1. ROSALYN

“Dear passengers, the flight from London to New York THGD08 will be delayed by 10 hours due to unforeseen weather conditions. We apologise for the inconvenience. Have a good night,” the robotic voice announced from the speakers for the 3rd time.

I stand at the exit, looking at the pouring rain which will soon be preceded by a thunderstorm. 

“Have a good night,” the voice says for the 4th time.

How am I supposed to have a good night when I have nowhere to go? I don’t have enough money to be able to pay for London’s expensive hotels. And I certainly don’t want to spend my night shivering in the airport lobby.

“You should move quickly before all the nearby hotels are booked,” a warm voice says from my side. She does not look more than 40 and is accompanied by her husband and children.

I politely smile and nod. She’s right. I have to move. I roll my suitcase, avoiding all the wet spots.

The first hotel was booked.

Second was too expensive.

But third’s the charm, right? 

Not wanting to miss out, I ran towards the reception.

“One room please,” I say and hear the exact same words said by a deep male voice too.

“I’m sorry. Only one room is left,” the receptionist tells us.

“Yes, give it to me,” I immediately pulled out a few dollars.

“No, I came first,” the deep male voice grunts.

I give him the side eye. “You did not.”

“I’ll pay double the price,” he offers.

The receptionist’s gaze tosses from left to right, contemplating how to deal with the mess. I inhale a long breath and turn towards the man. All words get stuck in my throat as I take him in.

He is handsome. He has that appearance which could make him stand out in the crowd. His unfathomable, blue eyes contrast exceptionally with his light toned face. 

“Do you have something to say?” He asks, quirking a perfect brow.

“I-uh-ahm.” God dammit Rosie! Get a hold on yourself. “Please let me take this room. My flight got delayed. I have nowhere else to go.”

He stares at me for a whole minute. I try not to squirm in his scrutinising intensity. Then he shakes his head.

“Fine,” he says and I release a sigh I didn’t know I was holding.

“Thank you so much,” I express my gratitude. He does not smile back. I’m not complaining though. I got the room.

The receptionist asks for my identity proof and advance payment. I hand them over desperately. This room’s price is breaking my bank account but I’m not one to hesitate when all’s done.

When I round the lobby towards the elevator, the same handsome man is sitting in the waiting hall. I walk up to him.

“Hey,” I greet.

“Hey back,” he says looking up from his phone.

I sit next to him and this close, I can smell his expensive cologne. He is definitely rich. I mean he’s wearing a suit and an expensive watch. Also, he was ready to pay double for the room.

“What are you doing here? You should find one before the weather gets worse.”

“Everywhere is booked. I checked.” He shows me his phone with the g****e page.

“So what are you gonna do?”

“I guess I’ll go back to the airport,” he shrugs.

“Your flight got delayed too?” 

“Yeah.” He rubs the back of his head

Can I let him do that? Should I let him go back to the airport? He was ready to pay double. It’s wrong. 

Without thinking much about what I’m doing, I say, “You should take the room.”

He pinches his brows. “No, of course not,” he denies.

“You did get here first if I admit honestly.”

“I’m not taking the room.”

“You should.”

“Well, I’m denying.”

“Then I’m denying as well.”

He shifts his body to me.

“You can’t do that,” he says as if I’m a kid who needs to put some sense into her and it's apparent that he won’t budge.

“Let’s share the room,” I offer and it sounds as bizarre to my ears as his expressions suggest. Yet, I make no move to back off. 

He mulls over it for a few seconds and I note the exact minute he makes up his mind. He has no other options.

“You’re one stubborn woman,” he comments.

“Is that a compliment?” I ask as I press the elevator button to our floor.

He rolls his eyes and I bite my lips to suppress the laughter bubbling in my throat. I flash the card on the door scanner to unlock it. As I push the door inwards, “holy shit” are the first words from my mouth.

The room is huge, elegant, and classy. I immediately rushed into the bathroom. It’s there. The jacuzzi. I can’t help the squeal that comes out of my mouth.

The living room connects to the main bedroom. The large window gives a full view of London’s beautiful night lights. I close my eyes and listen to the rhythmic tapping of the rain. When I open them, he is standing beside me, studying me with a solemn face.

“What’s your name?” His deep voice rumbles in the otherwise silent room.

“Rosie-short for Rosalyn Shay. Yours?”

“Carter West.”

He’s standing a little too close in my personal space but I don’t point that out. I don’t even mind it. 

“I have to change,” I say. He steps back and I brush past him.

I retrieve a pair of pyjamas and a comfortable t-shirt before slipping into the bathroom. Nothing is more satisfying than coming out of a tight pair of jeans at the end of the day and throwing the bra aside.

I take a quick shower, drawing the exhaustion of the day. I put on my nightwear, conveniently forgoing the bra. As I step out of the shower, I instantly realise my mistake.

Carter halts mid-step as he registers my presence. My hair is dripping on the thin fabric of my t-shirt. It sticks to my skin and without a bra, all the outlines are visible.

He turns to look anywhere but at me and I make amends in my outfit.

“There’s only one bed,” he notices.

“Yeah,” I reply, still reeling from what happened.

“I’ll take the couch.”

“No.”

“I’m not letting you sleep on the couch,” he makes his intentions clear.

“Why does anyone have to be on the couch? We’re grown adults. We can sleep on one bed like two mature people.”

“Okay,” he agrees.

I check a few messages on my phone and connect it to the charging cord. Then, I lay down on the bed.

Carter too, changes into grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt. Now that the coat is off, his well toned muscles are on display and I can’t help but sneak peeks when he’s not looking.

His biceps bulge with every movement and I’m unable to take my eyes off them. He comes to the bed and turns off the light. Now, the only source of illumination is the dispersed city light entering through the window.

“Rosie,” Carter’s guttural voice resounds and I love how my name sounds, rolling off his tongue.

“Hmm?”

“I just wanted to see if you’re asleep yet.”

“I’m not.”

“I see so.”

My eyes meet with his in the blanket of translucent darkness. He scoots closer to me. I ruffle closer to him. And before either of us know it, our tongues are clashing.