A Christmas Night to Remember(16)
Zeke lifted his hands. The waiter appeared at his side and within moments they were leaving the restaurant. She had known she was going to find it difficult to stand up and walk—her muscles still weren’t functioning as they once had, and she got stiff easily although her physiotherapist had assured her that was just a temporary thing—but in the event Zeke’s firm hands at her elbows and the way he took charge smoothed the way. Nevertheless, she was painfully aware of her pronounced limp as they left, and wondered what he was thinking. He had always said she had the grace of a young gazelle—well, no more, Melody thought wretchedly.
Once in the foyer of the hotel, she stopped and faced him so he was forced to let go of her arm. He was wearing an expensive dark grey suit and a pale peach shirt and tie and he had never looked more attractive. The dark magnetism that was at the centre of his appeal was so strong she could taste it. Numbly, and with formal politeness, Melody said, ‘Thank you for lunch. It was very nice. And although it may not have seemed like it I appreciate your kindness in meeting me from hospital today—although it wasn’t necessary. I hope you have a good journey back to Reading.’
Zeke’s jaw was a tight line, but his voice was easy when he said, ‘You need to rest. I’ll get the key to the room.’
‘I can do that—’ She stopped. She was talking to herself. He was already striding to the reception desk.
Too tired to summon up the annoyance she felt his high-handedness deserved, she watched him exchange a few words with the pretty receptionist before pocketing the fob for the room. Then he was back at her side, taking her arm as he said, ‘I’ve ordered tea and cake from Room Service for four o’clock. That’ll give you two or three hours’ sleep, okay?’ Not okay. So not okay. What was he doing, taking charge like this after everything she’d said? ‘Zeke—’ she began.
‘Don’t cause a scene, Dee. Not with all these nice people round about. You don’t want to spoil someone’s Christmas, do you?’ The mockery was mild, but with a hidden barb in it.
Short of wrenching herself free, which she had no confidence she could accomplish, anyway, Melody found she had no option but to walk with him to the lift. She didn’t want Zeke accompanying her to the room. The foyer had been a fairly neutral place to make their goodbyes, with plenty of people around; her room was an altogether different proposition.
As it turned out it wasn’t a problem, because once the lift had deposited them at the requisite floor and Zeke had walked a few yards down the corridor and opened a door Melody found he had no intention of leaving straightaway.
He stood aside for her to precede him, but she stopped dead on the threshold of what was clearly a suite of rooms. ‘This isn’t my room. I didn’t book this,’ she gasped. ‘I asked for a standard double.’ And that had cost an arm and a leg.
‘You’ve clearly been upgraded,’ he said silkily, drawing her into the large, luxuriously furnished sitting room, complete with real Christmas tree dressed in festive red and gold decorations, before her wits could return.
When they did, she swung to face him accusingly. ‘This is your doing.’ She glanced round wildly, as though the manager of the hotel was going to pop up like a genie out of a bottle. ‘I want my own room. I want the one I booked originally.’
‘I understand from the receptionist that was snapped up minutes after I transferred to this when we arrived,’ Zeke said with unforgivable satisfaction. ‘Look on it as your Christmas good deed. Those folk probably wouldn’t have been able to afford this penthouse, which was the only other available accommodation when I asked, so us having it has meant a happy Christmas for someone else. It is the season of goodwill.’
Melody said something very rude in response, which shocked them both. And then the full significance of his words hit her. ‘What do you mean, “us”?’ she bit out furiously. ‘This is my room and I’m staying in it alone—and I’ll pay for it.’ Somehow.
‘Payment in full has already been made,’ Zeke replied, seemingly unmoved by her anger.
‘Well, it can be darn well unmade.’
‘And cause the hotel staff a lot of extra paperwork and hassle?’ Zeke clicked his tongue aggravatingly. ‘You seem a little short of the milk of human kindness, if you don’t mind me saying so. Hasn’t the spirit of the festive season touched you?’
She had never come so close to hitting someone before, which shocked her further because she had never considered herself a violent person. Gritting her teeth, she took an audible deep breath. ‘I want you to leave, Zeke. Right now.’