Carrying Hope (10 page)

“Did you have a pleasant flight?”

“Yes, it was very exciting.”

He smiled distractedly and ushered me to the waiting town car.

“I hope you don’t mind missing out on the sights.”

I shook my head.

“That’s all right. I don’t think I really want to be out in public looking like this,” I gestured to my battered face.

“Nonsense. You look fantastic.”

Again, my heart skipped a beat. Of course he didn’t mean it like that. He was only being polite. I was so desperate to be wanted that I was eager to latch onto the smallest comment to try to make it into something more. I needed to stop. It was plenty that Bryce was being so generous; there was no need for me to expect or want more from him. He’d been nothing but a perfect gentleman since we met.

I tried to appear nonchalant, betraying how much his words really affected me.

“Be that as it may, I’m the kind of girl that prefers a quiet night in, anyway.”

“A girl after my own heart,” he said with a breath-taking grin.

Inwardly, I cursed. It shouldn’t be possible for one smile to make my mouth dry and my hands clammy. It was ridiculous that one off-hand comment could make my heart leap into my throat.

I was still grieving over my lost relationship with Kevin. I was still adjusting to the loss of my job and my home. I still hadn’t come to terms with my pregnancy. Bryce was handsome, charming, and kind to me; it made sense that I would try to use him as a distraction from facing my real problems. Still, I owed it to myself and my baby to focus on putting my life back together. Mooning over this man, regardless of how gorgeous he was, wasn’t going to help me pick myself up.

“So, what kind of meeting do you have here?” I asked, wanting to avoid any awkward silences.

His face tightened immediately. I could almost see the wall come down in his eyes to keep me out. I’d obviously struck a nerve or touched on something I wasn’t supposed to, but I had no idea what.

“Nothing important. Business.”

I nodded, feeling like I’d been reprimanded.

“Do you come to D. C. Often?” I asked, hoping that it was a safer topic.

“Once or twice. I don’t do much traveling, to be honest.”

“What? Why? You have your own
jet
,” I exclaimed in disbelief.

His answering chuckle wrapped around me like a warm blanket and helped me relax. All the tension that filled the car only a moment ago was gone.

“Yeah, but I’m kind of a hermit.”

“Ah, the reclusive millionaire. You’re not eccentric by any chance, are you?”

He paused, making a show of thinking about the question.

“Well, there was this one time that I invited a strange woman that I met on the street to share my home without knowing anything about her. Does that count?”

I did my best to suppress the grin that threatened to split my face.

“That does seem a wee bit crazy,” I teased.

“So I’ve been told.”

I heard a note of defeat in his voice and felt guilty.

“I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any stress. I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

“Marcie, you’ve done nothing wrong, I assure you.”

I smiled, accepting his answer, but there was still the niggling feeling that he wasn’t telling me everything. I didn’t know him well enough to press the matter, so I let it go.

I know I shouldn’t have been surprised by the luxurious hotel accommodations or the lavish presidential suite that Bryce booked. It shouldn’t have surprised me, but I still found my mouth hanging open in awe.

Everywhere I looked there were gleaming polished surfaces: marble tile, freshly waxed wood floors, stainless appliances, and the sparkliest chandeliers known to mankind. The extravagance seemed almost obscene. I was just about to say so when I stepped into one of the bedrooms.

“Oh. My. God,” I groaned, flopping onto the most ridiculously plush bed I’d ever seen. The soft down engulfed me and I felt myself sinking into the bed further and further.

“Enjoying yourself?” Bryce asked from the doorway, one eyebrow cocked in amusement.

“I didn’t even know that they
made
things this soft,” I moaned, nuzzling the pillows.

“Did you even look out the window yet?” He asked, that self-satisfied smile making him look irresistible.

I tried to push those thoughts aside and sprang out of the fluffy cocoon that had me trapped in its snuggly embrace. I practically skipped past Bryce on my way to the main room. The curtains were closed, and I tried to tug them open, but they didn’t budge.

“Try this,” Bryce said smoothly from behind me.

The curtains began to move of their own accord and I glanced back in time to spot Bryce slipping a remote into his pocket.

As the curtains moved, a whole new world was opened up before me. Another click on the remote and Bryce turned the lights down. Without the glare on the glass, I could see the whole city spread out at my feet. We were on the top floor of the hotel, giving me a clear view of the National Mall, the Washington Monument and the Capital Building.

Without a sound, Bryce was next to me.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

His voice was barely a whisper; it made goose bumps rise up on my arms.

My eyes flicked to him only for a moment before returning to the spectacular view. Though the sky was dark, the city was anything but. Street lights, car lights, and the numerous spotlights that were scattered around made watching the bustling streets easy. I could see autumn’s early effects in the handful of red and orange tinged leaves.

The sky was clear and a waxing moon shone brightly, an icy halo surrounding it. I’d never seen anything more glorious in my life.

I turned to Bryce, trying to explain without words the way he made my heart swell.

