Chapter 6
SIX
Alivia
The bed in my room at the Cole and Spade Hotel was far too big. It was too comfortable. It had way too many puffy pillows and a dreamy comforter and silky sheets. The soft all-white bedding was like getting swallowed in a fluffy cloud.
It was a bed that was going to ruin all future beds for me, including the one I had at Dean’s, because nothing could compare.
And to make me feel even more spoiled and pampered, there was a plate of French fries and a piece of cheesecake on my nightstand. The dessert was covered in strawberries and a swirl of whipped cream. I dipped my finger into the topping and moaned as I sucked it off my skin.
After what had gone down in Whiskey’s room tonight, I really should have had more of an appetite, considering the only thing I’d eaten today was a small sandwich on the way to the hotel.
But when I read over the room service menu, the options were too heavy and rich, and I worried the sauces and red meat would hit my stomach—a stomach that, for months, had been half filled with just light foods—and it would revolt.
So, I’d stuck with fries—something I could pick on all night, as they were good hot or cold—and I’d chosen the cheesecake because I never really ate anything sweet.
I was popping one of the fresh strawberries into my mouth when my phone vibrated next to me. I was buried in so much down that I had to dig for it.
Lex
You have the next two nights off. Why aren’t you at my bar right now, hanging out with me so you don’t have to be at Dean’s? Or maybe the better question is, why are you at a hotel in Beverly Hills? (Yes, I looked up your location. That’s what besties do when they’re missing their girl.)
Me
I MISS YOU.
Long story short (kinda), I got a notification from the Hooked app that I matched 100% with someone.
The % was too tempting to ignore, especially when the guy offered to get me my own hotel room.
So, I came, and you could say I conquered, lol.
Lex, oh boy, he was delicious. In every way.
Sooo, that happened. Now I’m in my own room, spread out in bed, eating room service, like a real princess.
Lex
Hell yeah, girl. It’s about time you were treated like one.
Also, thank God you finally got laid. Do I need to remind you how long it’s been since that happened? That number is mega scary, by the way.
Me
I know. I don’t disagree. I just don’t have time for men—you know that. And I can’t exactly bring a dude home. Besides, living there makes me miserable. Until I become unmiserable, I need to stay single.
Lex
You’re almost out of there. One more month, babe.
Me
I cannot tell you how relieved that makes me. I wouldn’t survive more than a month—I feel like I’m barely surviving now.
Lex
I wish you would come live with me.
Me
I wish you didn’t live so far away.
Lex
It sounds like tonight made you feel a little better?
Me
A lot better.
Lex
I love this for you. I want more of this for you. If there’s anyone in this world who deserves to find the man of her dreams, it’s you.
Me
I love you, but nooo. This isn’t a happily ever after. This is a happy for now. This was just a hookup and probably my last one for a while. I have too much going on and too little time to even breathe.
Lex
I’m worried I’m never going to see you.
Me
With my new schedule, I’m not sure if I’ll have any days off. Sigh.
But it’s okay. It’s all leading me to Mom and Dean freedom, and that’s all I want. Well, maybe not all, but it’s a good start.
Lex
Babe, I’m your biggest cheerleader. I want you to have everything you’ve ever dreamed of. I also want you to find time for yourself and not drown.
Me
And I love you for that.
A notification came across my screen, showing there was a message in my inbox on the Hooked app. Of course, now that I’d logged in, the app could come alive again and start pairing me with men I matched with. Something told me, at least for tonight, that wasn’t the case.
I hoped so anyway.
I opened the app and clicked on my inbox.
Whiskey35
You’re still at the hotel, right?
His question wasn’t even a special one. His wording wasn’t soft or seductive. Yet as I read it over and over, a smile grew across my face, and it wouldn’t drop from my lips.
Had I secretly hoped he would reach out?
Shit, if I admitted that to myself, that meant I was open to dating, and I’d just told Lex I didn’t have time for anything even close to that.
And I didn’t have time for Whiskey either.
But there was something about him I wanted more of.
Something that had immediately drawn me in, that kept me intrigued, that left me so monumentally satisfied.
Something so strong that it had made me want to stay in his suite and not come to my own. The only reason I hadn’t asked to was because I was afraid of what his response would be.
Whether he gave me a yes or no—both answers were complicated in their own way.
Me
Yes.
Whiskey35
Was tonight memorable enough? Or have you already forgotten me?
