Chapter 16

Fiona frowned. "You weren't messing with my plans. I could have gotten a degree anywhere."

I gave her a look. "You and I both know that's not true. I moved around a lot. Sometimes to other countries."

Realization dawned on her face. "You were protecting me." When I nodded, she continued, "But that wasn't your decision to make. I asked you to marry me, and you said no."

I could see the hurt on her face. I knew I'd crushed her that day.

"I've apologized before about how I handled everything back then. But that's not enough. I owe you more of an explanation." I reached for her hand, holding it on the table between us.

"I thought you didn't want me." She articulated each word.

"That couldn't be further from the truth. Walking away from you that day, knowing you wanted me by your side, was the hardest thing I ever had to do."

"You acted like you knew better than me. That you were saving me or protecting me or something. That wasn't your decision to make."

"I know that now."

She stilled. "I can't believe it."

"If I could go back, I would have handled it differently, but I can't say I would have let you leave college to follow me around the world."

Her face hardened. "Also, not your decision."

I sighed. "I don't know what I'm doing in relationships. I sure as fuck didn't know it back then either. But I like being with you now. Do you think we can move forward?"

She narrowed her eyes on me. "I can't have you making decisions for me anymore."

"I promise we'll talk about things first." I wasn't sure where this could go since her job and home were in another state. But I was willing to give it a chance.

"Thank you for telling me what you were thinking back then."

"I only wish I'd done it sooner."

Her shoulders lowered. "I forgave you a long time ago, even if I didn't understand it."

"That's all I can ask for."

Fiona's eyes softened. "Now can we eat? The food smells delicious."

I plated her food, then got mine. We sipped our wine and ate.

"I can't wait until the theater is completed, and we can see guests enjoying the movies, and eating the popcorn."

"Me too." I was pleased that Fiona was so invested in the renovation.

"I have a feeling it's going to be huge for you and Marley."

"Have you decided what you're going to do yet?"

Fiona shook her head. "I want to finish the theater renovation, get through the holidays with my family, and then figure it out before the New Year."

I hated not knowing what was going on with us. But it would be selfish to ask for more when she needed to make a decision about her career. I couldn't interfere. "Marley is hoping to start showing movies in January."

"I just hope I'm here to see it."

I squeezed her hand. "You will be."

"Neither of us can predict the future."

"We don't need to worry about it tonight. This is for us. Let's enjoy being together without any more talk of the future."

Fiona raised her glass. "I can get on board with that."

I refilled her glass, and we carried the plates to the kitchen. "I'll clean this tomorrow. Let's take the wine up to my room."

"That sounds perfect," Fiona said as I grabbed the bottle and my glass. We headed upstairs.

"You know what we should do?" I asked as we took the stairs to the third floor.

"No. What?"

I moved toward the double doors. "We should dance. We're already dressed up."

Fiona tipped her head to the side. "You can do that. Just open the ballroom for us?"

I raised a brow. "I own half of this place. I can do whatever I want. And when will we ever be alone here again?"

Fiona smiled. "That's true."

I opened the double doors and flicked on the overhead lights. A decorated tree stood in the middle of the room, and there was a large painting of the inn on one wall. I hit Play on the music app on my phone and set it on the floor before holding out my hand to Fiona.

With a smile, she stepped into me. Her body pressed close to mine, and I curled my hand around hers.

Fiona looked up at me, the lights of the tree reflecting in her eyes. "This is romantic."

My lips quirked. "I told you I could pull it off."

Then we fell silent for a few seconds, swaying to the music and enjoying the lights on the tree.

Fiona paused, pulled back slightly, and touched her hand to my chest. "You should offer dance classes here."

I almost tripped over my feet. "Are you serious?"

"Don't you think it could be something cool to offer? You could have yoga classes here on Sunday mornings, dance classes on Friday or Saturday evenings."

"Would we offer those to just guests, or open it to the public?"

"Maybe the dance classes should be open to everyone to gain interest. If it gets too big, then you could limit it to guests. Or have one for guests, one for locals."

"That's a good idea." I knew Marley would love it.

"You have this amazing space, and you're only using it what? Once a year for the holiday party?"

I chuckled. "That's about right."

"What if you could incorporate this space into your guests' stays. It will make an impression. You don't want to keep it closed up and hidden away."

I pulled her close to me. "You're amazing; you know that? I always thought Marley was the queen of ideas, but you've blown her out of the water since you've been here."

"It's only because I deal with hotels, and a lot of them offer their ballroom space for conferences and dances. The only difference is that this is a true ballroom. You need to show it off."

