I reached my hand out for Annie’s, and her gaze bounced between me and Bristol before she shook it.
“Anson Meyer. It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Annie. Bristol has told me a little bit about you. You own a tea subscription company?”
Annie’s smile dropped and was replaced with confusion. She turned to Bristol then back to me. “I’m sorry, I was under the impression you two were…friends.”
I laughed and pulled Bristol closer to me as I wrapped my arm around her waist.
“It’s a ruse we have to play for now, especially when I’m home in Comfort.” I faced Bristol and smiled. “Bristol and I have actually dated since high school. On and off, of course. But it is very much back on.”
Annie frowned and then stared at Bristol. “You told me you were friends when I asked you in the tea room.”
Bristol opened her mouth, licked her lips, then opened her mouth again. I gave her waist a slight squeeze, and she jolted.
“Well, no one knows we’re back together, so when you asked me in front of everyone, I had to say that we’re just friends.”
“We are friends, though,” I said as I kissed the top of her head. “Best friends.”
Bristol had her arm around my waist now, and I ignored the pinch she gave me.
“I see,” Annie said, her cheeks turning slightly pink. “I’m so embarrassed by what I said to you earlier, Bristol. Surely you know I was only kidding?”
“What you said?” I asked.
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. I believe our table is ready now,” Bristol said.
Annie reached for her clutch and then slid off the barstool. I had been right. A very short black cocktail dress.
Bristol motioned for Annie to walk first, then shot me a what in the hell is going on look. I winked, took her hand and draped it over my arm.
I leaned down as we followed Annie. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
Bristol giggled, then shook her head and slowed our pace. “What are you doing, Anson?”
“Go along with it, I’ll explain later.”
Annie stopped and faced us. “You two head on to the table, I’m going to run to the ladies’ room.”
“Of course!” Bristol said, wrapping her hand in mine and nearly pulling me toward the restaurant. They seated us right away in a back corner table with a beautiful view of the hill country.
“Anson! What was that?”
I smiled. “That was one hell of a kiss.”
She rolled her eyes and looked down, trying to hide her smile.
“Admit it, you liked it too.”
Her gazed jerked back up and met mine. “That doesn’t matter. What are you doing?”
“Saving this deal for you. If she thinks we’re together, she won’t expect anything from me, because let’s face it, I can’t take my eyes off of you to even think twice about her. By the way, you look stunning.”
Bristol’s eyes seemed to light up. I could see the gold flecks sparkle as the light from the chandelier shone down on us and practically danced in those beautiful eyes of hers.
“Thank you. This is, well, it’s actually one of Gram’s dresses.”
“I knew it. I love seeing it on you. I remember when you used to hold them up and pretend to dance in them.”
Her cheeks flamed, and my cock twitched in my pants.
“You look handsome as well, which isn’t a shocker by any means.”
I winked, and I swore her breath hitched.
“When did you come up with this little plan, and how did you know all that about Annie?” she asked.
“I came up with it about two minutes after my mother told me about her.”
Bristol rolled her eyes and took a drink of her water. “I’m sure Annie is pissed right now, and that’s why she went to the restroom.”
I shrugged. “She’ll get over it.”
Bristol looked toward the ladies’ restroom. “Where is she, anyway?”
The waitress approached us with a wine list.
“Would you like to order a bottle of wine for the table?”
“No need,” Annie said as she walked up, a devilish smile on her face.
Bristol gave the waitress a grin. “I’ll have water for now.”
“I’ll take any draft beer y’all have.”
Annie turned to the waitress. “The lovebirds here have a change of plans for dinner.”
Bristol kicked me under the table, and I nearly cried out when the point of her high heel connected with my shin. I turned and glared at her. Her eyes went wide, and she gave me a look that said we’d been found out.
“I’m sorry, Annie, what’s going on?” Bristol asked, confused.
“Well, I realized what was happening—that the two of you have been sneaking around trying to keep your relationship under wraps—so I decided you needed a night to yourselves.”
Holy shit. This woman is about to call our bluff.
“Um, honestly, it’s totally fine. I can eat with Anson anytime,” Bristol stated.
Annie chuckled. “Nonsense. When do you find yourself in a beautiful, romantic historical inn like this? I stopped at the front desk, booked the most romantic room they had available, and I’m having dinner and a bottle of their finest champagne sent up.”
I thought Bristol was going to pass out on the spot. “H-how sweet of you.”
“Wow, Annie, that was so nice of you. But you didn’t get to talk about the tea or the subscription boxes with Bristol.”
Her eyes met mine, and she gave me what I was guessing was her best sexy smirk. Too bad it didn’t work. At least not on me.
“I’ll meet you at the tea room tomorrow, say nine? We can talk then.”
Bristol nodded. “Sure. Yes. Thank you so much, Annie.”
She raised her brows. “Well, come on, let’s go see your room.”
Bristol stood and then asked in a very confused tone, “You’re going up to the room with us?”
Annie laughed. “Only to make sure they did what I asked them to.”
“Have they even had time to do anything?” I said as I slipped my hand in Bristol’s. I nearly dropped to the floor when she squeezed it so tight my fingers felt like they might break.
