Chapter 11
KIMBERLY
The next morning, I felt like someone had cracked open my head with a sledgehammer. I'd never had such a headache in my life.
Drake had insisted on picking me up from home, but it felt cruel to make him get up earlier just so we could share an Uber.
My phone pinged as the car approached the terminal. It was from Drake.
Drake: I'm waiting for you in the drop-off section C.
"Can we please go to the drop-off section C?" I told the driver.
"Of course."
I was so exhausted that I didn't even feel the usual butterflies in my stomach when Drake texted me, but that was good. It would make this trip easier, or at least it would make the first part easier.
A few seconds later, I realized I was completely wrong.
I noticed Drake standing with his carry-on next to him and two coffee cups just in front of the main door.
Just like that, my whole body seemed to wake up.
Oh yeah, those were flutters in my belly.
And my pulse was racing. I felt a jolt of adrenaline as if I'd already drunk a cup of coffee.
As soon as my car stopped, Drake walked toward us.
“Have a great weekend,” I told the driver before getting out. My assistant had already prepaid for the ride.
Drake looked extremely handsome, even this early. I couldn't even see past my nose to put on my boots without stumbling this morning. But I sure as hell could drink him in. I was glad I had my priorities straight.
"This is for you," he said, handing me a cup.
"Thank you so, so much. Is it coffee?"
"No, it's hot chocolate. You said you never drink coffee this early."
My face exploded into a smile. "That's right. I don't."
"And this is a muffin."
"Drake!"
"I told you I'd take care of you." He grinned. "You don't look as grumpy as you warned me that you'd be."
"You've only spent one minute in my presence. Give it a couple more."
After the driver took out my bag, Drake grabbed the handle and rolled both suitcases in one hand, taking his cup of coffee in the other one.
My headache had magically disappeared. I felt energized, and it wasn't from the hot cocoa. Oh, that went straight to my soul. For the first time, I had a good feeling about this trip. I felt like I could relax, too, that I didn't have to keep my guard up all the time.
The airport was surprisingly full at this hour. "My God, all those people going on business trips,” I said. “Maybe we should have taken Travis's helicopter."
"Wait, Travis has a helicopter?"
I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, he can even fly it himself, though he hasn't done it in some time.
"Why are we flying commercial, then?"
I grimaced. "Helicopters feel unsafe to me. And we would have to stop for fuel twice or something. They’re uncomfortable for long distances. Besides, I don’t like them.”
Famous last words.
"Okay, I'm rethinking that. Next time we fly somewhere, we’re taking the helicopter, no matter how often we have to stop for fuel," I said as we rolled our suitcases out of the crowded airport in Aspen.
Drake grinned. "I completely agree. Let's go to your hotel first, and then I'll go to mine."
"Thanks," I said, looking around. The area was overflowing. "Wow, I've been here before, but it was never this crowded."
"Valentine’s Day attracts a lot of people."
"This isn’t the best time to objectively judge the place.”
“Kimberly." It sounded like a warning.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to start fighting you. Not yet. I'll wait until after I see the location."
He tilted forward, opening his mouth and closing it again, and then his gaze fell on my lips. I licked them on instinct.
Are his eyes hooded, or am I reading into things? This weekend has barely started, and it's already going in the wrong direction.
Thankfully, we found an Uber quickly, and we arrived at my hotel half an hour later. Drake got out of the car too.
"You can drop me off and go to your hotel to get settled, and we can meet in… let's say half an hour at the property. No, that's too soon. You have to check in too.”
“I'm going to help you with your luggage, Kimberly. Look at all those stairs."
I beamed. "I'm not made out of sugar, you know? I can carry my own luggage. You should see Parisian buildings. Some of them are too old for elevators."
"But you’re not in Paris. You're in Aspen with me."
Without further ado, he grabbed my bag and gestured for me to walk up the stairs while the cab waited outside for him. I went straight to the reception desk with Drake next to me. "Hi, I have a reservation. Kimberly Maxwell. Actually, I think it's under Maxwell Hotels."
"Of course."
While the receptionist clicked on her computer, I peeked around at the hotel. I was happy I'd chosen this one. And Drake had taken one for the team and decided to sleep in the one with the Valentine’s Day decorations.
The receptionist frowned.
"Is there a problem?" I asked.
She looked up at me, giving me an uneasy smile. "Um, I found a reservation."
"Good. For a second, I thought maybe my assistant made a mistake."