"The paper did a write-up for the holiday dance, referencing the history of the inn."

"You could print that out and frame the article. Post it on the website."

Even though I appreciated her ideas, I didn't want to talk business tonight. "Can we table any more discussion of inns and newspapers so we can enjoy being together?"

Fiona smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

I lifted my hand from her back to gesture at the room. "This is for you. I don't want to share you or this room with anyone else. I like being here at the inn without any guests."

"Do you have time blocked out when you aren't booked? Have you scheduled a vacation, so you could shut down, maybe do some renovations or updates, and take some time off?"

"We haven't. Mainly because we're new."

I nodded as we swayed around the room. "It's like starting over."

"And it's tough because neither me nor Marley has ever run a hotel. That's why your input is so valuable."

Fiona pursed her lips. "Not everyone listens to my ideas, because change and improvements mean more money."

"You can always tell me." I liked to hear how her mind worked.

She drew her lower lip into her mouth. "You want the guests to feel abundant. That means too many towels, a larger in-room fridge, more complimentary items, like water and snacks. You're already doing some of that." Then Fiona shook her head. "I'm sorry. We weren't supposed to talk business."

"I'm honored that you've shared them with me."

"My higher-ups want us to look for ways to save money. That means less cleaning services, fewer and thinner towels, no toiletries. Or better yet, they offer these items to the guests as a paid service. I just don't agree with that. You want them to love the experience so much that they come back, and they tell their friends. If you're always cutting corners, your guests are going to know that. They won't feel pampered."

"The guests need to feel like they're on vacation. That they have more than enough, and what they have is luxurious," I surmised from her description.

"They want something they can't get at home." Fiona let go of me and gestured around the room. "Like ballrooms, bowling alleys, and movie theaters."

I grinned as I looked down at her, enjoying the feel of her in my arms. "It's like you were meant to pop back into my life."

Fiona raised a brow. "For my advice on how to run a hotel?"

"For being you. For your inspiration. For your enthusiasm. Your wisdom. I could go on and on."

She smiled. "You're sweet."

I lowered my head so that my cheek was against hers. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life. But no more talk about hotels or our history. Tonight is for us."

"For us," Fiona agreed as we continued to dance to the next song.

When the notes finally stopped, I dropped her hand, grabbing my phone, and the wine glasses. "Let's go back to my room."

Fiona slipped off her shoes, holding them in her hands as we walked down the hall. "It's too bad the repairman hasn't come to look at the bowling alley; we could bowl tonight."

"We'll be the first to test out the lanes when they're ready."

"That sounds like a plan, Mr. Matthews," Fiona said as I opened my door and let her precede me inside.

My entire body filled with love for this woman. I didn't think I'd ever stopped loving her. I might have tapped it down, pushed it to the back of my mind, or tried to forget how I felt when she was around me.

But now that she was here, filling every bit of space in my life, it was like my old feelings for her merged with new ones.

I couldn't help but think that we were meant to be together. Were we lucky or unlucky to have met when we were so young and unsettled? If we'd met for the first time now, we would have easily fallen into a relationship. There'd be no past to move past.

I locked the door and toed off my shoes. Fiona dropped hers next to mine. I liked seeing them together, her delicate heels next to my larger shoes.

"I think you're thinking about something that's off-limits," Fiona said as she held my hands in hers.

"Oh, yeah? And what are you going to do about that?"

"I have plans to distract you."

"Mmm. I'm interested in that." I pulled her against my body and wrapped my arms around her. Lowering my mouth to hers, I kissed her hard and deep. I wanted this woman in my life forever. I had to do everything in my power to keep her in it.

If that meant a long-distance relationship, than I'd be okay with that. I just hoped she'd have room for me once she went back to work and her old life. From everything I'd heard from her, she worked seven days a week and traveled extensively.

If she decided to quit her job, would she be happy at the inn, farther away from any towns and at least an hour from the cities?

Fiona pulled back, working on the buttons of my shirt. "I see I have my work cut out for me."

I stopped her with a hand on her wrist. "I'm always thinking of you."

Her lips turned into a smile as she tugged my shirt from my waistband, then got to work on my pants. "And I'm going to make sure of it."

All the air rushed out of my lungs when she dropped to her knees on the rug.

She lowered the zipper, pulling my pants down. Then she reached for my cock and squeezed it, hard.

I closed my eyes, letting my head fall back. "Fuck. That feels good."

"You haven't felt anything yet," she said in a husky tone before she sucked me into her mouth.