“It really is,” I breathed. His pine and cinnamon scent wafted towards me and I leaned forward unconsciously.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” I continued, trying to regain my senses. How did he have this effect on me?

When Bryce was near, my head felt fuzzy. My heart raced and my tongue became heavy. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him, or stop imagining those perfectly shaped lips against mine.

His eyes never flickered from my own.

“Neither have I.”

And then, he kissed me.

Her lips were delicious delicate rose petals that I would never tire of. All of the times I imagined kissing Marcie over the past couple of days, I never imagined that her kisses would be so sweet.

She was surprised at first, but quickly sank in to my persistent ministrations. She let out a soft moan on a sigh and her lips parted just enough to grant my tongue access.

I knew I shouldn’t let this go any further. I knew I should stop before I did something we’d both regret. But damn, she was addicting. Her taste, the soft contented moans, the timid way her lips moved against mine… they were all intoxicating and I needed more. I would always need more. I could never have enough of this woman.

Soft feminine hands snaked up the hem of my shirt, gently stroking my heated skin. She began to lift my shirt and I raised my arms over my head with a wince.

Confusion marred her features until her eyes landed on my abdomen. In an instant, the entire room shifted. Marcie’s hand flew to cover her mouth and tears sprang to her eyes.

Her fingers skated over my bruised flesh with feather light touches.

“Oh, Bryce,” she cried, her hand barely resting against my chest.

I tried to smile to ease her worries, but it came off as more of a grimace.

“I’m sorry!” She said, pulling her hand away like she’d been burned.

“It’s fine Marcie. I promise.”

I stroked the injured side of her face before tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She leaned into my hand and I felt a tear spill out.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, wiping tears away from her eyes, “I think it’s my hormones. I never cry this much.” Her hand moved to her stomach, reminding us both of the little one between us.

“That’s okay. Why don’t we order dinner and a movie or something?”

“That sounds great,” she said brightly, renewing my confidence.

At least now I knew that I wasn’t the only one that felt this crazy pull. Of course, I
was
the one left with blue balls, but it was my own fault. I told myself not to get to close to Marcie and then I was stupid enough to bring her on a cross-country trip with me. I certainly couldn’t blame the girl for being confused by my intentions.

“Any special requests?”

“A burger with fries!”

I smirked; at least she knew what she wanted.

“Okay, anything else?”

“A chocolate shake!” She grinned before looking sheepish.

“Admirable choices. Let’s make it two of each,” I said, dialing the number for room service.

We browsed through the movie selections, her arguing the case for the newest romcom chick flick and me trying to convince her that Fast Cars 7 was a better choice.

“Your
life
is fast cars; you don’t need to watch a movie about it,” she joked.

“But my life has a sad lack of explosions and police chases. And explosions during police chases.”

I tried to keep a straight face as she rolled her eyes.

“Do you really want to argue this with a pregnant lady?”

I pretended to look nervous.

“Oh, boy, you’ve got a point there, huh? That is kind of a Trump card.”

Her boisterous triumphant laugh was infectious and we were both lost in a fit of giggles when our food arrived.

“So,” Marcie said, munching on a french fry, “tell me something about yourself. I don’t know anything about you.”

I frowned for a moment; I knew she was asking out of genuine interest and it wasn’t some kind of ploy. I couldn’t help my knee-jerk reaction to want to shy away from discussions of my past, though.

“Well, what do you want to know?”

She took a bite of her burger and closed her eyes and moaned with sheer bliss.

“Holy wow, that is a good burger.”

I took a bite of my own burger and nodded my agreement.

“Okay,” she said, washing her burger down with a big gulp of her milkshake, “do you have any siblings? Where did you grow up? Do you talk to your parents?”

I shook my head.

“No siblings that I know of. Not a good area. No.”

The disappointment in her eyes made me feel guilty for my terse reply, but anything more than that and I would destroy the mood even more.

“What about you?” I asked, trying not to imagine her on top of the coffee table instead of sitting under it.

“Only child. I’ve always lived in the city. And no,” she frowned, “my father passed away years ago and I have no idea where my mother is.”

Though I could tell that saying the words hurt her, she didn’t let it ruin her good mood. If she could be so candid with me, it was only fair that I show her the same courtesy.

“I’m sorry to hear about your father. I never met mine. My mother passed away when I was a child,” my jaw clenched against my will. I didn’t want the rage to take over tonight. I wanted to enjoy Marcie’s company.

“Oh, Bryce, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

I held up a hand to stop her.

“It’s fine Marcie, you didn’t know.”

She blushed, her eyes trained downward on her plate.

“To be honest, I was thinking you might be royalty or something with how secretive you are.”

It was my turn to start the raucous laughter that consumed us both.

“I guess I haven’t been very forthcoming with you, have I?” I said with a twinge of regret creeping into my voice.

“Well, no. Not really,” Marcie answered, “but that’s okay! You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to. You’ve already done plenty for me,” she added hastily.