Chapter 18 #2
“Um, this is—” I start to say, but the woman releases a yelp, automatically dropping her bag and taking up a fighting position.
A startled breath leaves me as I quickly assess the threat, but my thoughts falter when I meet the same blue eyes I was just fantasizing about. Kelsey.
The moment stretches between us, her eyes locking with mine, a mix of surprise and something deeper flickering there.
It’s all too much—the way my body reacts like it’s been waiting for this.
I blink, trying to determine whether this is real or some exhaustion-induced hallucination, but her presence is too solid, too real to deny.
My pulse races, my heart thumping in my chest as if it’s trying to escape. This is her—the woman who has captured my attention and won’t seem to let it go—and now she’s standing in front of me, close enough to feel the heat of her breath.
The towel around my waist suddenly feels like it’s not enough of a shield, or maybe is too much of one, as her eyes trace my chest, wandering along the grooves of my abs, up over my shoulders, before landing on my face.
The surge of pride that flares inside of me at her perusal quickly flees as her brows pull together in confusion.
“Is this not…” she says as she steps back into the hall to look at the room number next to the door. “I think you’re in my room.”
“Bold statement from the woman who just walked in on me coming out of the shower in what is clearly my room.”
Kelsey lets out a sigh of frustration, and without thinking, I close the foot of distance between us, wrapping her in an embrace that feels like it’s been building for far too long. Her body stiffens, but then she lets out a soft breath, and I swear, it feels like the world settles for a moment.
“What are you—” she begins, but her voice falters, and she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she leans into me just a fraction, like maybe she’s testing the waters too.
“It’s been a long fucking day, and I just need a hug,” I admit.
Her breath hitches, and for a second, I think she’s going to say something I don’t want to hear—maybe pull herself away and tell me there’s nothing between us.
But she doesn’t. She stays right there, her head against my chest, like she’s listening to my heartbeat.
I feel it—this rightness, like when you come back to your childhood home after you’ve been away, and everything is familiar and safe.
“Okay,” she mutters, pulling back just enough to look me in the eyes. “I suppose I should call Gail and figure out how we got assigned to the same room.”
Kelsey steps away from me completely and pulls out her phone.
As she looks at the time on her lockscreen, she lets out another sigh, twirling the ring on her middle finger.
It’s already almost two in the morning. Her thumb hovers at the bottom of her screen as she glances past me to the king-sized bed in the middle of the room.
“Do you… It’s just… I’m worried it’s too late to…” Kelsey trails off.
Fuck. Is she actually considering staying here?
“It is really late,” I say, doing my best to hide the excitement in my voice at the prospect of Kelsey spending the night here.
I’m not one to believe in divine intervention, but I might owe God, or at least Gail, a thank-you note for whatever this chance is they’ve given me.
“It’s just one night,” I say. “There’s a king bed, and we’re both adults. Plus, you look like you’re about to pass out on the spot, and I’m too tired to track down Gail and move rooms at this point. Just stay here with me.”
Kelsey looks at the bed again, indecision written all over her face.
“I can sleep on the floor,” I offer.
She smirks, clearly amused by the offer. “On the floor? Really?”
“Yeah, if it’ll make you more comfortable. It’s not like I didn’t sleep in worse places when I was in the Rangers,” I reply, my tone light, trying to make a joke out of it. But even as I say it, my body rebels, begging for the opportunity to sleep next to her just once.
She bites her lip, looking at the king-sized bed like it might secretly be hiding the answers to the universe. Finally, she nods, and there is a softness in her eyes that wasn’t there a second ago. “Okay, fine. No floor, though. You’re just as tired as I am.”
“Deal,” I say, turning toward the bed so she doesn’t see my smile. “I’ll get changed out here if you want to have the bathroom.”
“Thanks,” Kelsey says as she grabs her suitcase and rolls it after her into the bathroom.
I hear the shower turn on, and I force my mind to focus on something—anything—other than the naked woman currently feet away from me.
I fail miserably, though I do manage to get changed into a clean undershirt and a pair of black boxer briefs.
I normally sleep naked, and as I’ve worn my workout clothes at least a couple of times each without washing them, this is going to have to do.
Minutes later, the shower turns off, and I hear her moving around, the sound of a zipper, and then her brushing her teeth. When the sink’s water shuts off and I hear the door open, I realize I have no idea how to play this cool.
Not knowing what else to do, I slow my breathing so she at least won’t know how hard I had to work not to join her in the shower.
I stare at the wall, my back to her side of the bed.
I want to flip over so I know what she wears to sleep in—if she’s more of a silk nighty or oversized T-shirt kind of woman—but I force my eyes closed.
She pulls back the covers, her movements slow and deliberate as she climbs into the bed.
“Goodnight, Carter,” she whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear.
“Goodnight, Kels,” I whisper back, and it’s like a weight lifts from me—like everything that’s been building between us finally comes to rest. I can feel her presence beside me, steady and real, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I’m not thinking about my mom’s Alzheimer’s, or contracts, or the tour.
I’m just thinking about the bundle of warmth in my bed and about how everything seems right in this tiny, perfect moment.
A moment I’ll do everything in my power to make sure I have again because it’s the first time in a long time I’ve felt like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.