He pulled the car to a stop in the pebble drive in front of the rambling old house, and I climbed out. The innkeeper came to the porch as I carried my small bag up, a smile on her round face.
“Hello, there! I assume you’re the Whitwells? You’re my last guests for the night.”
“Yes.” I nodded. “Thank you for having us on such short notice.”
“Well, of course! A full B&B is a happy B&B, and I was glad to give away the last room.”
Last room?
Had that been singular?
I shot a glance at Rafe, who had also clearly clocked the tense.
“Let me show you inside.” She gestured for us to follow her into the prettily decorated entryway. Pale pink wallpaper covered the walls, and the dark wood floor gleamed. “This way, up the stairs.”
She chattered away about the breakfast schedule and options while leading us down the hall to a room at the end. When we arrived, she pushed open the door to reveal a small room with one double bed. “And here it is!”
“Thank you,” I said, craning my neck to see if there was perhaps another door to a separate room. “Where is the second room?”
“Second room?” She frowned. “You booked one, dear.”
“I booked two, I think.” I smiled, not wanting to annoy her. This was a tiny town, and her B&B had been the only one with a vacancy.
“Sorry, love. One is all I have.”
“Oh, okay.” My mind scrambled. We couldn’t sleep in the car, and it was too late to go anywhere else.
“Remember, breakfast starts at seven,” she said before leaving and shutting the door behind her.
I looked at Rafe, who stared at me with an incredulous expression on his face. “One room?”
“Seems that way.” I walked in and put my bag on the chair by the little hearth.
“I’ll sleep in the car,” he said.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I turned to see that he hadn’t entered the room yet. He still stood in the doorway, looking awkward as hell.
“There’s only one bed, Isobel.”
“And?”
“It’s one bed.” He said the words like I should understand what he meant.
“I know.”
“You can’t possibly expect me to put up with that?”
Offended, I gasped. “Are you seriously saying you can’t bear to sleep next to me? That it would be torture?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Ugh.” I crossed my arms. “I thought we were getting along.”
“We are.”
“Then why?” I gestured to the bed. “It’s just one night. We’ll put a wall of pillows between us.”
“That’s not going to cut it.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can’t believe you’re so prudish.”
“Prudish?” He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You won’t share a bed with a friend who’s a woman. I call that the definition of prudish.”
Something unrecognizable flashed on his face, and he stalked toward me, dropping his bag at his feet and looming over me. The heat in his gaze made me draw in a breath. “You think it’s prudishness that’s keeping me from that bed?”
“Or the fact that you’ve been in a miserable mood all night, yes.”
A low growl escaped him. “I watched those damned builders flirt with you all afternoon, and I watched you flirt back. Which is your right, of course. But Isobel, I’m not made of steel.”
The breath rushed out of me. “You were jealous?”
The air around him vibrated. “I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you, Isobel. You’re perfection. So yes, I was jealous.”
I just blinked at him, shocked.
“How can you possibly be surprised?” he asked, his voice softer.
“I—“ I just was. But I didn’t care about that right now.
What I cared about was the way he looked at me, his gaze fathomless. Suddenly, we were the only two people in the world. We’d been dancing around this for what felt like forever. Would it be so bad to just go for it?
“Isobel.” His tone was heavy with desire. Tortured, almost. “You can’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” I stepped forward, so close to him that I had to crane my neck to meet his gaze.
“Like you want me.”
“I do want you.” The words were out before I could stop them. Any thought of maintaining my distance was away with the wind. “Don’t you want me?”
He groaned, low and soft, then reached up and cupped my cheek. “More than I’ve ever wanted anyone or anything in my life.”
“Then kiss me.” I didn’t care about the future or consequences or the heartbreak that was inevitably down the line. All I cared about was him. This moment. This opportunity to have something that I’d never had before.
And he seemed to care about the same, because he leaned down and kissed me with a passion that made my head spin. He cupped my head in his large hands, holding me still for the delicious onslaught.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back like it was the last time I’d ever kiss him.
It might be, because this was probably a mistake.
But I wouldn’t think of that because I couldn’t stop myself.
Instead, I pulled him toward the bed, dragging him down on top of me. His weight was divine. I parted my thighs, and his hips settled into place, the hard length of him making my breath catch.
I moved against him, desperate for more of the delicious friction. A low groan tore from his throat. Sparks of pleasure exploded behind my closed eyelids.
I fumbled between us, trying to pull his shirt up. He reared back and yanked it over his head, revealing the broad expanse of muscle that I’d been admiring for the last fortnight.
“You are so hot,” I said.
He laughed, a low, sexy sound, and said, “Coming from you, that’s a compliment.”
“Coming from me?” I quirked a brow.
“The sexiest, smartest woman I’ve ever known.”
A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, and I reached down to pull my shirt over my head. Any shyness was banished by the desire in his eyes.
He wanted me.
Badly.
I loved it.
Quickly, I tugged my bra off. His gaze followed my every move, and a low groan escaped him. He bent low to press kisses against my neck, trailing his mouth down to my breasts. I arched up against him, wanting more. The heat of his tongue dragged against my nipple as his strong hands gripped my waist.
“You’re incredible,” he murmured, pressing kisses against my stomach.
Happiness bubbled within me, followed by a streak of pleasure when he ran his tongue along the expanse of skin right above the waistband of my jeans.
He looked up at me, his fingertips at the buttons. “May I?”
My breath grew short as I nodded.
He had me naked in what felt like seconds. When he pressed his mouth to my center, hot and wet, I gasped. Pleasure exploded through me, and he was relentless, as if he couldn’t get enough of it. As if he couldn’t get enough of me.
I reveled in the feel of his strong hands gripping my hips as his tongue made me see starlight.
When I could take no more, I tugged on his shoulders, trying to drag him up along my body. He did as I requested, propping himself up on his arms over me. I reached between us, gripping his hardness through his jeans.