Me
Ha! You’re kidding, right?
Whiskey35
I don’t kid, Sky. I’m not what you would call a jokester. I don’t even like comedy.
Me
Who doesn’t like comedy?
Whiskey35
Someone who doesn’t remember how to laugh.
Me
You laughed while you were with me.
Whiskey35
Impossible.
Me
No, you did. I distinctly recall you laughing and chuckling multiple times. It’s a unique, gritty, sexy sound that really stood out to me. Almost in a contagious way.
Whiskey35
Tell me something … what are you doing right now?
Me
Lying in bed.
Whiskey35
Did you order food?
Me
You really do have a food obsession. But, yes, to answer your question, I did order some room service.
Whiskey35
What did you get?
Me
French fries and strawberry cheesecake.
Whiskey35
How was it?
Me
So far, I’ve only had a few fries, some whipped cream, and a strawberry. But those were good.
Whiskey35
Why haven’t you dug into the dessert?
Me
Because I’m talking to you. I’m only going to take a few bites of it anyway. It’s a giant piece. The kind of size you share, not eat yourself, unless you’re into stomachaches.
Whiskey35
Are you offering to share it with me?
My thumbs hovered above the keyboard as I stared at the screen. My description of the cheesecake had been intentional, hadn’t it? Did I know exactly what I was doing when I typed that?
Or had I just wanted to feel wanted?
What I did know was that his response was the reason I was wiggling in bed, no longer able to lie still, so I sat up, crossed my legs, and scooped the nearby pillows, pulling them closer.
Alivia, you know you can’t get a single feeling involved, so why are you playing with fire?
Me
Yes, I guess I am.
Whiskey35
Why don’t you bring yourself up to my room? With or without the cheesecake.
Me
When?
Whiskey35
Now.
As my knuckles lightly tapped Whiskey’s door, I sucked in a deep breath, anticipating what it would feel like to see him again. Would that fluttering in my stomach return, that rush of tingles that went straight to my chest and beat even faster than my heart? Or would I feel—
“It’s like you never left.” He stood in the cracked doorway, shirtless, the hallway light causing his silver metal chain to shimmer. His beautiful green eyes were so absorbed and intent on me that I almost didn’t dip my gaze and catch sight of his bulging pecs.
Almost … but not quite.
Shit.
The flutter was there. But instead of a tickle, like the butterfly wings I’d felt earlier, this was a throbbing.
A strong one, the strongest.
I’d never felt anything like it before.
“Except this time, I brought something sweet with me.” I held the plate out to him.
“You brought something sweet last time.”
When his stare took a dive down my body, the air in my lungs halted.
“Your pussy.”
There wasn’t an inch of skin that didn’t flush from his statement.
He glanced back up. “Come in.”
He held the door open, and as I passed him, I got a whiff of the ginger-grapefruit-and-sage combo of his cologne, and I almost moaned.
I set the plate on the table in front of the couch and took a seat, tucking my legs beneath me. “We have a problem.” I picked up the fork that was next to the cheesecake and held it in the air. “I only have one of these.”
When he sat beside me, he put less than a cushion of space between us. “Why is that a problem?”
“I don’t know how you feel about sharing.”
He pushed the hair off my shoulder, gripping the back of my neck, turning slightly toward me.
“My lips have been all over your body, including your mouth. There’s nothing you can put on that fork that I haven’t already tasted.
” He licked his lips, and all I could think about was how it had felt when we kissed. “Unless you have an issue with it?”
My issue was that I was already wet. “Nope. I’m good.”
“You know, I don’t see a reason why we even have to use a fork.
” He lifted the cake with his fingers, the strawberries falling from the top, the strawberry sauce dripping, and he brought it up to his mouth.
The bite he took was near the back, so he was getting the cake, whipped cream, and graham cracker crust.
He was even a smooth eater; nothing landed on his lips, not even a crumb or a dab of sauce. And when he chewed, the muscles in his jaws flexed.
Dear God.
I wrapped my arms around my stomach. “What are you, an animal?” I laughed.
He held the piece in front of me. “Take a bite. Tell me how good it is.”
“You went from pushing food to now feeding me food?”
“That’s the way you see it. What I want to see is how far your lips can spread and what it looks like when there’s creamy white cheesecake on them and the sounds you’re going to make when you’re swallowing.”
“Of course. How could I be so stupid and think otherwise?” I winked.