Perfectly Pink - An It's Always Been You Romance (Complete)

Chapter 28

Was it a dream?

Simon could taste Mary. Her scent lingered in the air.

He wanted to stay wrapped in the soft cotton sheets of the hotel bed, eyes shut. Because if he opened them, it meant dealing with reality. Light tried to seep in, the sun telling him it was a new day. And with a new day would come an empty bed.

Mary would be gone. Probably leaving after fully exhausting him into the early hours of the morning. His heart fluttered as the memories of touching her, kissing her, being with her filtered across his closed eyelids. Last night had been the best night of his life, hands down. Over the years, he and Mary had taken each other to heights in their brief encounters, unlike anything he'd ever achieved with anyone else. But last night, taking their time, exploring each other, giving and taking, tasting and being tasted until they fell asleep in each other's arms had been more than he had ever dreamed possible.

But all dreams come to an end. The curtains of the hotel room were open, programmed to wake him up on a schedule set upon checked in, and there was no use denying his new reality. Two things he knew for sure. One, he was madly in love with Mary, there was no one else for him and his heart was hers for the taking. This admission, this confession, this fact, once cemented in his soul, had the strange effect of not causing him heart ache or angst. Rather, it settled in every cell of his body with a surety and almost comfort he never would have guessed possible.

Unfortunately, fact number two warred against that surety. At this very moment, lids pressed shut, everything was possible. But once he opened his eyes Mary wouldn't be here to tell fact number one to.

Despite his best efforts, his eyes opened. What Simon saw took his breath away.

Before him was the visage of an angel, big eyes the colour of a cloudless sky, petite nose, kissable lips and golden hair, wild and wonderful in its disarray. His heart swelled at the sight of Mary. In his bed. She'd stayed the night. He blinked, but the mirage didn't vanish.

The vision spoke.

"At last. I'm starving."

Even though his heart was in his throat, Simon managed a smile at Mary's words. The woman always knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to ask for it. One of the many things he loved about her. To give himself time to find his voice, Simon reached out and twirled a strand of her flaxen hair around his forefinger. He licked his lips and cleared his throat. "Well, we can't have that."

To his surprise, Mary leaned forward and kissed him. The contact soft and sweet. As the hairs on his arms stood up, he wondered for a moment exactly what she was hungry for. As if reading his mind, Mary withdrew and sat up, pulling the sheet with her to cover her naked chest. Lucky sheet.

"Can we order room service?"

With a nod, he reached for the remote, turned on the TV, and found the room service screen. "What do you want?"

He watched the white letters forming breakfast options reflect in the pupils of Mary's eyes as he scrolled down. A light touch on his hand made him stop.

"Ooh, waffles sound good. Do you want waffles?" She turned to look at him, and Simon's heart skipped a beat. So this is what Mary Montgomery was like in the morning, effervescent like champagne, hungry like a wolf and as beautiful as a goddess. Could every morning be like this? Waking up with Mary in his bed.

"I like waffles."

She pursed her lips. "I didn't ask what you like. I asked what you want."

"I want what you want."

Her face fell into a deeper scowl, and Simon's heart galloped for all the wrong reasons. Afraid to further upset her, he searched for a way to return to the hazy happiness of moments ago. He tentatively touched the small of her back.