I hesitated outside. Should I knock first, or somehow have called ahead? I didn't have his cell number, but the front desk could page him, I guess. Veto did give me a key... It wasn't like I was going to be a complete surprise. Another wave of exhaustion rolled over me; knowing a warm bed and a desperately needed nap was only minutes away was torture.
Well, I can't just stay in the hallway all afternoon. I took a deep breath, put on my big girl courage, and pushed the door open. What I saw made my eyes open so wide I swear they were going to fall out of my head. My heart was going to burst—I was going to die, and the last thing I'd ever see was Veto coming out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and a smile.
He spotted me, his eyes flashing. I think he was going to speak, but my ear-splitting scream cut him off. Veto's face dropped. He lunged for me, clamping a hand over my mouth and dragging me away from the hall. The hotel room door slapped shut behind us.
Chapter 4
Calli
“You promise not to scream if I let you go? I'd rather not have anyone think I'm up here murdering someone,” Veto said. His voice was a low rumble that gave me mini eargasms.
I nodded through the pressure of his rough, calloused hand. His touch was hot enough to give me a little vertigo. Looking at the sharply defined stacks of muscles on his tall frame made my knees struggle to hold me up.
His pecs and abs were painted in delicious ink. The corded striations in his beefy shoulders and thighs put some football players to shame. How was it possible that every time I saw Veto he became sexier?
“I'm not going to hurt you.” He offered a devious smile, then added, “As you can see, I have nothing up my sleeves.” Veto took a few steps back and turned his palms over, showing me that he had nothing to hide; the motion made his biceps flex and my clit thrum painfully.
“I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to freak out like that.” My tongue dried out and stuck to the roof of my mouth and my eyes refused to cooperate; they drifted across his every bulge and valley. “I just—” I coughed, choking off the words.
“Take it easy.” Veto closed the distance between us, which turned my bones into whipped cream. I quickly became dizzy, but he was there in a heartbeat to catch me. “Let's get you onto the bed. How much did you drink at the luncheon?”
“I only had one drink. I'm not drunk.” Although I wasn't exactly sure how true that was. When was the last time I ate anything? Not to mention the fatigue of weeks worth of double shifts, no sleep, a stressful three-hour drive and a roller coaster ride of emotions.
And all that paled in comparison to seeing him almost naked.
“So you just naturally crumble a lot then?” he asked, helping me cross the small room.
What I was trying to keep my tired, misfiring brain from saying was, I just haven't seen a naked man in person in a long time, let alone one that looked like you!
How the hell could I tell him that without coming off hilariously desperate and sad? The only time I'd ever seen a man this naked was if I was dating them. And I've never dated anyone as hot as Veto. I didn't even think it was possible for guys to look as cut and perfect as this. Everyone knew that Hollywood grew those guys in movies and magazine covers in a vat in the basement of a studio somewhere.
“It's just been a long day.” I gave a safe answer. I snapped my gaze away to clear my head. Having him all around me invaded my senses. Change the subject! “Wow, you weren't kidding about the small room.”
Aside from the one twin bed, there was only a chair and a half desk that doubled as a television stand. His room was a shoe box. Veto shrugged, helping me onto the mattress. “They were overbooked when I made my reservation, I took what I could get. This room is admittedly a bit more modest than what I'm used to, but I don't mind.”
Veto grabbed a bottle of water for me then touched my forehead. “You're certainly warm, but I don't think you have a fever.”
“It's definitely not a fever,” I whispered, hopefully too quiet for him to hear.
His knowing smirk was all the response I needed for my face to glow beet red.
“Um.” I groped for something to fill the silence that followed. “What are you doing traipsing around in your boxers for?” Was that even a sentence? My brain was still on a spin cycle. I shook my head and tried again. “I mean, why are you naked, not naked, but—” I cleared my throat. “Is this a bad time? Do you want me to come back later?”
“You caught me trying on my new suit.” Veto sat next to me and pointed to a suit hanging over the one lonely chair.
“Oh, right. The wedding.” I blinked. “Zenya has my dress,” I said, absently wondering if I was supposed to get that from her before the rehearsal. I made a mental note to text her about it. “What are the odds? You move right next door, and we both go to the same wedding.” I laughed humorlessly, trying not to think about how close he was. My goose bumped skin drank in the heat he radiated.
“Small world.” Veto ruffled his black hair. The way he moved gave me a glorious view of the lion tattoos that crept up his ribs. They heaved and growled when he breathed deeply. I had to cup one hand with the other to keep myself from reaching up and running my fingers down his ribs.
“I should do it,” he said, leaning in. The bed springs protested under his shift in weight. The rumble rippled up through my thighs, building pressure in my pussy that lit my skin on fire.
“Do what?” I whispered as he reached across my lap. My every inhale and exhale was a deliberate effort to keep my racing heart from bursting.
“Try on my suit,” he said, plucking his gold watch from the nightstand. “Not much time left for adjustments if it doesn't fit.”
Veto stood up and walked over to the chair. My lungs burned; at some point, I even forgot to breathe. I pulled out my phone to keep from ogling him as he got dressed. It wasn't working. The corner of my lip stung from how hard I gnawed on it. I watched his boxers ride up when he pulled his pants over his tight ass.
Then he turned, giving me a scandalous view of his package. The thin cotton of his boxers encased it and pulled taught around it, showing me a long, tempting outline that made my brain and stomach do flips. He stuffed it in his pants; I crossed my, legs hoping the pressure would ease some of my desire.
But the dull heat that was building in my lower stomach was too much. I retreated into the bathroom with a quick, “Excuse me!” Running my hands under the cold water, I patted my neck and chest and would've doused my face as well, but I didn't want to ruin my makeup. If anything, I thought about touching it up in some spots.
Yeah, what was that about sleep being minutes away?
I was lying to myself if I thought I'd ever get any sleep with him out there. I was about to spend a night in a hotel room with my hot neighbor.
And I couldn't deny it anymore—I wanted to sleep with him.
Like, wanted to tear my clothes off and tackle him right now levels of sleep with him. But I knew it was a bad idea. If we hooked up and it went sour, I might have to see him every day. If it went well, would sex make things even more awkward? I also didn't know anything about him. I never liked the idea of a one night stand, but I'd also never been tempted like this before.