Chapter 13 Hayden
Hayden
The lobby was already crowded when we walked in, other travelers caught off-guard by the unexpected snowstorm. Diego approached the front desk, and I hovered nervously behind him.
“Evening,” he said to the harried-looking clerk. “We need two rooms for tonight.”
The clerk’s fingers flew across his keyboard. “You and everyone else.” She gestured to everyone else milling about the lobby. “It’s a busy night. Damn snow.”
“You can say that again.”
The clerk stopped typing suddenly, a sigh falling from their lips. “Well, I’ve got good news and bad.”
I felt myself stiffen.
“We have a room left for you to take,” she said.
“Just one?” Diego asked. She nodded. “Okay,” he said, turning to me. “That’s better than sleeping in the truck. Does it at least have two beds?”
“That’s the bad news,” she replied. “It’s the marital suite with a king bed and a jacuzzi tub.”
“Marital suite?!” I squeaked out, unable to hold myself back anymore. “Are you kidding me? There’s really nothing else?”
“Sorry. That’s the only one we have,” she said, grimacing for my sake mostly. “Usually, we don’t rent it out unless we have a married couple, but tonight we need all the room we can get, so I’ve had the staff open it up.”
Diego reached for his wallet without hesitation. “We’ll take it.”
“Diego!” I hissed, grabbing his arm. “Can we discuss this first?”
He leaned close, his breath warm against my ear. “Hayden, it’s this or we sleep in the truck with the heater running until we run out of gas and freeze to death. Your choice, Freckles.”
The nickname made my cheeks flush. I released his arm and stepped back, crossing my arms over my chest. “Fine.”
The clerk looked between us with thinly veiled amusement. “So that’s a yes?”
“Yes,” Diego confirmed, sliding his credit card across the counter. “We’ll take the love nest.”
“It’s not a love nest,” I muttered.
Diego winked at the clerk. “Ignore him. He’s just mad because I forgot our anniversary.”
The clerk laughed as she processed his payment. I wanted to die on the spot.
“Here are your key cards,” she said, sliding two across the counter. “Room three-zero-two, top floor. The elevator is around the corner.”
Diego pocketed both cards. “Much obliged, ma’am.”
We didn’t have any bags, so we just made our way to the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, I punched Diego in the arm.
“Ow! What was that for?” He rubbed his bicep, though I knew damn well I hadn’t hurt him.
“Forgot our anniversary? Really?”
Diego’s laugh echoed in the small space. “Relax, Freckles. She doesn’t care who we are or what we do. Besides, it got a smile out of her on what’s clearly a shit night. That’s more important.”
I couldn’t argue with that even though I wanted to. The elevator dinged and we stepped out onto the third floor.
“This is going to be weird,” I said as we walked down the hall.
Diego shrugged. “We’re both adults. We can share a bed without it being a thing. Hell, maybe I’ll just sleep in the tub.”
But it was already a thing. At least for me. I’d been fighting my attraction to Diego since the day I met him at the ranch. The thought of lying next to him all night, hearing his breathing, maybe accidentally touching him in our sleep… It was going to be torture.
We reached the door to our room at last, and I held my breath as Diego slid the key card into the slot. The little light turned green, and he pushed the door open, holding it for me.
“After you,” he said with a mock bow.
I stepped inside and immediately froze. The room was.
.. well, it was exactly what you’d expect from something called a marital suite.
The king-sized bed dominated the space, covered in a plush white comforter with decorative red pillows arranged in a heart shape.
A bottle of champagne sat in an ice bucket on a small table by the window, with two glasses beside it.
The jacuzzi tub was visible through an open doorway, large enough for two people and surrounded by electric candles.
“Holy shit,” Diego muttered behind me. “This is...”
“Horrifying,” I supplied.
“I was gonna say extra, but sure.”
I walked further into the room, noticing the rose petals scattered across the bed and the complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries on the nightstand. “Does all this bullshit just come with the room?” I asked. “You didn’t pay for this, did you?”
Diego picked up a small card from beside the champagne. “Compliments of the management. We hope your stay is romantic and memorable.” He looked up at me with a grin. “Yeah… I think it just comes with the room. It was like three hundred dollars per night.”
“Jesus Christ,” I sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. It was sinfully comfortable, which somehow made this whole situation worse. “This is just... great.”
Diego ran a hand through his dark hair. “Look, I know this ain’t ideal for either of us. But we’re stuck here, so we might as well make the best of it.”
I watched him move around the room, trying not to notice how his jeans hugged his ass or the way his shirt stretched across his broad shoulders. This was going to be a long night.
“I’m gonna grab a shower,” he said, already pulling his shirt over his head. “Unless you want to go first?”
My mouth went dry at the sight of his bare chest, all tanned skin and dark hair trailing down to his belt buckle. “I... no, you go ahead.”
“You sure? You look a little flushed there, Freckles.”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly, turning away before he could see just how not fine I was. “Just tired.”
I heard him chuckle as he disappeared into the bathroom, and a few moments later the sound of running water filled the room. I flopped back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and trying to get my hormones under control.
This was exactly what I didn’t need. Being trapped in a romantic hotel room with Diego Mendez, the most infuriatingly attractive man I’d ever met.
A man who seemed determined to break down every wall I’d built around my heart.
A man I wanted so fucking bad I could taste it, not that I’d ever admit that.
I closed my eyes and tried to think about anything other than the fact that he was naked just fifteen feet away, water running down that gorgeous body of his. But my traitorous brain kept supplying helpful images, and I had to shift uncomfortably as my cock thickened and my jeans grew tighter.
“Get it together, Hayden,” I muttered to myself.
