Page 48 of SnowBound

Lilianna moved to her tiptoes and murmured in my ear, “I have a hotel suite. To myself. With a hot tub. Meet me there in thirty minutes. I’ll order champagne.” She pushed a plastic keycard into my hand, her lips dancing over the stubble of my jaw. “Room forty-six-twenty-seven. I’ll wait for you, Anderson.” She started to walk away, swaying her hips, before she appeared to remember something and returned to my side. Her lips brushed the shell of my ear as she added, “Clothes are optional.” She winked and disappeared into the crowd filling the dancefloor. My gaze trailed her movement until I couldn’t see her anymore.

I perused the space around me, ready to bolt out of there. From the opposite side of the ballroom, her daddy dearest’s eyes searched mine, and he offered me his best menacing look, that said Touch my daughter and I’ll kill you.

With a shake of my head and a lopsided smile, I brought my beer to my lips and dragged my other hand over my face.

Tonight, I’d go to bed alone.

After I finished my drink and met the groom to collect my payment, I shook hands with the band now entertaining the crowd and gathered my guitar. When I passed Lilliana’s daddy, I pushed the keycard into his chest. His fingers connected with the plastic rectangle, and he watched me with rounded eyes. “Night, sir,” I said before leaving.

New York’s cold breeze tingled the tip of my nose. Buttoning up my jacket, I opened an app on my phone to book a cab.

While I waited, I people-watched everyone entering and exiting the posh hotel. Businessmen, families, couples. One caught my attention. A guy about my age arguing with his—I supposed—girlfriend, both of them gesticulating, clearly not agreeing on something. The girl shook her head, about to contend further when the guy leaned forward, cradled her face, and kissed her lips. Hard. She steeled against him for a second before melting in his arms and kissing him back, the fight forgotten.

Feeling like a voyeur, I averted my eyes and checked the time on my phone instead.

Perhaps I should have accepted Liliana’s offer. I sighed. Who was I kidding? From how my last time went and the aftermath of it, I knew I wasn’t good with no-strings-attached sex. I preferred relationships. Always had. And the idea of wetting my dick in anyone else felt like I was cheating on a girl whose full name I didn’t even know.

How pathetic had I become?

Before I could chastise myself, a car stopped before me, and my phone chimed at the same time, notifying my ride was here. I hauled myself onto the backseat after I slid my guitar case in. “Evening, sir,” the driver said before pulling away.

I returned his greeting and lost myself in the contemplation of the Manhattan skyline I could see through the window, what-ifs swirling in my head. Another melody played in my mind, and I ended up drumming my fingertips on my thigh as the lyrics took form. On my phone, I made some notes to not forget a thing and relaxed against the seat, my eyelids shut, as the song played on a loop in my head, a hint of a smile curving the corners of my lips.

At that instant, I made a promise to myself. And the girl inspiring all my music. “I’ll never stop looking for you. Please look for me too.”