“You doing okay?” Cassie asked. “We can always go home if you’re missing Ruby too much.”
They’d been on the road for three hours, driving from Bar Harbor to Portland. Flynn had kept his phone on the dashboard in case Beth texted. The only messages that had come in, thankfully, were pictures of Ruby giggling with the dog and then playing drums with a spatula and a set of pots.
“I would never ask you to miss the awards ceremony,” he replied as he pulled into valet parking in front of the hotel.
Cassie bit her lip. “What if I’m missing Ruby too much?”
He put the car in Park, then turned to put his hand on her cheek. “I love that you miss her as much as I do. But she’s going to have the time of her life with your parents and siblings and Kevin while we’re gone.” He gave her a knowing smile as he added, “And you’re not getting out of tonight that easily.”
She sighed. “Have I mentioned how much I hate standing up in front of a bunch of people?” Regardless of who won, at the end of the ceremony, all of the finalists would be called up to the stage in recognition of their achievements. She was already sweating just thinking about being in the spotlight.
“From your stories of the toasts and speeches you’ve given at Sullivan reunions and weddings and birthday parties and baby showers, it sounds like standing up in front of a bunch of people is exactly what you’ve been doing your whole life.”
“It doesn’t make me nervous if I’m related to them.”
“In that case, instead of pretending they’re all in their underwear while you’re giving your acceptance speech, pretend they’re long-lost Sullivans.”
She laughed. “Honestly, there are so many of us all over the world that it isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility.”
The valet kept a discreet distance until Cassie opened her door. Jumping to service, he said, “Welcome to The Press Hotel. I will take care of your bags if you would like to go inside to check in.”
Cassie had stayed at the boutique hotel once before, and she loved the rich history of the building in the Old Port district. “This building used to house the offices and printing plant of the Portland Press Herald,” she told Flynn as they walked hand in hand through the elegant entry. “In fact, I read that one of the rooms has a fully restored 1925 Royal typewriter in it.” If she hadn’t become a candy confectioner, she very well might have been an antique specialist. Typewriters had always been a particular favorite.
“You don’t see many buildings like this in California,” he noted. “Everywhere I’ve been in Maine, there’s such a sense of history.”
She squeezed his hand, understanding everything he wasn’t saying. Given that he’d left a small town for one of the biggest cities in the world, it meant so much to her that he had chosen to put down roots in another small town. Unlike in Los Angeles, he would never be able to disappear on a busy downtown street in Maine. Even Portland, while considerably bigger than Bar Harbor, was still tiny by Hollywood standards.
“Hello,” she said to the woman behind the check-in desk. “I have a room reserved for one night under the name Cassie Sullivan.”
“Welcome, Ms. Sullivan and—” The women did a double take when she looked at Flynn, not managing to cover her surprised reaction at coming face-to-face with a Hollywood celebrity.
But though Cassie could feel him stiffen, he didn’t back away from the promise he’d made to stand by her side—and to face whatever fallout came from revealing that he had left Hollywood for Maine.
“Flynn Stewart.”
Clearly flustered, the woman gave him a tremulous smile. “Mr. Stewart, sir, it’s a pleasure to have you here. Both of you.” The woman’s fingers fumbled slightly on her keyboard as she pulled up their information on her screen. “I’m so pleased to see that the two of you have reserved the Penthouse Suite.”
“I’m sorry,” Cassie said with a shake of her head, “you must have my reservation mixed up with another visitor. I booked a standard room with a king bed.”
“According to my records, you have been upgraded to our most exquisite suite of rooms. Your bags have already been sent up. I also see in the notes that you are a finalist for tonight’s awards.” She smiled as she handed Cassie the key to the Penthouse Suite. “Congratulations and best of luck. And please let us know if there is anything at all that we can do for you.”
Cassie waited until they were alone in the elevator before asking Flynn, “Did you do that for us?”
He lifted her hand to his lips. “You deserve the best—and I intend to give it to you.”
“You don’t have to give me anything but yourself. But I’m not going to lie and say this isn’t a really nice surprise.”
She kissed him then and was still kissing him when the elevator opened on the seventh floor. A floor that had only one suite—theirs.
The surprises weren’t over yet, because when she opened the door, she found champagne on ice and several gorgeous bouquets of her favorite flowers decorating the suite. “Oh Flynn…you are such a romantic.”
She was about to kiss him again—and not stop this time—when she saw the antique typewriter she had mentioned to him only a few minutes ago. She read the note next to it out loud. “We hope the panoramic views of Portland from the seventh floor or the journalism-rich history of the building inspire a letter, a poem, or short story during your time at The Press Hotel.” She grinned at Flynn. “Are you feeling inspired?”
“When I’m with you, always.”
Though he hadn’t told her anything about the new screenplay he was working on, she hoped it was true. Telling stories might have been a way to escape his past, but creativity was vital to Cassie’s happiness in the present, and she knew the same went for Flynn.
Continuing their tour of the suite, they walked out on the rooftop patio, which had great views of the Old Port, the harbor, the surrounding islands, and the Atlantic Ocean.
“This is beautiful.”
“Beyond beautiful,” Flynn agreed.
When she realized he was looking at her rather than the view, she put her arms around him. “How about we go inside so that I can show you how much I appreciate all your thoughtful, romantic gestures? We should have just enough time before we need to get ready for the awards ceremony.”