All my blood went to my cock, making me feel lightheaded. "I'm not going to last."

She pulled off, pumping me. "That's the idea."

"I want to be inside you," I bit out.

She cocked her brow. "We have all night."

"Fuck yes, we do." I groaned when she squeezed the base and sucked hard.

My hand tangled in her hair, and I struggled to keep my touch light. I wished I had the strength to stop her, to haul her up and onto my cock. But the rush of her on her knees for me was too much, and before I wanted to, I was spurting into her mouth.

Fiona swallowed, then licked her lips as she gracefully rose to standing.

"We're not done," I said, trying to sound firm.

"I didn't think we were," Fiona promised as her lips curved into a naughty smile. She lifted her dress over her head, leaving her naked.

"Fuck, you were—"I couldn't even say the word naked over the tightening of my throat—"all night?"

She smiled. "You want to get in the hot tub?"

"I want you in my bed." I lifted her, throwing her over my shoulder fireman-style. In the bedroom, I dropped her onto the bed, watching her bounce. Her skin was flush, her eyes bright.

She wanted this as much as I did. She was in this with me, and there was no doubt in my mind she was feeling everything I was. How could she not be?

We were in this together, and we'd figure it out. We'd work through our dreams and desires. As long as we were together, that was all that mattered. And tonight, she was mine.

I pulled her down the bed until her legs hung over the side, and I dropped to my knees.

Her pussy glistened with her arousal. I slid a finger through her folds, gathering the wetness. "You like sucking my cock."

Fiona bit her lip. "I love it."

"You're going to be the death of me," I said slipping a finger into her slick channel.

Her hips moved, fucking my finger. I loved how responsive she was, how much she wanted me.

No matter what we went through, we found our way back to each other. No one would come between us again. Not my ego or good intentions.

I added a second finger, my thumb touching her clit, and she whimpered. I reached up to cup her breast, rubbing the nipple with my finger. "I want you to fall apart for me."

"Please, Aiden."

I tensed, my muscles pulled taut. "Please, what? What do you need?"

"I need your mouth on my clit."

She didn't need to ask me twice; I sucked on the swollen nub, my fingers moving inside her, searching for that spot that would make her lose her mind. When her muscles tensed, I said, "Come for me."

Her back bowed off the bed as she went over the edge, her muscles spasming around my fingers as I moved through her release.

I stood, shrugging off my shirt. Then I wrapped an arm around her back and lifted her higher on the bed. I covered her body with mine. Her skin was so hot, slick with our sweat and her release.

I touched her face, kissing her, before I sat back on my heels. I lined my cock up with her entrance. "I've never wanted anyone like I want you."

Fiona's hands gripped my forearm that was braced on the bed. "I need you."

"I got you." I slid inside to the hilt, taking a second to let her get accustomed to me filling her.

"I'll never get tired of feeling you inside me, filling me up."

I leaned down to suck on her earlobe. "And you won't have to. I'm yours."

The words I'm yours rung in the air between us. But neither of us said anything further. She didn't reciprocate the sentiment. But I figured giving her body to me was enough. Or at least I hoped it was. That I wasn't being naive. That Fiona was holding herself back from me. For once in my life, I was going to hope for the best. I would assume this would work out in my favor. Because it had to.

Not being with her wasn't an option anymore.

I drew out to the tip, every muscle in my body tensed as I slowly eased back inside. I kept my movements slow and steady. I wanted to draw this out. I wanted her to feel every hard inch of me.

When I was on the edge of my release, Fiona's muscles were trembling, and sweat was forming on my skin.

I touched Fiona's clit, circling it with my finger before pressing harder. Fiona moaned as her body contracted around mine.

I loved watching her come apart, basking in the pleasure that only I could give her.

I lowered myself so that my body was pressed against hers, making my moves smaller, seemingly sending her into another mini-orgasm. I gritted my teeth together, wishing I could hold out, but the pressure forming at the base of my spine threatened to be bigger than anything I'd ever experienced before, and I couldn't hold back.

I thrust deep and lost myself in the pleasure coursing through my body, making my muscles weak. I had enough brain power left to roll us to our sides so I wouldn't crush her with my weight.

We were quiet for a few seconds, both recovering from the orgasmic high we'd come down from.

I touched her hip, wishing she could sleep in my bed every night. That we could come home to each other after work no matter what we were doing.

I hoped she was feeling even a fraction of what I was. I should have been afraid of getting hurt, but I was in an open free-fall, and there was no stopping me.