After a one night stand on New Year's Eve, Lia and Derrick don't expect to see one another again. After all, she's a Harvard PhD student and he's a professional hockey player for the Boston Knights - there's no way their paths should cross again.
E...
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Unnerving, but in a good way.
That was the only way to describe the feeling coursing through my veins as I stepped into the hotel elevator with Derrick, champagne in hand, while his free hand warmed the base of my spine.
As the doors began to close, I pulled my bottom lip in between my teeth, all too aware we were about to be alone for the first time. Completely and utterly alone. A vision of him slowly backing me up against the wall invaded my mind. Of our drinks falling to the ground as his hands came to rest on either side of my head. Of him bending down to capture my lips with his own. Of our tongues dancing, our hands exploring, and our bodies moving against one another in an accelerated rhythm until the doors opened once more.
But the fantasy, or, uh, vision, was quickly derailed as a hand shot out to stop the elevator door from closing.
Derrick's hand fell from my back—though the warmth from his touch lingered—as a woman in her mid-to-late sixties stepped in with us, hitting the button for the ninth floor before looking our way. "Now what are you two young things doing at an airport hotel on New Year's Eve?"
Unable to come up with an answer other than 'we're about to have sex!', I glanced at Derrick to see the corner of his mouth twitch upward, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.
"Our flight back to Boston was canceled because of a storm en route," he replied as the elevator began to rise. "How about you?"
"Oh, my hubby and I are headed out early to Seattle tomorrow morning to visit our grandchildren since they were away over Christmas, so we thought we'd camp out here tonight instead of waking up so damn early."
There was a moment of silence as I nodded in understanding, the fingers of my left hand tapping nervously against my thigh as we came to a stop at the fifth floor.
"Happy new year," I finally managed to say before stepping out. Turning back to smile at her, I continued. "And hopefully everything goes alright with your flight tomorrow."
"You as well," she replied cheerily. "And remember, there's a whole lot of fun that can be had in a hotel room."
Her words were punctuated with a wink as the door slid shut, causing a red tint to color my cheeks. "Were we that obvious?" I asked, gobsmacked.
There was no reply, only his deep chuckle as Derrick led me down the hall. In a handful of steps, we reached his room and with a quick flash of his key card, the door unlocked, and he gestured me inside.
And that was when my confidence began to dim.
There was nothing special about the room, in fact, it was the exact same as my own a floor below. Except mine didn't have Derrick's luggage tossed in the corner beside the bed. Nor did I remember it having this nice of a view. With the curtains pulled to the side, the lights of the city were vibrant against the darkened sky and the moon—now high in the sky—cast a subtle, silver glow into the room. It was sensual. Enticing. Another reminder about what was about to happen.