“Or we could save time by starting right here, right now.” He lowered his mouth to the curve of her neck, nibbling on her sensitive skin.
“And risk indecent exposure?” She’d never contemplated doing something so risqué before.
“No one will see anything more than a couple kissing on a rooftop,” he promised her. “Do you trust me, Cassie?”
She shivered, and not because it was cold. “Yes.” She wrapped her arms tighter around him. “I trust you. With everything.”
As though her response lit a fire inside of him, he crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her breathless. By the time he broke their kiss, he’d moved them to the outdoor couch.
Drawing her down to sit with him so that they were facing each other, he made sure his body blocked hers from any clear sight lines. If anyone looked out a window toward the rooftop terrace, they would see little more than Flynn’s broad back.
“I’m glad you wore a dress today,” he murmured as he slowly bunched the fabric in his hands.
The light stroke of his fingertips on her thighs as he drew her dress higher made it impossible for her not to respond. She could only focus on the delicious sensation of his touch and the warmth of his breath on her skin as he pressed kisses from her earlobe to her collarbone.
“Your skin is so soft,” he murmured between kisses. “You feel so good.”
Her skirt was at her upper thigh when he finally slid his hand to the aroused flesh between her legs. Her breath was coming in gasps as one light touch, one perfect stroke of his fingers over silk, drove her straight to the edge. Again and again, he caressed her, and her eyes fell closed as she relished the sinfully sweet sensations.
“Look at me, Cassie.” He momentarily stilled his hand. “I need to see you.”
She opened her eyes to find his blazing with heat. And then—oh God, it was so good—he slid his hand over her bare skin, swallowing her cries of pleasure with his mouth as she climaxed.
Lifting her into his arms, he carried her inside the suite. In the bathroom, he turned on the shower, then stripped both of them out of their clothes. The glass-enclosed shower was all steamed up by the time they stepped inside, Flynn remembering to grab a condom at the last moment.
She ran her hands down his wet skin, the muscles of his abdomen rippling beneath her touch. “I can’t believe I get to live out my secret fantasies with you.”
“Tell me one of your fantasies, Cassie, and we’ll live it right now.”
“We already are.”
“You’re one of the most creative people I’ve ever met.” There was a sexy challenge in his eyes as he said, “You can do better than that.”
She’d never felt more beautiful than she did with Flynn, but she’d never exactly been a sex goddess either. At least, not until he’d shown her that she had been one all along.
Slowly, she turned to face the tiled wall. Putting her hands flat on the cool tiles on either side of her head, she looked over her shoulder. “This is one of my fantasies.”
She’d never seen his eyes so dark, or so hungry, as he drank her in. And then the hard, muscled length of his body was pressed along her backside, his hands and mouth seemingly everywhere at once. Cupping her breasts, caressing the curves of her hips, brushing against her lips—then starting at the top all over again, until she was writhing against him and begging him to take her.
At last, he sheathed himself, then gripped her hips in his big hands and drove into her in one powerful stroke. She cried out his name he took her to the peak of pleasure, then they catapulted into sheer bliss together.
Her legs were still trembling slightly as he gently washed her hair and body. It was the nicest thing in the world to be taken care of like this, by someone who clearly cherished her. By the time he turned off the water, then wrapped her in a plush towel, she felt more relaxed than she could remember.
“I’m not nervous about the awards ceremony anymore.” She smiled as she added, “Mostly because I can’t stop thinking about which fantasy I’m going to share with you once we come back to the room tonight.”
* * *
Flynn needed a good ten minutes to get his body back under control after Cassie’s comment about her next fantasy. When he finally won the battle with his arousal—as much as he could when, only a room away, Cassie was slipping into her dress and heels—he put on the black tuxedo he’d rented for the evening, then went out to the living room.
He was staring out over the moonlit Portland cityscape when he heard the click of heels on the hardwood floor. Turning to face Cassie, he had to put his hand on the glass to steady himself.
The sapphire-blue lace and silk slid over her curves like a second skin. At once demure and breathtakingly sexy, it hinted at far more than it gave away. She had pulled her hair up into a loose bun and wore a pair of sparkling sapphire earrings that her mother had lent her for the evening. She also wore the four-leaf clover locket around her neck that her father had given her.
She looked like an angel.
His and Ruby’s angel.
He took her hands in his. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
Her smile was radiant. “And you’re so handsome in your tux that I’m wondering if we can get away with being a little bit late to the ceremony.”
“Don’t worry,” he promised, “I’ll make waiting worth your while.”
She licked her lips, looking sexier than ever as she asked, “How?”
He laughed, amazed by how natural it felt to laugh with Cassie, when it was something he’d rarely done before. “That’s for me to know…and you to spend the next several hours anticipating.” He was about to put his hand on the small of her back to guide her over to the door, when he could see that she obviously wasn’t yet ready. “What is it, Cassie?”
“I know being my date tonight will probably open up a lot of questions about you and Ruby. Especially if any of the bigger media outlets cover the awards.” She gripped his hands tightly. “But I’m going to make sure that no one ever hurts you or Ruby again. Not tonight. Not ever.”
“I never knew someone could simultaneously be a fierce warrior and the sunniest person on the planet. Not until you.” He kissed her gently. “And I’m not worried about anyone bothering me tonight. They’re not going to be able to take their eyes off of you.”