Page 75 of Love Unwritten
Compliments from not one but two Lopez men have me feeling emotional. I must be getting my period soon or something, because there is no other reasonable explanation for the overwhelming swell of emotion taking up real estate in my chest.
The back of my neck heats, and I look up to find Rafael staring at me with a strange look on his face.
Thank you, he silently mouths, making my chest get all tight and tingly yet again.
It is the same feeling I had on the plane while he was doing everything in his power to make me feel better. My anxiety was too big to handle on my own, and I clung to the first person who could help me feel safe. But now, without my fears fueling my actions, I’m left with a grim reminder of our circumstances.
I can like Rafael as a person, but it can never go further than that because of the little guy who clings to my legs like another appendage. For him, I’m willing to do just about anything, including pushing his father away for the sake of keeping my job as his nanny.
Because I have a feeling that if I let someone like Rafael get close, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from wanting the same in return. From wanting more.
And that will never happen, so I need to get my confusing feelings under control and remember who is important here.
Nicolas Lopez.
Rafael places the hotel key over a sensor, and the elevator whirs to life as we begin our ascent.
“What floor am I on?” I ask as the numbers keep climbing.
“You’re staying in our suite,” he says in that annoyingly bland, nonchalant voice of his that I’m quickly realizing is used whenever he is defensive and uncomfortable.
Good, because he isn’t the only one.
We may share a house, but a hotel suite is different. Back in Lake Wisteria, Rafael’s place is the size of a palace and provides us with enough space to steer clear of one another. If I don’t want to see him, I can simply stick to a different floor.
A hotel suite is going to be tiny in comparison. I won’t have anywhere to hide from him.
Unlike me, Nico seems quite taken with the idea based on his bright smile. “Yay! We can stay up all night watching movies, telling stories, and playing games!”
Rafael shoots him a good luck trying that look.
“Um…” I bite down on my bottom lip.
Rafael stares at me for so long, I’m sweating by the time he speaks again. “If you’d feel more comfortable having your own room, I can ask my assistant to book one.”
“No! Stay with us! Please.” Nico puts his palms together. “It’ll be fun. I swear.”
I should take Rafael up on his offer and stay in a separate room, but my resolve crumbles when I remember how much he paid for five nights here. For two hundred grand—yup, that’s right—I thought we would at least have separate suites to call home for the next few days.
It goes against my entire character to ask Rafael to pay even more, regardless of his billionaire status.
“All right,” I concede.
Nico pumps his fist in the air. “Yes!”
I face forward and focus on the numbers flashing above the elevator door.
It’s just a suite, I tell myself.
The doors slide open, revealing a massive penthouse.
To think you were worried about sharing a small space.
I take a shaky step out of the elevator and into the massive living room overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The light wood tones, expensive white furnishings, and tasteful splash of blue accents immediately put me at ease, blending coastal chic decor with luxury living.
Growing up with a store manager for a mother and a music tutor for a stepdad meant my family booked RV spaces and chain hotels, not five-star “suites” that have a chef’s kitchen, sauna, and a private balcony with a hot tub that could comfortably fit ten people.
All those details are amazing, but nothing gets me more excited than the white grand piano facing the lagoon below. I can’t begin to describe the serene view of the shoreline, but it is different from our lake back home. Whitecaps as far as the eye can see. Colorful umbrellas and towels lining the sandy beach. Palm tree fronds swaying with the breeze, casting shadows over pedestrians stopping to take in the view.