Chapter 9
“You don’t have any extra rooms?” Drew asked, staring at the man behind the check-in desk.
“Sorry, not a single one. We have your reservation, Mr. Steele, for a suite with a king bed; however, all our other rooms are currently booked. It seems like nobody wanted to stay home for the holidays. But it’s good for us. Our business is booming.”
As a business owner himself, Drew could appreciate that for the man. However, he wished the man hadn’t smiled so wide when he’d said it. “How big is the suite?”
“The one you reserved is the biggest one we have. We refer to it as a mini-lodge.”
He decided not to tell the man that he hadn’t reserved it ─his secretary had.
And though he’d made it clear to Amanda that he would be spending the time alone, obviously, she hadn’t believed him.
Knowing his reputation for dating, as she put it, on a “more than normal” basis, she’d taken precautions.
Now, he was glad of it. “Does the suite come with two beds?” he asked, hopefully.
“I’m afraid not. Although it’s very spacious, there is only one bedroom. However, it has a separate sitting area with a pull-out sofa bed and a dining area for two. And you have the best view of the mountains and the lake. Also, it’s isolated.”
Drew lifted a brow. “Isolated?”
“Yes. Because the mini-lodge is typically reserved for celebrities seeking privacy, it’s not connected to this or any other buildings.
No one can see who is coming and going, and you have your own parking area, walking park, and hot tub.
In other words, it’s not near any of the other rooms in this lodge. ”
He liked the sound of that. Although he hadn’t asked Amanda to reserve him a room with such amenities, under the circumstances, he was glad that she had. “There is only one bathroom?”
“Yes, but it’s very large with both a tub, shower, and his and her vanities.
Additionally, it has a Jack and Jill concept with access to the bathroom from both the sitting area and the bedroom.
And because most of the people who reserve that room prefer eating their meals in their suite, we’ve left an expanded room service menu in the room.
Additionally, the suite is assigned a private phone number that you can provide to your callers, eliminating the need for them to reach you through this desk. ”
Drew liked the sound of all of that, as well.
As much as he wished otherwise, this arrangement would have to do.
The first chance he had after they left Memphis, he pulled into a mini-market with a phone booth, where he called his office and told Amanda that under no circumstances was she to reveal his whereabouts to anyone.
If those two characters in Western Union had followed his rig, they’d have reported it.
After that, it wouldn’t be hard for Eden’s father to find out who owned it.
If she found his request odd, she hadn’t said so, and his secretary was known to share her thoughts whenever it pleased her without being asked.
Luckily, he’d decided to close the company down for the holidays.
He’d felt that if he was to enjoy the holidays, it was only right that his employees did, too.
They were given ten days off with pay, beginning on Christmas Eve, and didn’t have to report back to work until the day after New Year’s.
“Anything else you want to know, Mr. Steele?”
“No, that’s about all…” He looked at the name plate in front of the man checking him in. “Mr. Bohannon.”
The man, who appeared to be his age, chuckled. “I’m Charlie. If you call me Mr. Bohannon, I’ll think you’d want my dad.”
Drew nodded. “Okay, Charlie. And instead of calling me Mr. Steele, you can call me Drew. Another thing I’d like to get each morning is the newspaper.”
“I’ll make sure that it’s done,” Charlie said.
After Charlie gave him the lodge room key, Drew headed toward the exit door to go back to the parking lot, where Eden was waiting in the car.
The only problem he saw with the entire setup was his forced proximity to Eden for the next ten days.
It was two days before Christmas, and he wasn’t scheduled to check out until the day after New Year’s.
He had shared space with lovers before for more than one night, but never continuously for so many days.
And Eden was not his lover. She was a young woman who, for the time being, needed his help.
Yet, he couldn’t help admitting to being attracted to her. Any hot-blooded man would be.
The drive up the Smoky Mountains to reach the lodge had been scenic, but the desire he was feeling for her was like a magnetic pull.