“They already had it set up for a couple on their honeymoon. The husband fell and broke his leg at the reception. So, obviously, they had to cancel… How lucky are you two?”
“So lucky!” Bristol said. She was trying to seem excited, but she only sounded scared to death. “But so terrible for the couple.”
Annie moved to a door that led outside.
“Where are we going?” Bristol asked.
“The Saint John Suite. It’s in the chapel.”
I searched my memory for a chapel. It had been years since I had been here. Bristol and I had attended a wedding here once, and I didn’t remember there being a chapel.
“The chapel?” Bristol asked, fear laced in her voice. I could already see her overactive imagination running rampant. As if Annie would force us to marry on the spot and prove our love for one another.
Soon, the little white chapel came into view.
“There it is! How romantic is that!” Annie exclaimed. This time her voice was filled with excitement.
I peeked down to see Bristol’s eyes light up. “It’s beautiful.”
Annie walked up and punched in a code. After she opened the large doors to the chapel, we walked up the three steps into a beautiful open living space.
“Holy crap,” Bristol whispered as she pulled out her phone from her clutch and stood in the middle of the room.
Annie laughed. “Put your phone away, Bristol. Always thinking of your Instagram. You should be thinking about that king-size bed in the other room.”
Bristol and I both looked through the doors and to the bedroom area. Rose petals were sprinkled all over the bed.
“It’s so beautiful,” Bristol said as she walked in.
Annie glanced around the bedroom. “After seeing how adorable thi
s place is, I don’t think we all have to rush back to Comfort first thing. How about we plan on meeting in the lobby tomorrow morning, say eight thirty?”
“Um, I don’t have a change of clothes or anything,” Bristol reminded her.
Annie winked. “Leave it all to me. Now, you two lovebirds enjoy each other.”
She turned and walked toward the doors. As she shut them, she waved and then laughed. “Enjoy your evening.” She gave me one final look and winked.
Once the door clicked, Bristol got to snapping pictures.
“Anson! Have you ever seen anything so beautiful!”
I sat down on the sofa, took my hat off, and set it on the coffee table.
“Bri?”
She was fluttering around the room taking shots from different angles. “I cannot wait to post about this place. I can’t believe I’m here!”
“Bri.”
“The idea of converting an old chapel into a suite. How smart!”
“Bri!”
She stopped and spun around to look at me.
“She knows.”
With a frown, she asked, “She knows what?”
“I think she knows we’re bluffing. This is a setup. You don’t find it funny she now wants us to meet her in the morning here? She wants to make sure we don’t leave.”
Bristol sank down into one of the Victorian chairs by the side of the sofa.
Even though the next thought made my cock twitch in my pants, I knew Bristol wouldn’t feel nearly as excited. “We’re stuck, in this hotel room. All night, Bri.”
When Bristol let my words sink in, I almost laughed at the expression on her face.
Bristol
“STUCK HERE?” I asked.
“Somehow she figured out it was a ruse. She’s setting us up.”
I stood and paced.
“Okay, so all we have to do is head back home. We’ll check out, ask them to say we stayed all night, and then come back in the morning.”
Anson rubbed the back of his neck and then sighed. “Do you think she’ll leave right away?”
With a shrug, I suggested, “We could always eat. I’m starving.”
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. “Room service.”
Anson looked at me, and we both grinned.
“What the hell. It’s a free meal!” Anson stated.
I jumped and clapped as he walked over and opened the door.
The hotel worker wheeled in our food, set everything up on the table, and then opened the bottle of champagne for us.
“May I get either of you anything else?”
“I think we’re good, thank you,” Anson replied as he handed him a tip.
I lifted the covers off the two plates. My mouth watered at the sight of a pork chop, potatoes, and a salad.
“Okay, that looks good,” Anson said as he poured us a glass of champagne each. “Isn’t this what we ate at the wedding we attended here?”
I took the glass and nodded. “It is. I only remember because we both went on and on about the pork chop and homemade apple sauce.”
Anson smiled and sat.
“This is insane,” I said.
He shrugged, then drank the champagne down in one gulp. I took a sip and set it to the side.
We ate dinner in relative silence. There were so many things I wanted to say to him. Ask him. But it didn’t feel like this was the time or place to do it. He clearly felt the same way since he kept the conversation mostly about neutral things.
When I was finished, I moaned and pushed the dish away from me. “That was good.”
“It was,” Anson agreed. “I think it’s probably safe to get the hell out of Dodge now.”
I nodded and slipped my shoes back on that I had kicked off earlier.
“Let me take some pictures of the bedroom and bathroom before we leave. After all, Annie does follow my Instagram.”
“Smart thinking,” Anson stated.
As I walked into the bedroom, my heart dropped. It was beautiful. The antique furniture in the room was stunning. The bed looked like heaven, and after that giant meal, I was exhausted after the emotionally and physically taxing day I’d had. It would be so easy to crawl into that bed and sleep.
I had no idea what to expect when I walked into the bathroom.
