“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Not gonna spend my first night with you in a frat house or at your dorm,” he replied as he pulled into the parking lot of the Hyatt Place.
“You booked us a hotel room?”
“Wasn’t what I had planned for tonight, but that’s what online reservations were made for. Booked it as soon as I realized you were mine tonight.”
I felt strange as we checked into the hotel without any luggage, just a bag of Chinese food. The clerk didn’t seem to notice anything amiss and handed Drake our keycard. I turned away as he gave Drake directions to our room. My face had heated with the blush that had crept up my neck.
We stopped at the vending machine to grab a couple sodas on our way to the room. Drake opened the door and waved me in ahead of him. I flipped the light switch and my eyes locked on the king-sized bed that dominated the room.
Drake rubbed his hand down my back in a soothing gesture. “Nothing has to happen tonight, Alexa. We can spread out with our food and watch television if that’s what you want to do.”
“You and me, alone in a hotel room, without anything happening? I don’t think so.”
He took a couple towels from the bathroom and spread them across the bed. Pulling containers out of the bag, he peeked inside each one and handed me the Moo Goo Gai Pan with a fork.
“What, no chopsticks?”
He dug through the bag some more and pulled out a set that he tossed my way. He watched as I pulled them out of the packaging and used them to scoop some food into my mouth. His eyes lingered on my lips as I chewed. The air in the room sizzled with sexual tension as we sat across from each other and ate silently. Our fingers brushed as we both reached for an eggroll and I froze.
“You first,” Drake offered, handing me the bag.
“No thanks. I think I’m full.” I rubbed my stomach, which was fluttering like crazy. I couldn’t possibly eat anything else as my nerves were getting the best of me.
Drake took a bite of an eggroll and started clearing up the mess. I leapt off the bed, grabbed the mostly full containers, and tossed them into the garbage can.
Drake handed me a small toiletry kit stamped with the Hyatt name. “How did you get this?”
“The guy at the check-in desk must have thought we might need it. He slid it over to me while he was checking out your ass and gave me the thumbs-up sign.”
“Ohimigod! That’s so embarrassing.”
“We aren’t the first couple to show up spur of the moment and I’m sure we won’t be the last. Go get ready for bed. There should be a couple robes in the closet. Why don’t you change into one of them?”
As I brushed my teeth, I took deep breathes to try to calm my nerves. It was my idea to spend the night with Drake, and here I was, trembling like a schoolgirl. I’d only ever been naked in front of one other guy. I had no doubts that Drake was attracted to me, so I really didn’t have anything to be worried about. I just needed to pull up my big girl panties and walk out there. I could do this.
Dressed in the robe with just my underwear on, I stepped out of the bathroom. Drake was already undressed and in his robe. He gave me a reassuring look as he stepped past me to use the bathroom. The lights were dimmed and the television was on and turned to the movies that were available to purchase. I flipped through the options and found several action films I hadn’t caught at the theater. I clicked on the preview for the one starring Jason Statham, since he was my favorite actor.
The blankets were already turned down, so I climbed into the bed. I heard the water turn off in the bathroom and glanced towards the door to see Drake staring at me. “I like the look of you in bed waiting for me.”
He stalked towards me and climbed in beside me. He towered over me on his knees as he looked down at me. His eyes darkened as he trailed them down my body and back up again to look me in the eyes. His jaw was clenched and his cheeks flushed. I could practically feel the testosterone pumping into the air. He glanced to the side to look at the television.
“Good choice in movies. No chick flick?” he joked in an effort to diffuse the tension.
I punched him in the arm as he settled next to me, pulling me into his side. “No, I love action movies. My tastes must have been influenced by my dad’s preferences since he raised me on his own.”
Drake gave me a reassuring squeeze. “He did a great job with you, babe.”
“It was hard on him losing Mom like he did when she had me, but he was a great dad.”
“Wasn’t easy for you either growing up without a mom. He never thought about remarrying?”