In this scene Hugo and Erin both work late and discover they are trapped in Harrington Park Hotel because of an unexpected snow fall. He’s been noticing how gorgeous and easy going she is. She’s had a crush on him forever. A widow who isn’t ready to fall in love again, she thinks having a crush on him is no big deal because she’d never act on it…What she wasn’t prepared for is that he wouldn’t wait for her permission. LOL
He refilled their wineglasses and sat beside her. Not close. But not far enough away either. She could smell his aftershave and see every muscle move beneath his white shirt.
Not that she was looking.
Oh, hell, who was she kidding? She was looking. Being stuck together and having the best-tasting wine on the planet had softened her. Maybe even lowered her inhibitions. If she hadn’t been spending time with him for such a good cause—getting to know him, hoping to discover his secret so it didn’t tumble out at the wrong time and ruin their grand reopening—she’d be scrambling out of here. At least, excusing herself to go to her room, away from the hypnotic power of those beautiful gray eyes.
But wouldn’t that be a waste? They had a bottle of delicious wine. He was chitchatting like a friend. For the first time since she’d had Noah, she was having fun.
Fun.
With grouchy pants Hugo Harrington.
She laughed at her Noah-age reference.
“What’s funny?”
Caught, she remembered her “no lie” rule and said, “Something popped into my head.”
He smiled at her. Simply. Beautifully. “What?”
She swallowed. It had to be the wine, but he was behaving like the man in her dreams. “Something Noah says when my mom’s having a bad day.”
His smile warmed, grew.
She cleared her throat. Lord, he was gorgeous. And so muscled and male. She swore she felt heat radiating from him.
“Is it hot in here?”
He laughed. “Actually, yes.”
“Whew, because I’m definitely feeling warm.”
He slowly caught her gaze. “Top floor. Heat rises. I could turn on the air conditioning.”
He was only being considerate, but her chest tightened. Her mouth watered. Visions of things that had never really happened filled her head. Could things she’d imagined doing with him for so long actually be coming true? Her breath caught.
She shook her head slightly. Thinking of those things—those fantasies right now—really, really wasn’t smart.
But something pulsed between them. With their gazes locked, he leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. Her heart fluttered. The wineglass between her fingers slipped a notch.
He caught it and set it on the coffee table in front of the sofa, along with his glass. Then he leaned in again. One hand on the back of the sofa, the other at his side, he slid his lips across hers again.
Arousal hit in a wave of longing so strong it made her bold. She slid one hand to his shoulder. He slid his hand to her waist, tugging her closer. His mouth moved over hers seductively, drawing her in, and she fell into the kiss, exactly as he lured her to with his clever mouth. Her other hand moved to his shoulder, and this time she was the one to pull him closer.
The kiss changed, deepened. With just enough wine to lower her inhibitions, she let her fantasies meld with reality and tumbled into the warmth surrounding them. Adrenaline competed with arousal for control. When his fingers went to the hem of her T-shirt, anticipation raced through her, and she shifted so he could pull it over her head. He tossed it behind him.
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