Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ELOISE
The days passed in a whirlwind. It had been too long since I’d taken a vacation from the hotel, and getting every shift covered, planning backups for our backups, had consumed my life.
Packing had been a chore. I owned exactly zero elegant gowns, but when I’d told Jasper that I was going to have to take a trip to Missoula to buy a dress when I didn’t have time to take a trip to Missoula to buy a dress, he’d had ten overnighted to Quincy.
Ten dresses. All designer. I’d loved every single one, and when I hadn’t been able to choose a favorite, he’d picked his.
That dress was currently hanging in our hotel suite’s bathroom to let the wrinkles from travel loosen while I stood on our private balcony, soaking in the Amalfi Coast.
Italy. I was in Italy. With my husband.
If someone three months ago had told me I’d be here, I would never have believed it.
Jasper and I were staying in an eleventh-century hotel.
There were only fifty rooms and suites, each occupied by a wedding guest. The charming building, with rounded windows and terra-cotta roof tiles, had been built into a hillside with terraced gardens stretching beneath our third-floor balcony.
From this perch, the view was breathtaking.
The rocky coastline was teeming with lush greenery and cream buildings.
Bridges with arched supports spanned across the jagged and steep gray cliffs.
Narrow strips of sandy beaches were interspersed between the rocks.
And beyond it all was the open ocean, stretching for miles and miles to the glowing horizon kissed by the setting sun.
I refused to blink, not wanting to miss a second of the dazzling view.
Twenty-plus hours of travel had wiped me out. By the time we’d finally landed in Naples yesterday, I’d been so exhausted that even the view hadn’t been able to coax my eyes open. On the hour-long drive from the airport to the hotel, Jasper’s shoulder had been my pillow.
When we’d checked into our room, he’d insisted I stay awake until after dinner, wanting me to adjust to the time difference and sleep at night.
We’d explored for a few hours, walking around dead on our feet, and found a charming café for dinner.
Then he’d whisked me to the room, where he’d kept me awake for another hour. After two orgasms, I’d crashed.
But the sleep had done wonders. When I’d woken up this morning, Jasper had already ordered room service. Breakfast had been waiting in our suite’s sitting room, and after a delicious meal, as promised, we’d done more exploring before we’d had to return to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.
Jasper came up behind me, wearing only a towel from his shower. His naked chest pressed against my back as his arms wrapped around my shoulders.
I relaxed, leaning against him, and closed my eyes. It was rare that he initiated a hug. If I had to choose between the view from our balcony or Jasper’s embrace, I’d choose the latter every day and twice on Sundays.
“Everything good at The Eloise?” he asked.
While Jasper had jumped in the shower, I’d called to check in at the hotel. “Mateo told me that if I called one more time today, he was going to rearrange the furniture in the lobby and change all of my color coding on the schedule.”
Jasper chuckled. “They’re fine, El.”
“Yeah.” I sighed.
Mateo was covering all of my regular shifts.
Mom had volunteered to come in and help with whatever needed to be done.
Memphis would be tackling housekeeping over the weekend.
And because his latest shifts had been as excruciating as the first, I’d given Blaze the weekend off, not wanting to saddle my family with that burden.
Though maybe I should have paired him with Mom. Then when I fired him after this trip, she’d understand why.
My family was fully capable of running my hotel, yet I was struggling to disconnect. During our exploring today, I’d called three times.
“It’s just hard to let go,” I said.
But maybe this trip was good practice. I’d have to let go of Jasper sooner rather than later.
We hadn’t spoken about what was next, both choosing to concentrate on this trip. The conversation was inevitable, and every time it crossed my mind, my insides coiled.
“Did you have fun today?” Jasper asked.
“Yes.” I twisted to meet his gaze. His face was smooth and freshly shaved, so I lifted up on my toes to kiss the underside of his jaw. “Thanks for taking me.”
“Welcome.” He pressed his lips to my temple, then turned to the view.
Jasper had been quiet today as we’d explored, not unusual. He’d indulged me, walking at my side as I’d wandered and snapped hundreds of pictures. The only sign that he’d been enjoying himself were the crinkles at his eyes.
Except those crinkles had faded with every passing hour. And by the time we’d made it back to the hotel to start getting ready, he was back to the stone-faced man I’d lived with for months.
Was he nervous to see Sam again? Would this be painful for him, seeing the woman he’d loved—loves—marry another man? The ceremony might be too hard for him to attend, but going to the reception wouldn’t be much easier.