He felt it whenever their gazes held too long, their eyes locked, the touches they exchanged whenever she handed him something, or just the sound of her voice.
A spark of desire would consume him anytime he looked into her eyes, so he avoided looking into them, which wasn’t easy.
Now they had to share space ─close space.
He intended to fight like hell to keep his hands to himself.
Not only was she young, but he also had a feeling she was an innocent when it came to men.
An experienced man like himself could tell.
It was how she reacted to the sexual chemistry emitting between them, as if it was all new to her, and she was a bit overwhelmed by it.
He figured that in the past, she had likely dated boys.
But his boyhood days were over. He was a man with needs–his were stronger than most. And though he was fighting like hell to resist temptation, her scent alone was making it almost impossible.
He’d do his best to make their stay at the lodge work…but knew he wouldn’t be free of the hold she had on him until she was on a plane, bound for Paris.
**
Eden leaned forward in her seat and glanced around through the windshield.
This place was beautiful. Although it was just twilight, it was dark enough to trigger the holiday lights that decorated the building.
Seeing them reminded her that Christmas was only two days away.
This would be the first time in twenty-one years she hadn’t spent the holiday with her parents.
Even when they had traveled abroad, she had accompanied them.
Her thoughts shifted to Drew and how he had snatched her from the clutches of the couple who’d been intent on dragging her away with them.
And now, they were here, way up in the Smoky Mountains.
Once they were certain they weren’t being followed, the hour drive to reach the top had been very scenic and enjoyable.
She had seen the most beautiful tall trees, lush greenery, majestic mountains, and crystal-clear lakes imaginable.
Drew had even taken the time to pull over to the side of the road so they could get out of the car to take in the full view.
The private road to the lodge had been just as picturesque, and more than once, she wished she’d had a camera.
They even had to stop to allow a bear to cross the road.
Something else she noticed was that Drew was watching her. More than once, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him looking at her, but when she glanced over at him, he would quickly look away.
All in all, she was beginning to look forward to hiding out with him at the lodge until New Year’s. Although she knew it would be just like the hotels they had stayed in, with separate rooms, they’d still be close. Most likely, his room would be next to hers.
Just then, she looked up to see Drew walking back toward the car.
She watched him, mesmerized. His walk was so very sexy.
He appeared confident, walking with a sense of purpose.
His body was straight, his chest out, his shoulders moving only when he wanted them to, and his head held high.
And with his devastating handsomeness… Well, he was a man who’d be noticed.
It was no wonder women tossed their common sense to the wind just to be with him.
His jeans were tight and a perfect fit, making her mind wander to other things…
like peeling those jeans off him and wrapping her legs around his trim waist. And since she was indulging in a fantasy, why stop there?
Because she was already aching to run her hands over his naked chest and feel all the muscles she believed were beneath his shirt.
Her heart began pounding at the thought.
However, what she really wanted was the experience of kissing him.
Locking her lips with his, feeling his tongue slide inside her mouth, and taking hers with a hunger that made her feel she was wanted, needed, and desired.
Those were things she had never felt before.
She guessed the one advantage of people thinking that she and Mark were an item was that the guys in their circles never came on to her.
And in college, those who did soon heard she was the daughter of Elijah Tyson, someone a guy wouldn’t want to cross.
It was common knowledge that her dad had gotten a kid expelled for trying some funny business with her. After that, nobody tried again.
That meant all of Eden’s information on sexual matters had come from Sophie, who’d started making out with Mark a few years ago.
With Mark attending Harvard and Sophie going to Yale, they were close enough that secret weekend hookups were possible.
According to Sophie, there was nothing like being kissed until you saw stars.
She said that, with the right man, making love was a magical experience, and she hoped Eden would soon find that man.
Eden did not doubt that Drew was an expert in the bedroom. That was probably the reason all those women he’d shared a bed with had become possessive and obsessive. It made her wonder exactly how good he was…