Four Day Fling(8)

“He said he was.” I shrugged. “I can’t reach up to Orlando and drag him down here, can I?”

“Oh God.”

“He’ll be here, okay? Don’t worry. I promise.”

Rosie stood and clasped my hands. “Phew. Okay. Will you call me when he arrives? I want to meet him.”

“Of course.” I smiled. “Do you need me to do anything?”

She shook her head. “Mom has your weekend itinerary. I’ll text Dad and see if he can get it from her to bring up to you, but if not, you can get it tonight. All you need to do is get your plus one here and show up in the Palm Ballroom for tonight’s pre-wedding reception, okay?”

A pre-wedding reception? Whose wedding was I attending—my sister’s or a British royal’s?

“Got it. What time?”

“Seven on the dot. Six-thirty would be even better.”

“I’ll be there at six,” I smiled wryly.

“You are the best!” She hugged me again. “Okay, I have to go find Celia and Rory. I promised her she could spend the afternoon on the beach since she’ll have Rory all night.”

Ah, yes. Their live-in cleaner-slash-nanny who was the most adorable woman. Not to mention she was from Alabama and made the best peach cobbler I’d ever tasted.

“Okay. No problem. I think Adam should be here in time for the party, but I can text him and check.”

“Okay, good. Cool. Awesome.” She took a deep breath. “This is the most peace I’ve had since yesterday morning.”

With that, she gave my hand one last squeeze and left me alone in the suite.

I pulled my phone out of my purse and texted Adam.



Me: Hey. Do you know what time you’ll be here?



His response came much quicker than I thought it would.



Adam: I was just about to text you. My meeting got canceled, so I left early. I’ll be there around four. Is that good?



Oh, thank God.

One: he’d be here in time for the party.

Two: he was still coming.



Me: Perfect. See you then!

Adam: See you then, Red.





CHAPTER FOUR - POPPY


Friday Night Frights



Adam: I’m in the parking lot. Which room are you in?



I texted him back the room and floor number and tossed my phone on the sofa. Butterflies fluttered through my stomach, and when I pressed my hands against my tummy, I realized I was nervous as hell.

I was insane. Truly, truly insane. Why did I ever think asking a one-night stand to be my weekend date was a good idea?

And why the hell was I nervous to see him? And why right this second, knowing he was here? I hadn’t felt this way all day. Granted, I’d spent the entire day on the beach with my nephew, Rory, and Rosie, but still.

Ughhh.

Every second that passed felt like a nightmare. Where was he? Was he on the elevator? Down the hall? Downstairs? Still in his car?

Three knocks sounded at the door. I jumped and stared at it for a minute before moving to open it.

He was just as handsome as I remembered him. That dark hair, that stubbled jaw, those bright eyes…

“Hey,” he said, voice dipping at the end of the word.

“Hi.” I smiled, my cheeks flushing a little, and opened the door completely wide. “Come in.”

“Thanks.” He stepped into the room and glanced around. “Nice. Great view, too.”

“Definitely. I think my sister is buttering me up for having to deal with our mom,” I said, grabbing my water off the table in the middle of the room. “The bedroom is through there. There’s a walk-in closet if you want to unpack.”

“Got it.” He pulled a slate-gray case into the bedroom. “Hey, Red. Do they do room service? I need a shower and I’m starving.”

“Yeah, they do. Want the menu?”

“I got it.” He strolled back into the room, pulling his shirt over his head. “Sorry. I’m sweaty.”

Yeah. Well. If only being sweaty made him look a lot less worse, because from where I stood, sweaty or not, he was hot as hell with his tight abs and rippled muscles.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”

Adam glanced up from the menu to shoot me a sexy half-grin. “True. Are you hungry?”

Actually, I was.

I nodded.

“Do you mind ordering while I take a shower?”

“No,” I said. “I don’t mind. What do you want?”

“I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger with a Pepsi,” he replied, handing me the menu. “Give me fifteen minutes.”

I took the menu, nodding and smiling. He disappeared into the bathroom, and I blew out a long breath.

Well, that hadn’t been too awkward. Except for that second where he ripped his shirt off.

I scanned the menu, quickly deciding that the bacon cheeseburger and Pepsi sounded perfect and called through to room service to place the order. The sound of the shower running filled the room, and I dropped onto the sofa with my water. I picked up my phone and texted Rosie that Adam was here, so she could stop freaking out, and sighed.

First things first: when Adam got out of the shower, we needed to figure out the things my mother was going to ask. If we were going to pass him off as my boyfriend, the very basics needed to be nailed down before it could go horribly wrong.