"But it's for next year on Valentine's Day."
I blinked several times. "No. That can't be."
"Yeah, it is."
"That's impossible. My assistant said you only had this one room available."
"We’re booked up for next year too. Valentine's Day is a very sought-after weekend, so typically people plan it a long time in advance."
I couldn't believe it. "Can you find me anything at all? I don't care how big or small."
She gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm truly sorry, but we're completely booked."
I drew another deep breath as Drake came up next to me. "We're here on business. We need a solution."
"I'm afraid I can't help you. Did you two have a room together? It says here it's just for one person."
"No, I'm staying at another hotel," Drake said.
"Maybe they can help you."
I looked at Drake. "Now I'm stressing out that maybe my assistant also booked you for next year. Come on. Let's go see if they have something for me."
I was furious but trying not to show it. I was going to give my assistant a piece of my mind. But it was the weekend, so I had to wait. Besides, that wouldn't help with anything.
Drake scooped up my luggage again, and we went down the stairs. When we approached the car, he put a hand on my lower back.
"Kimberly, we'll figure something out."
"I just don't like being put in a situation like this." I tried to ignore the heat radiating from his touch. "I just can't see how they'll find a spot for us."
He leaned in, looking at my mouth. "Worst-case, we'll share my room. I can take the couch or the floor and leave you the bed."
A shudder went through me, followed by a hot flash and another cold shiver.
"You've already imagined all this," I replied in a whisper.
"Fuck no, I'd imagined something completely different, but this is the gentlemanly version of it." Drake flashed me a wicked smile.
He opened the car door for me, and I slipped inside.
Neither of us spoke during the ride. I was still processing his words. I couldn't stop picturing us in that god-awful suite.
When we arrived, we got out of the car at the same time. Drake pulled the luggage out of the trunk.
"Come on. I'll take mine this time," I said. "You already have yours."
He smirked. "I'm tough enough to carry both of them—and you, if need be.”
Yet another image popped into my mind. Hmm, how would he carry me? In his arms? Nah, he needs those to carry the luggage. But he could throw me over his shoulder. My nipples perked up at the thought.
Yep, I'd officially run into dangerous territory.
There was a long line at the reception desk, but an extra reception worker was already taking the guests' information to speed things up once they got up to the counter. I made a mental note to add a similar service to ours, although we were well organized and didn’t have this sort of problem.
We asked guests to check in online before arrival, which cut our waiting time tremendously.
But this was a good option to offer those who weren't very tech-savvy.
"Welcome to our hotel. What name is your reservation under?"
"Maxwell Hotels," Drake replied. "But we have a situation. Ms. Kimberly Maxwell didn't receive the room she'd booked at another hotel. She needs one here as well.”
The receptionist winced, looking at me and then at Drake. "I'm truly sorry, but we have nothing available."
"Can you check the reservation we have from Maxwell Hotels? My assistant made a mistake in the other hotel and booked it for next year. I'm afraid she might have done the same here," I said.
"I will check right away."
“Are you always this positive?” Drake asked me.
"No, but it's better to know."
The receptionist looked up from her iPad right away. "I'm happy to confirm the reservation is for tonight. I have a suggestion. We can add a rollaway bed in the living room of the suite."
I instantly flushed. Drake was biting back a smile. "We'll keep that option in mind,” I said. "But could you help us find a solution? I would appreciate it."
"We can certainly try calling other hotels for you, but I'm not making any promises. Even in the best-case scenario, it’ll take longer than your check-in for us to find another room for you. Even all our sister hotels outside of Aspen are booked up."
"Our meeting with the realtor is in forty minutes," I said. "We don't have time to wait around."
"You're here on a business trip?" she asked.
"Yes," Drake replied.
"Okay, why don't we do the following: leave your luggage with us in the room upstairs, make yourself comfortable, and while you’re out for your meeting, we’re going to try our best to find you a hotel room.
If we fail, we can always go with the option of putting in a rollaway bed in the living room. "
Don't blush, Kimberly. Don't blush. I didn't…until Drake pinned me with his gaze. I swallowed hard.
"Sounds like a good plan," he said.
The receptionist nodded. "Excellent. I've got all the information I need for the check-in. Your assistant was very thorough. We'll just need your signature when you get to the counter."
Two minutes later, our turn came. I had to give it to them, they were efficient, but I couldn't pay attention to anything. I was too consumed by the fact that Drake and I might have to spend the night in the same room.