Chapter 10

10

Lauren paced around the small hotel room, obviously nervous and fidgety, and her gaze kept falling onto the bed. She'd mentioned to Ben several times that she absolutely couldn't believe that the hotel had no sleeping accommodations available whatsoever with double beds. She said it again and again—it just didn't seem possible.

Ben said, "Lauren, honestly, if it makes you nervous to sleep in the bed together, I don't mind taking the floor. Or even a chair."

Lauren looked at him, saw his face, which was telegraphing sincerity, and felt her fear drop away like an ill-fitted cape.

"You know what? I'm just being silly," Lauren said. "We're both adults. We both deserve to sleep in the bed. I mean, we're both professionals, even. We both have a job to do tomorrow, one for which we both need to be fresh and rested. It's ridiculous to make you sleep on the floor while I get this huge bed to myself, particularly when I'm the one who's being an idiot. We can survive sleeping in a bed together for one night...right?"

Ben smiled. "I tell you what? Why don't we order up some room service?"

Lauren hadn't realized how hungry she was. Fear of plummeting to the ground in a flying tin can really works up an appetite, she thought.

"That sounds good," she said enthusiastically. "While we wait for it, I'm going to hop in the shower. I didn't have time to take one in my unplanned rush to get out the door today, and I think the hot water will do wonders for my nerves."

Lauren gave him her order, grabbed her toiletry case, and walked into the bathroom. She was appalled at what she saw in the mirror. She looked pale. Zombie-like.

Trying not to think about the fact that she'd spent the entire day with Ben looking like…she looked, she quickly turned on the shower, letting the water run. As she did this, she called Karina. She was freaked out about the one-bed predicament and knew that if anyone could be blasé about the situation, it would be Karina.

She held the phone to her ear, listening to it ring, and whispered desperately to herself, "Pick up, pick up, pick up..."

Which, luckily, Karina did.

"Hey, TV star. How's Aspen?" Karina greeted her cheerfully.

"Grand Junction," Lauren whispered into the phone.

"What happened? And why are you whispering?" Karina whispered back to her.

"We have been waylaid due to weather. As have many other people, which is why the only hotel room we were able to get has one bed. And we're sharing it. Together."

"Nice!" Karina replied.

"No, it's not nice!" Lauren retorted in a harsh whisper.

"It sounds pretty nice to me. What's the problem? This seems like an excellent opportunity."

"The problem is that, with my newly discovered knowledge that I want to have sex with Ben Stevens, I don't trust myself sleeping in a bed with him!"

"Honestly, Lauren, I feel like you're overthinking this. Take this as a sign from the universe. It's perfect—stuck together in a storm, a hotel room with only one bed. You couldn't have engineered a situation this good. This is what movies are made of."

"I'm trying to be serious here, Karina."

"So am I!" Karina replied with conviction.

"So, what are you saying then? I should sleep with Ben?"

"Do you want to sleep with Ben?"

"You already know I want to sleep with Ben."

"Well, therein lies your answer. Can you believe me? I'm like frickin' Confucius up in here. I should start an advice column."

Lauren sighed. "Okay, Confucius, I've got to go. He thinks I'm in the shower."

Karina began, "Ask him to join—"

But Lauren had already disconnected the call.

--- ~ ---

Ben looked over the place settings he'd laid out for himself and Lauren while she was in the shower. Not bad. Pretty basic, true—just the covered plates surrounded by napkins, drinking glasses, and silverware—but at least it showed that he was making an effort.

He was just smoothing out the last napkin when Lauren emerged from the bathroom looking fresh and revived.

The force of her appearance nearly knocked him right on his ass.

She was wearing loose and flowing, charcoal-grey, silk boxers, the deep color of which set off the creamy complexion of her legs to perfect advantage. On top, she had on a tighter, stretchy, coral-colored tank top with a bit of lace around the low-cut neckline.

Her hair was wet and freshly combed, and he could smell her shampoo from across the room. Or maybe, he thought, you start to smell flowers when you're having a stroke? Because that's what it felt like he was having.

This didn't feel like the sort of thing he thought of as 'attraction'—when you see a sexy woman, take note of her assets, and feel a visceral pull in your groin that tells you that you'd like to sleep with her. No. This felt like getting hit with a nuclear bomb.

He didn't think anything could be sexier than what Lauren was wearing to travel today—a simple V-neck shirt and jeans—but that was because he hadn't seen her in her current nighttime attire.

He ran his hands over his face, rubbing them up and down as if he were scrubbing, trying to bring himself back to earth. Shit. He was never going to make it through dinner, much less the entire night with her.

Lauren padded over and sat in the chair opposite him, carefully unfolding her napkin and placing it properly in her lap.

She began cutting up her steak enthusiastically and smiled at him. "I'm starving, Ben. This looks amazing. Thanks for taking care of all of this."

Hearing her speak snapped him out of his lust-induced fog. Well, enough that he was able to carry on somewhat coherent small talk during dinner. At least he thought he was being coherent. Good grief, he thought to himself. Maybe I'm not the best judge of that. What if I'm rambling like a loon?

But Lauren didn't seem to be giving him any concerned or disconcerted looks, so he thought he must've been doing at least a passable job of pretending to be in his right mind.

By the time they finished dinner, he was almost completely back to normal, and by the time they finished running their lines for a half an hour, he was one hundred percent back to himself.

He realized that he needed to figure out a way to deal with seeing her that wasn't going to take him out of commission every time she happened to walk in looking beautiful. Because, he needed to face facts, it was bound to happen a lot. He needed to get on even footing here.

They settled into bed, lying on their sides with their backs to each other, each as close to their own edge as possible, putting the maximum distance between them that they could.

Ben smiled in the dark. He had one more thing to say to her, and it felt easier when her face was obscured by the gloom that surrounded them.

"Lauren?" he said softly.

"Hmmm..." she answered sleepily.

"Are you still awake?"

"Yeah."

"I wanted to tell you something."

"Okay."

"Just for future reference? When you have a whispered private conversation and you turn on the shower to obscure it, that just makes you whisper louder. Tell Karina I said hi the next time you talk to her."

"Goodnight, Ben," Lauren said tersely.

"Goodnight, Lauren."