Last night, even tired, I’d noticed a shift in Jasper’s mood. Sex had held an edge. A frantic pace. His entire body had been tense, every honed muscle straining.
Or maybe that tension had been my own.
Was I ready for this? Somewhere nearby, the ceremony would be starting soon. Sam and her fiancé would exchange vows and rings.
My hand slid along Jasper’s, my fingers skating over the knuckles on his left hand. His bare left hand. The ring I’d bought him had disappeared. For all I knew, he’d thrown it in the trash.
He didn’t wear rings. Fine. Part of me still hoped that maybe . . . maybe mine would be his exception.
Had he worn Samantha’s ring? Probably. Yes. I knew the answer. I hated that answer.
That woman had taken everything. Every first. Every memory. From that very first night at the Clover Chapel, I hadn’t even stood a chance, had I?
The ache in my chest made it hard to breathe, so I wiggled free, slipping from Jasper’s arms. “I’d better get in the shower.”
Before I could slip past him, he caught my elbow. Then he framed my face with his hands, dropping his lips to mine.
I rose on my toes, fluttering my tongue against his, needing to hear that low growl in his chest. The desire for me, not Sam.
Me. Emotion clawed at my throat, so before I could cry, I broke the kiss, forcing a smile as I slipped into the bathroom.
Then I channeled the turmoil in my heart toward looking my absolute best.
The gown Jasper had chosen was a pale lavender. The neckline left my shoulders exposed but its sleeves hit past my elbows. The bodice fit my slight curves, giving the illusion of an hourglass figure. A pleated gather at one hip created a sexy slit that ran to the top of my thigh.
I artfully applied my makeup, going heavier than normal with eye shadow. But my lips stayed pale. And my hair was straight, falling in sleek panels over my shoulders, where the ends tickled my waist.
When I emerged from the bathroom, I found Jasper in the sitting area, adjusting a silver cuff link.
The sight of him in a tux, the black jacket and slacks tailored perfectly to his broad frame, stole the air from my lungs.
This had been his life, hadn’t it? Tuxedos. Elegant hotels. Money. He’d donned that suit and, with it, a power I hadn’t noticed before. Wealth fit him. This was the other side of his life, the side he worked so hard to hide.
Cuff link secure, he glanced up. And froze.
Those dark eyes traveled down my body, head to toe, in a lazy inspection. His Adam’s apple bobbed. And then, without hesitation or reserve, he adjusted the bulge swelling behind his slacks.
“You are magnificent.” His gravelly voice sent a shiver down my spine. A curl of desire bloomed in my core. My hands itched to strip him out of that suit, but that would have to wait.
First, I had a job to do: make his ex-wife jealous. I’d gladly be the woman to rub what she’d lost in her face.
“Ready for this?” I asked.
“Are you?”
“Yeah.” I was ready.
He walked over, bending to brush a kiss to my cheek. Then he held out an elbow, waiting for me to take his arm before he escorted me from the room and down the carpeted hallway to the elevator.
The ride to the first floor was quiet, but the moment the doors slid open, noise filled the lobby.
We strode toward the crowd gathered outside the ballroom, my heels clicking against the polished black and white marble floor. I clutched Jasper’s arm while letting my eyes wander, taking in every detail from the crystal chandeliers to the ornately carved pillars that bracketed every hallway.
“This hotel . . .”
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It’s a dream.”
Jasper hummed. “I prefer a quaint little hotel in Quincy, Montana.”
“Funny.” I looked up, finding his gaze waiting. I’d expected to see some teasing there, but he was dead serious, wasn’t he? He liked The Eloise better than this?
I loved Jasper for that.
I loved Jasper.
Somewhere along the way, I’d fallen in love with my husband.
That emotion came clawing back, but I swallowed it down, once more concentrating on the hotel’s intricate details. “I’m taking notes tonight for our own wedding offerings.”
“I would expect nothing less,” he said as we fell in line with the other guests, inching our way into the reception.
A string quartet was staged in the corner, their music mingling with the hum of conversation and laughter.
The ballroom was bright, the walls cream, as they were throughout the hotel.
Matching cloths covered the tables and chairs.
The centerpieces were gold candelabras that held dripping white candles.
Every table was teeming with pale peonies and pristine white roses.
Crystal wall sconces and glimmering chandeliers bathed the room in golden light.