With a slow, deep inhale, I took it all in. A big claw-foot soaking tub sat to my left. Next to it was a large chair. The image of me in the bath with Anson sitting there watching me had my body heating up with a delicious want I hadn’t experienced in six years. In front of me was a beautiful marble sink. I took more pictures. The toilet was off to the right, and next to it was a large walk-in shower. Probably six people could be in the shower at once.
“Wow, that tub.”
I jumped and spun around to see Anson leaning against the doorjamb.
“Why is there a chair in the bathroom?” he asked.
I shrugged. My dirty little mind had already thought of a reason, but, clearly, he was slow on the uptake.
A strange look crossed his face, and his eyes darkened when he looked at me. Bingo. He got it. We stared at each other for a moment before he broke the connection. He went to talk, and his voice cracked. When he cleared it, I couldn’t help but smile a little. Yeah, he’d definitely been thinking the same thing I had.
“You get enough pictures?”
A part of me was disappointed that Anson wasn’t even going to hint at staying in the room. It was a crazy thought, but it had passed through my mind a number of times already. Anson seemed like he couldn’t get out of the suite fast enough.
“Yeah. I’ve gotten plenty.”
As I walked by him, he reached for my arm. “Hey, are you okay?”
Thoughts of his kiss from earlier came rushing back, and I pressed my lips tightly together to keep them from tingling simply from the memory of it.
“Tired, I guess. It’s been a really long day with Annie.”
He nodded and let me go. I reached for my purse, and we started out of the chapel suite. We walked down the path that was lined on either side by beautiful gardens and made our way back into the hotel. Anson suddenly pulled me back and around a corner.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“She’s still here!” he whispered.
My eyes widened as a small panic attack started to build.
“What in the hell is she still doing here?” I asked.
Anson grabbed my hand and led me back down the trail. “There’s no other reason than to make sure we’re still here,” he stated.
“Why would she care if we stayed if she thought it was all a show? She went through an awful lot of trouble to get us a room, pay for the meal, and then sit here and play guard dog. You don’t think it’s strange?”
As we walked back up the three steps to the chapel, I saw Anson thinking it all over. He typed in the code to the room—he’d obviously paid attention when she typed it in earlier.
Back inside, I waited for his reply.
He took off his cowboy hat and tossed it on the table, rolling the tension in his neck. “It does seem rather odd. But she didn’t book the room until after I got here.”
“She probably thought we were in need of sex with the way you kissed me.”
He grinned. “It was a rather passionate kiss—and I’m not sure that she was wrong.”
My fingers went to my lips. Anson’s eyes flared as he watched me touch my mouth, and I quickly dropped my hand.
We needed to change the subject of that kiss and any thoughts about sex before Anson could read how much it had affected me. I cleared my throat and asked, “How long do we have to wait?”
A knock at the door had us both turning.
“What now?” I asked on a sigh.
“Delivery, front desk.”
“I really hope it’s not more food. I can’t eat another bite,” Anson said as he opened the door. A valet held up two bags.
After giving the guy a tip, Anson took the bags and walked
back into the living room area.
“She didn’t!” I gasped as I took one of the bags and opened it. Two boxes were inside.
“Hey! I got a robe!” Anson said in excitement. For a man who could probably buy a robe embroidered with his name in actual gold, he sure did get excited over this simple gift. I couldn’t help but giggle when he looked at me with a boyish smile. I loved that his fame hadn’t tarnished his ability to appreciate the simple things.
I flipped the lid off one of my boxes and revealed a cute little romper outfit, a pair of flats, and a darling hat that matched.
“Okay, this is cute!” I said as I held up the jumper.
“Why did you get an outfit, and I only got a robe?”
I scanned his jeans that looked brand new and expensive. Then I moved up to his light blue dress shirt.
“You can wear that tomorrow. I can’t wear this again.”
“Why can you not wear that again, but I can wear this?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s…the rules.”
He frowned at me, but I saw the way the corner of his mouth twitched with a hidden smile.
“What’s in the other box? You get a robe too? I wonder if it matches mine.” He winked, and I felt my stomach dip. Oh, how I had missed this banter between the two of us.
I giggled and replied, “Probably.”
The moment I opened the lid, though, I knew it wasn’t a robe.
“Oh, shit,” I whispered. Annie wasn’t fooling around. And how in the hell did the woman know my size on everything? Shoes, outfit, sexy nightwear?
“What is it?” Anson asked as he stepped closer and looked at the lingerie nicely folded in the box. He reached in and took it out, then held it up.
It was white lace and awfully sexy. It wasn’t meant for sleeping in. It was meant for a man slowly taking it off while he kissed and touched every part of your body.
Wow, okay, it’s getting hot in here.
Anson looked back in the box. He pulled out a pair of white lace thongs and was speechless for a long moment.
“Christ Almighty, is she trying to fucking kill me?”
I snagged them from him as he looked back in the box, obviously searching for more.
“Please tell me there’s a garter belt with this thing. Oh! And fishnets of any kind, I’m not picky,” he said with a dreamy sound to his voice. “Although, the ones that come up to your thigh…I’ve always dreamed of peeling those off of your legs with my teeth.”
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