Page 105 of Last Letters to Ara
Since we’ll only be in New York for one day, we won’t be doing much sightseeing. I have to be back at Jane’s, and Theo, I assume, has to be back for his book tour.
Speaking of… “So, when do you go on tour?”
He sighs. “Soon. I leave in a few days, and I’ll be gone for a month.” My chest hollows out at the thought of being apart for that much time. “It’s an amazing opportunity, so I can’t complain, but I could have done with more notice and a shorter trip.”
“Well, I’ll still be here when you get back.” I duck my head down, not able to believe that I said something so cheesy out loud.
Theo gently tilts my chin up, kissing me softly. “I’m banking on that.”
Present - Ara
IT WAS CUTEhow we thought we could just show up in New York and get a hotel room that we didn’t have to share with a cockroach on such short notice. I cross my fingers as we walk into the last hotel that came up on our search near The Fashion Institute. It’s much nicer than the others, which also means more expensive, but it’s got good reviews, and we won’t have any tiny roommates.
Despite the hotel being on the smaller side, it really is beautiful. With floors so shiny that I can almost see my reflection, and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling whose crystal shards send stunning light fragments throughout the lobby, it’s something out of a dream.
The man at the front desk is dressed in a suit with more pieces than I can count, my stomach sinking when he says they are completely booked up. At this rate, we’re going to be sleeping on the street.
“Isn’t there anything you can do to help?” Theo’s eyes are pleading. I would jump off a bridge when he asked if those eyes were pointed at me.
It looks like the man feels the same way because he looks down again, indecision and a slight grimace weighing on his features. “Well…there is one room. It’s a queen suite, but the bathroom is under renovation, and therefore not technically available. You’d have to come down to the lobby or visit the pool during opening hours to use the bathroom or shower.”
Theo glances at me and I nod. It’s a bed. “We’ll take it.”
“Great. Let me just call up to someone to get the room ready. Perhaps you’d like to get some dinner first and explore the amenities?”
“Sure, how long do you need?” I’m relieved that Theo naturally does all the talking.
“A couple of hours.”
“No problem at all, we are very appreciative.” Theo gives the man his details and reaches into his wallet to tip him.
“Thank you very much,” the man says. “Oh, and Mr. Carter, I’d really appreciate your uh,discretion. As I said, the room isn’t supposed to be occupied.”
Theo smiles. “What room?”
The man grins back and nods.
• • •
A couple hours later, I’m slipping the key card into the reader and opening the door so Theo can carry our bags in. The room is simple but elegant with a queen bed in the middle and the door to the bathroom taped off. We’d both decided to hit the bathroom before coming up here where I’d brushed my teeth. Five times.
I’d usually be tired by now, but my body is alive.
Theo sets my bag on the luggage rack in the corner of the room and puts his bag on the floor. It’s the little things he does without thinking, the courteous gestures which show I’m at the forefront of his mind at all times, that drive me out of my mind for him.
I wander around, checking out what the mini bar has to offer, not that anyone in their right mind would take something from it with how overpriced it all is. Following it up with a perusal of the in-room dining menu, I’ll be reading the phone directory in no time. I’m stalling and I know it.
“There’s probably a Bible in one of the drawers if you want to check that out, too.” Theo teases, a sensual lilt to his words.
“Gotta keep myself entertained somehow.” When my tone comes out as suggestive as his, I know that I’m about to introduce my cautions to my good friend: the wind.
Theo walks over to me, puts his hands on both sides of my face with the tips of his fingers slipping into my hair and kisses me.It’s not overpowered by our urgency like it was this morning. It starts out slow yet demanding, getting to feel every dip of his lips. He drags his tongue across my bottom lip, and I open for him.
One of his hands goes to the back of my neck for support, as he tips my head back and deepens the kiss even more. My hands come out of the frozen state they’ve been locked into, ready to trace every inch of him.
They find his jaw first, that chiseled line which is unfair to the rest of mankind, before heading down his neck, broad shoulders, and muscular arms. As I make it to his hands, he grabs mine to rest them against his chest before reaching down, grabbing my thighs and hoisting me up. I squeal with how easy he lifts me up, and he captures the sound with his mouth.
Theo sets me on the dresser, as I spread my legs so he can get closer and my hands drift down the muscular planes of his stomach. I’ve officially gone mad from frustration or desire when I slap his abs. “How can you look like this? It’s completely unfair.”