The bathroom door opened but Diego didn’t come out.
In fact, the water was still running. I figured it must not have latched and tried to ignore it.
But then my brain got to turning, and I wondered if he’d think I was peaking at him or trying to get in there while he was showering.
I wasn’t sure I’d survive his relentless teasing.
No, better to just close it properly so there was no suspicion.
I stood up and walked over to the bathroom door, reaching out to push it closed. But as my hand touched the wood, I found myself frozen in place.
Through the gap in the doorway, I could see Diego in the shower. The glass was fogged with steam, but not enough to hide the outline of his body. Water cascaded down his broad shoulders, over the planes of his chest, following that trail of dark hair down his flat stomach to where—
Oh fuck.
I should have looked away. Should have closed the door and walked back to the bed like a decent human being.
Instead, I stood there like a creep, watching as he ran his hands through his wet hair, muscles flexing as he moved.
The steam made everything hazy and dreamlike, but I could still make out every gorgeous detail of his body.
His cock was thick and uncut, hanging heavy between his thighs as he reached for what I assumed was soap.
I bit back a groan as he began washing himself, those large hands moving over his skin with casual familiarity.
When he turned slightly, giving me a view of his ass, I had to grip the doorframe to keep from making a sound.
This was wrong. This was so fucking wrong. But I couldn’t make myself move, couldn’t tear my eyes away from the sight of Diego Mendez naked and wet and absolutely perfect.
He turned again, facing more toward the door now, and I got a full view of his cock as he washed. It was even thicker than I’d imagined, and long too. My mouth watered at the thought of—
“You gonna keep staring, or you gonna join me?”
My heart stopped. Diego was looking right at me through the steamed glass, a knowing smirk on his lips. I stumbled backward, heat flooding my face.
“I wasn’t—I was just—the door was open, and I thought—”
“Hayden.” His voice was low, rough with something that made my knees weak. “Come here.”
“No, I should—I need to—” I was backing toward the bed, panic and arousal warring in my chest.
The water shut off. A moment later, Diego stepped out of the shower, water still dripping from his hair, his skin glistening. He didn’t reach for a towel. Instead, he walked toward me, completely naked and completely unashamed.
“I said come here,” he repeated, his dark eyes locked on mine.
I shook my head, still backing up until my legs hit the edge of the bed. “Diego, I didn’t mean to. We can’t—I can’t—”
He stopped just inches away from me, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his damp skin. Water droplets clung to his chest hair, and I had to fight the urge to lean forward and lick them off.
“Is this what it’s come to?” he asked, water dripping off him and onto my clothing. He was so close. “You do nothing but snark and snipe at me every time we’re together, but then I catch you watching me in the shower?”
“I told you, it was an accident—”
“Bullshit, Hayden,” he growled, the sound sending a shiver through my entire body. “You think I haven’t noticed how you look at me? How you’re always sneaking glances when you think I’m not looking? Or the way you blush constantly? I know you’re at least a little interested.”
“I am not!” I barked. “I don’t want anything to do with you! You’re cocky and stupid and annoying and… and—”
He leaned in closer, the heat of him surrounding me.
“Tell me you don’t want me,” he said quietly, his hand coming up to cup my chin. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want me to kiss you.”
My breath caught in my throat. His thumb brushed across my bottom lip, and I felt my resolve crumbling like a sandcastle at high tide.
I should have pushed him away. Should have told him exactly what he wanted to hear—that I didn’t want him, didn’t think about him constantly, didn’t wake up hard every morning thinking about those dark eyes and that cocky smile.
But the words wouldn’t come.
Instead, I stood there frozen, heart hammering against my ribs as water dripped from his hair onto my shirt. His skin smelled like hotel soap and that cologne he always wore, warm and masculine and intoxicating.
“I...” I started, then stopped, my voice barely a whisper. “I can’t.”
“Can’t what?” His other hand came to rest on my hip, fingers splaying across the fabric of my jeans. “Can’t want me? Or can’t admit it?”
“Both,” I breathed, even as my body betrayed me by leaning into his touch. “Neither. I don’t know.”
His thumb continued its torturous path along my lip, and I had to bite back a whimper. “You’re overthinking this, Freckles.”
“Don’t call me that,” I said weakly, but there was no fight left in it.
“Why? You like it when I call you that.” His voice was like honey and whiskey, smooth and burning. “I can see it in your eyes every time I say it.”
He was right, and we both knew it. Just like he was right about everything else. There were the stolen glances, the way I blushed whenever he got too close, and the fact that I’d been fighting this attraction since the moment I laid eyes on him.
“Diego,” I whispered, his name falling from my lips like a prayer.
“That’s the first time you’ve said my name like that,” he murmured, leaning closer until his forehead almost touched mine. “Like you actually want me here.”
I closed my eyes, trying to block out the sight of him. He was naked and perfect and so close I could count every droplet of water on his chest. But it was useless. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel him surrounding me, his presence overwhelming every one of my senses.
“Tell me to stop,” he said softly. “Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll grab that towel and pretend this never happened. But if you can’t...” His grip on my chin tightened slightly. “If you can’t say it, then stop fighting me and let me kiss you.”
My eyes flew open to meet his, and what I saw there nearly undid me completely. Want, yes, but also something softer. Something that looked almost like tenderness.
“I...” The words stuck in my throat like concrete. Because the truth was, I couldn’t tell him to stop. Couldn’t lie and say I didn’t want this when my entire body was screaming for his touch.
A slow smile spread across his face as he leaned closer, his breath against my lips. “Can I kiss you, Hayden?”
The word left my mouth before I could stop it, a whisper of hope that I didn’t think I still possessed.
“Yes.”