Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
The second Matthew pushed open the door to his suite and Rachel stepped inside, she let out a loud “What?!” She’d expected his room to be a carbon copy of hers, with a sleeping bag and not much else on the bed, but his was nothing short of palatial. A kingdom of comfort. A lordship of luxury. A dukedom of decadence!
“You’ve been living like this, and I’ve been … oh.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “What’s wrong with my room?”
What was wrong with it? Everything! The cozy looking duvet. The mountain of pillows. And that gorgeous cream woolen rug. She narrowed her eyes. Was that a brand-new bed?
“I’ve been sleeping on an ancient smelly mattress with only a sleeping bag between me and lord knows what. When did all this stuff arrive?”
He looked more perplexed than ashamed. “I told you I like my creature comforts, and I particularly love my sleep. I brought most of this with me when they threw me out of the apartment. I had a new bed and mattress delivered the morning I got here, and the old one taken away. I was sure as shit not sleeping on the horrible stinky thing that greeted me when I arrived. I’m surprised you didn’t do the same.”
It hadn’t even crossed her mind to arrange other furniture or bed linen. To Rachel’s way of thinking they’d been sent to live at the lodge as a form of punishment. Matthew at least had had the good sense to see it for what it really was—the Brocks asking them to work together and come up with a solution.
I am a total idiot.
Having now seen his bed, Rachel knew she couldn’t ever go back to hers. To the constant dank smell of damp and dust.
Decision made, Rachel took a running leap at Matthew’s bed, landing on all fours in the middle of the mattress. He climbed on after her and beckoned for Rachel to come to him. She prowled on over, rising up to drape her arms around his neck.
“I really like this bed. So guess what? I’m moving in with you, Mister Royal.”
They sealed the deal with a long, lingering kiss.