Free An Unexpected Love Story (Love Story Book Two) by Rachel Schurig

you.”
    “It’s okay,” I said, putting a hand over my rapidly beating heart. “Is everything okay with your room?”
    “Yeah,” he said, stopping a few feet away. “I thought you were going to bed?”
    “Duty called,” I said, shrugging.
    “God, you look beat. Can you go back to sleep now?”
    I shrugged again. “Probably not. But it’s no biggie, all part of the job.” For the first time, I registered his bare feet and un-tucked shirt. “Did you need something?”
    “I couldn’t sleep,” he said. “I thought a drink might help. I was gonna go and see if the bar was still open, but it sounds like the party’s over down there.”
    “Come on,” I said, turning for the stairs. “A drink sounds great.”
    John followed me down to the deserted lobby. A light in the office told me Stan was probably in there, apparently not in the mood for cleanup yet. I led John into the dining room and over to the bar. The room was practically dark, lit only by a few overhead lights to conserve power after hours.
    “What’ll you have?” I asked, pulling out a glass.
    “Whiskey, neat.”
    “Ah, my kind of drink.” I poured us each a measure of Jack Daniels and clinked my glass against his. “Here’s to outlasting the gamers.”
    “Sleep is over-rated,” he added, before taking a sip of his whiskey. I was more apt to down mine in one go, but I refrained, not wanting to look too much like a bar floozy.
    “I would have thought you’d be exhausted by now,” I said. “Driving all that way and all.”
    John shrugged. “I’m used to getting by on little sleep.”
    “The life of a lawyer?”
    He smiled at me. “Something like that.”
    I heard a noise from the lobby and grimaced. I wasn’t really in the mood to explain to Stan why I was drinking with a guest. John seemed to sense my discomfort. “Wanna get out of here?” he asked. “Finish these up in the suite?” I met his eyes, appreciating the fact that he didn’t seem embarrassed. Instead, he winked at me and said, “I’ve heard the suite’s been redecorated recently, you really should see it.”
    I laughed. “Okay,” I said, knowing it was risky behavior but not really caring. The thought of going back to the apartment was no longer appealing, nor was staying there waiting for Stan to come through. I figured I may as well enjoy my drink and his company while I could. I grabbed the bottle and my glass. “Let’s go this way.”
    I led John to the opposite side of the room, toward where the kitchen was located. Just beyond the dining room was a back staircase, primarily used by the kitchen staff to bring up room service to the guests. It would take us right up to the third floor, bypassing Stan and the lobby entirely.
    When we reached the suite, John unlocked the door and held it open for me. “I can’t get over these keys,” he said, shutting the door behind him. “I don’t think I’ve used an actual hotel key in my adult life.”
    “I was wishing we weren’t so old school about twenty minutes ago,” I told him, sinking down onto the couch in front of the fireplace. He joined me, and I told him about the Firefly guy getting locked out of his room, and our conversation on the stairs.
    “Oh, you’re in for it now,” he told me. Suddenly, he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, leaving a trail of heat across my neck where his fingers made contact with my skin. “They’ll elect you Queen of all Geeks first thing in the morning.”
    “Hey, I like those geeks,” I said, trying to keep my wits about me.
    “I like them, too,” he agreed, shaking his head slightly. “I was surprised, but I really did have a good time tonight.”
    “Me, too.” I took a sip of my whiskey, my first glass almost gone now.
    “I have to admit,” John went on quietly. “It was mostly fun because I knew you were there.”
    I swallowed, not sure how to respond. I wanted so badly to kiss him, but my self-loathing about Paul hadn’t entirely gone away