Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Deacon
It’s Tuesday night, so if I don’t see Aurora again tonight, it’s going to be Sunday before I get the chance again.
I didn’t see her at all yesterday. I’ve had room service delivered, but Aurora was nowhere to be seen.
She wasn’t on reception, or at the bar earlier.
I punch the button on the phone for housekeeping and order some additional towels.
Maybe she’ll deliver them.
I’m clutching at straws, but I want to see her. I want to ask her to dinner again.
I don’t know why I didn’t get her number the night at the restaurant.
I guess with her working at the hotel, I thought I’d have plenty of opportunities.
Also, what happened that night had been unexpected.
If I’d asked for her number and then afterwards decided I didn’t want to use it, it could have made things awkward.
Now I know I would have used it. I’m pretty sure I would have blown her phone the fuck up, I’d have called her so often.
She haunts every dream I have and she dominates every second thought.
It’s like she’s put some kind of spell on me.
I don’t know what happened to me during that dinner, but something did.
Something shifted inside me. Maybe it was the way she got me to talk about things I try to bury.
It feels like she really wants to know me, and I’m not sure I’ve ever felt that from anyone. Or at least I haven’t let myself.
She looks at me like she’s searching for something deeper than just my body and my money. She exudes a mixture of naivety and determination that is intoxicating.
I pace my hotel room, waiting for the knock on the door.
I feel like a caged animal. If this doesn’t work, I’m just going to call reception and ask her to come up to my room.
Although she might hate me if I do that.
She’s already said she doesn’t want people to know that anything’s happened between us.
There’s a knock at the door and I stalk over and swing the door open.
My body relaxes the instant I see her.
“Finally,” I say on a sigh.
She beams at me. “Your additional towels, Mr. Black.”
My dick twitches at the way she says my name. Jesus, what’s this woman doing to me?
“Put them in my bathroom, please,” I say on a growl.
Her eyes dart over my shoulder, and I stand aside to let her in. At the very least, I have to get her number.
But I want so much more.
I follow her into the bathroom and watch as she arranges the towels on the rail beneath the two sinks. I’m getting the best view of her perfect arse. All I want to do is pull her hips back and press her against me.
She straightens, looks in the mirror directly at me, standing behind her, close enough to reach out and wrap my hand around her waist. We stare at each other for a few seconds.
“Is there anything else you need, Mr. Black?”
Fuck. The things I could suggest.
“Turn around,” I say. The pulse in my neck is throbbing, and I fist my hands to stop myself for reaching for her.
She does as I ask. Her gaze trails up my body, from my dick, up my torso, to my mouth, and then to meet my eyes.
“Where have you been?” I sound half desperate.
“Around,” she says. “Where have you been?”
Could she have been wanting me since that first kiss too?
“Let’s have dinner again,” I say.
She tilts her head, exposing her neck. “Maybe.” She glances at the door. “I have to go.”
I shake my head. I only just got her here. I’m not ready for her to go. “You can tidy up the towels a little longer, surely?”
“Kiss me,” she says, out of nowhere.
She doesn’t need to ask me twice.
I step toward her, cup her face, and walk her back until her arse hits the vanity unit.
Then I press my lips to hers.
Thank god, my entire body seems to be saying.
She tastes better than I remember. Her skin is so soft under my fingers. She’s so goddamn delicate.
I want to lift her up onto this vanity and unbuckle my belt. I want to fuck her right here. Right now. Watching her in the mirror as she comes. Again and again. I won’t stop until she’s had so many orgasms, she’s lost count.
She hooks her fingers into the waistband of my trousers, and I growl into her mouth. It’s almost too much and not enough at the same time.
I wonder if I could even fuck this woman like she deserves? I’d probably lose my nerve or something. I deepen the kiss, wanting to take everything I can from her.
Her hands sweep up my torso and she presses lightly, persuading me away from her.
I don’t know how, but I break our kiss.
“I don’t ever want to stop kissing you,” I confess. Fuck. I’ve never said that to a woman before. What power does she have over me?
She grins, and I enjoy the way my stubble has brought the blood to the surface of her face around her mouth.
It tells me she’s been mine. Just for a few moments.
“If you’re not going to give me a yes to dinner straightaway, can I have your number?”
She presses her lips together. Is she really hesitating? Doesn’t she feel this chemistry between us?
“You have any visitors stopping by tonight?”
I sigh, take a few steps back, and lean on the wall opposite her. Her eyes dart to my straining hard-on. It’s all for her.
“Nope,” I reply. Is that what this is? She doesn’t like that I fuck other women? I’m a prick, but I enjoy her jealousy. “If it makes you feel better, I’ve not fucked anyone since our kiss.”
She narrows her eyes. “Because of our kiss?”
It’s a good question. “I’m not sure,” I answer honestly. “Maybe.”
The corner of her mouth twitches. “I’ve not fucked anyone since our kiss either.”
I grin, but an odd sense of need washes over me. I don’t want her fucking anyone else. I’m not sure anyone would be able to treat her the way she deserves to be treated.
Jesus. What is wrong with me?
“Good to know,” I reply.
She shrugs. I want her to say yes to dinner. I want her to give me her number. But I don’t want her to do either of those things because I’ve pestered her for them.
If she’s not interested, then better to know now.
She looks right at me, a look of vulnerability in her beautiful green eyes. “I don’t want…”
I can finish her sentence. I can see what she’s saying before she’s formed the words. She doesn’t want to get hurt.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” I say it with confidence, even though I have no right to. Maybe I will hurt her. I barely know her, yet I’m making promises I’m not sure I can keep. I don’t want to hurt her. That I know for sure.
“Are you really divorced?” she asks, her tone changing.
“I’ve never been married. But yes, I’m definitely separated from Gabby.”
“Are you still in love with her?”
I pull in a breath. Should I be honest? More honest than I ever was with Gabby?
Yes. That’s what I want to be with Aurora. “I don’t think I was ever in love with her.”
“But you had a child with her.”
I nod. “It was unplanned. We tried to make it work. It didn’t.”
She pulls out her phone. “What’s your number?”
Good for her. She’s not making it easy for me. I reel off my number and she saves it in her phone.
“Oh, and call me Deacon.” I’m not sure I should have said that. The way she says Mr. Black is like she’s whispering a spell to get me hard.
She shifts her weight and sticks out her hip. “You want me to call you Deacon, Mr. Black?” She lingers over the words Mr. Black. She knows exactly what she’s doing.
My cock presses against my zipper and I take a step towards her. My hard-on is almost touching her stomach. Our eyes lock. It feels like a standoff, like each of us is daring the other to take the next step.
I clench my fists and drag my gaze away from her. “You better get out of here,” I say.
She steps back and the spell between us is broken. “I’ll let you know about dinner.”
“Or call me anyway,” I say, sounding pathetic.
She tries her best not to grin. “Maybe. I really have to go.”
She’s full of maybes. I want her yeses.
She sweeps past me and I catch her hand. She stops, and I lift her arm and press her wrist to my mouth. Just a little bit more of her.
She smiles, I release her arm, and then she’s gone.
Fuck. What is this woman doing to me? She’s running circles around me and has me counting down the minutes until I can catch a glimpse of her. I never imagined I could want a woman as much as I want Aurora.