’t need their permission to live my life.
“I’m going to call them,” I said, lifting my phone. “Not right this second, of course. Later today. I’m going to tell them I’m not coming back. Well, I’ll have to go back to pack up my apartment, and I need to find someone to take over my part of the lease, but that shouldn’t be too hard. I have a lot of friends who just graduated college and are looking for a place to live. I just have to find a rental here.”
“You can move in with me,” he said. “Is it too soon for that?”
“No.” I was surprised to hear myself say that. And I fully meant it. “I mean, I could rent a place while we get to know each other.”
“You’d have to go all the way to Adairsville to do that,” he said. “There aren’t many rentals here. Not yet, anyway. I know it’s soon, but I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
Those words went straight to my heart. They were a relief too. That was exactly how I felt.
But he’d been my first time. It seemed normal for a virgin to assume her first time was her one true love. It was almost a cliché.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “You move in here, and if you want, you can stay in the guest bedroom. I have a feeling I’ll just be sneaking in there all the time.”
“Or I’d be sneaking into bed with you.” I smiled at him. “We have plenty of time to figure it out. But I may head over to the lodge and watch the competition today. I made friends with some of the other bakers. Maybe we could join forces and open a bakery here together.”
In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I liked that idea. We’d each share in the profits, but we’d also have a better chance at getting a loan between a group of us, right? I didn’t know how that worked, but I couldn’t wait to find out.
“Sounds like a plan,” he said. “But first, I want a little more time with you before you get out of bed. Then maybe I’ll make you some coffee and breakfast.”
I liked that. And I liked the idea of this guy making me breakfast. In fact, everything about this was perfect. The rest of my life began today. Or maybe it began yesterday when I first laid eyes on him.
Whatever it was, I was beyond grateful that I’d come to Seduction Summit. It was my new home, and I was never going to leave.