my hands are full, I tap Dani’s motel room door with the tip of my boot, trying to be quiet. The last thing I need is for Val to hear me. I don’t need to deal with her crazy ass today.
After a few seconds go by and she hasn’t opened the door, I kick the door again, with a little more force. A muffled, “Just a minute,” comes from inside, so I take a step back, waiting.
When the door opens, I almost drop the cups of coffee in my hands. With the morning sun hitting her red hair, making it shine, she looks absolutely stunning. I wish I could steal that fancy camera of hers and turn it around on her. My eyes move over her, taking in every detail, and my throat drops to my stomach. Dani is completely ready for the day—sunglasses perched on her head and her suitcase right behind her.
“Micah,” she says breathlessly. The sound of her voice accompanied with my name goes straight to my dick. Down boy. I smirk, because yeah, she definitely affects me like that. It’s been a struggle to think of anything else for the past couple days, and I’ll be damned if I don’t want to reach out and touch her, or at least the strand of hair that’s fallen over her shoulder.
“Mornin’, Chuck.”
“What are you doing here?”
I hold up the two cups of coffee. “I remember you saying how bad the coffee is here, so I brought you some.”
The smile that breaks across her face is worth a million cups of coffee. At the very least, one a day for the rest of her life.
“Thank you.” She looks down at the coffee and cocks an eyebrow, silently questioning which cup is hers. I offer her one of the cups and her smile grows wider before she carefully brings it to her mouth and takes a cautious sip. Her eyes close and she inhales deeply.
“Thank you.”
No, Dani. Thank you . Seriously.
“You’re welcome.” I can’t fight the stupid smile on my face. “So, what’s with the suitcase? You finally get tired of this place and come to your senses?”
“Oh,” she says, like she forgot where she is or what she’s doing. “Yeah. No.” She shakes her head and her smile fades away. “I have to go back to New York. This is my last day,” she continues, disappointment in her voice. “I called your mom this morning to see if I can squeeze in the last of the shots I need for the article. I’m checking out of here this morning so I can leave for the airport straight from the plantation.” She eyes me warily. “I’m guessing you haven’t talked to your mom yet?”
“No.” She’s normally the first person I talk to in the morning, but today, I bypassed the big house and came straight here.
“So, you don’t know you have a photo shoot today at five o’clock?” She winces, scrunching her nose. It’s the cutest damn thing I’ve seen in a long time.
“Nope.” I shake my head slowly and soften my features into a blank expression. “Afraid that’s just not gonna work for me. I already have a photo shoot scheduled for today, so you’re gonna have to get with my people and . . .”
Her expression morphs from worried to amused. “Well, maybe I’ll see if your people mind rescheduling. Do you have an agent?”
We both laugh, each of us eyeing the other as if we have something more we’d like to say.
Please don’t go.
Stay.
I wish there was some way I could know what she’s thinking.
“Well, this sucks,” I tell her, feeling really bummed I’m not going to be able to take her to the river today. She’d love it there. I’m sure of it.
“Yeah,” she says, biting down on her bottom lip like people do when they’re trying not to cry. She looks just as bummed as I feel.
“Why do you have to leave early?” My question comes out soft and low, almost a whisper. I’m trying not to let her see how much her having to leave is bothering me.
“I got a call last night. Graham’s been in a bad accident. His dad needs me to come home and take care of him.”
“Oh, damn. I’m . . . sorry?” I say, though
After a few seconds go by and she hasn’t opened the door, I kick the door again, with a little more force. A muffled, “Just a minute,” comes from inside, so I take a step back, waiting.
When the door opens, I almost drop the cups of coffee in my hands. With the morning sun hitting her red hair, making it shine, she looks absolutely stunning. I wish I could steal that fancy camera of hers and turn it around on her. My eyes move over her, taking in every detail, and my throat drops to my stomach. Dani is completely ready for the day—sunglasses perched on her head and her suitcase right behind her.
“Micah,” she says breathlessly. The sound of her voice accompanied with my name goes straight to my dick. Down boy. I smirk, because yeah, she definitely affects me like that. It’s been a struggle to think of anything else for the past couple days, and I’ll be damned if I don’t want to reach out and touch her, or at least the strand of hair that’s fallen over her shoulder.
“Mornin’, Chuck.”
“What are you doing here?”
I hold up the two cups of coffee. “I remember you saying how bad the coffee is here, so I brought you some.”
The smile that breaks across her face is worth a million cups of coffee. At the very least, one a day for the rest of her life.
“Thank you.” She looks down at the coffee and cocks an eyebrow, silently questioning which cup is hers. I offer her one of the cups and her smile grows wider before she carefully brings it to her mouth and takes a cautious sip. Her eyes close and she inhales deeply.
“Thank you.”
No, Dani. Thank you . Seriously.
“You’re welcome.” I can’t fight the stupid smile on my face. “So, what’s with the suitcase? You finally get tired of this place and come to your senses?”
“Oh,” she says, like she forgot where she is or what she’s doing. “Yeah. No.” She shakes her head and her smile fades away. “I have to go back to New York. This is my last day,” she continues, disappointment in her voice. “I called your mom this morning to see if I can squeeze in the last of the shots I need for the article. I’m checking out of here this morning so I can leave for the airport straight from the plantation.” She eyes me warily. “I’m guessing you haven’t talked to your mom yet?”
“No.” She’s normally the first person I talk to in the morning, but today, I bypassed the big house and came straight here.
“So, you don’t know you have a photo shoot today at five o’clock?” She winces, scrunching her nose. It’s the cutest damn thing I’ve seen in a long time.
“Nope.” I shake my head slowly and soften my features into a blank expression. “Afraid that’s just not gonna work for me. I already have a photo shoot scheduled for today, so you’re gonna have to get with my people and . . .”
Her expression morphs from worried to amused. “Well, maybe I’ll see if your people mind rescheduling. Do you have an agent?”
We both laugh, each of us eyeing the other as if we have something more we’d like to say.
Please don’t go.
Stay.
I wish there was some way I could know what she’s thinking.
“Well, this sucks,” I tell her, feeling really bummed I’m not going to be able to take her to the river today. She’d love it there. I’m sure of it.
“Yeah,” she says, biting down on her bottom lip like people do when they’re trying not to cry. She looks just as bummed as I feel.
“Why do you have to leave early?” My question comes out soft and low, almost a whisper. I’m trying not to let her see how much her having to leave is bothering me.
“I got a call last night. Graham’s been in a bad accident. His dad needs me to come home and take care of him.”
“Oh, damn. I’m . . . sorry?” I say, though
Similar Books
