3 Weeks 'Til Forever by Yuwanda Black

do you want?” she asked.
     
    “Thanks for asking, but as you’re the
‘tourist,’ you can have the one closest to the terrace. That way, you can see the
sea when the curtains are pulled back in the morning.”
     
    Yawning and thanking him for his
thoughtfulness, Janey grabbed her small travel bag which contained her
intimates and toiletries, then headed for the bathroom.
     
    “I won’t be long, I promise,” she yelled
over her shoulder as she entered the bathroom.
     
    Looking at her tiny, but oh so womanly
figure as she headed toward the bathroom, Redmond headed for the terrace to
catch some of the night air.
     
    It was going to be much tougher than he
thought to keep his hands off her, especially as she was going to be in a bed right
next to him.
     
    It had been a few months since Redmond
had been with a woman, and it had been years since he desired one as much as he
desired Janey. In order to keep himself in check, he reminded himself that he
had a daughter and he wouldn’t want any man to lay a finger on her if she
didn’t wish it.
     
    While that thought cooled his blood a
bit, he couldn’t stop the images of just how he’d like to make love to her from
flooding his mind.
     
    True to her word, Janey was in and out
of the bathroom in 10 minutes. He was surprised when she stepped to him on the
balcony, letting him know that the bathroom was free.
     
    Dressed in white cotton night shorts and
a matching, demure, button-down top, Redmond couldn’t help but think that with
her face scrubbed free of all makeup, she looked like a teenager.
     
    “That must be some kind of record for a woman getting in and out
of the bathroom,” he joked to her.
    “Business perk,” she said. “You learn
what to pack and how to shower and dress quickly in my line of work.”
     
    “Does that account for your pajamas?
Somehow it’s not what I pictured you wearing to bed,” Redmond responded.
    “Because I travel so much, I’ve learned
that it’s prudent to wear practical pj’s when I’m on the road.”
     
    “When you’ve had to run screaming from
your sleeping quarters, in the middle of the night, in a jungle, in a foreign
country because you encountered a snake, you learn pretty quickly to leave the
pretty stuff at home.”
     
    “Practicality is the name of the game,
especially in nightwear, when I travel. … And you’re right, I do dress quite
differently for bed when I’m at home,” she summed up.
     
    “Hmm, makes sense.” Redmond replied.
     
    “Too bad for me though, I was expecting a
sneak peek at some Victoria’s Secrets .”

            “Ugh, ugh,
ugh, ugh, ugh, Mr. Hillyard,” Janey said, pointing a slim finger at him,
“remember your promise.”
     
    “I doremember my promise, Janey.
I remember exactly what I promised. It’s you that keeps forgetting,” he
said, closing the space between them in two steps.
     
    Gathering her in his arms, he smelled
apricots and almonds, which were the scents of the body spray and shampoo she’d
used.
     
    Whether she was too tired to resist or
just didn’t want to, Janey didn’t know, but she stood still.
     
    Redmond simply looked down at her,
imploring her to meet his gaze. After a few seconds, she did and was surprised
to see the longing reflected there. He lowered his head to kiss her and she squirmed
out of his grasp.
     
    Feeling the heat stirring in her, Janey
didn’t trust where a simple kiss could lead, considering what had happened the
first time he’d kissed her in front of her hotel. And that had been in public!
     
    Here in the intimacy of the hotel room,
with nothing but simple cotton pajamas between them, Janey knew she had to hold
Redmond to his word.
     
    Needing a (cold) shower more than ever
at that moment, he let her slip away with a simple, “Alright Janey, have it
your way . . . this time.”
     
    Redmond grabbed his leather overnight
bag and went to take that cold shower.
     
    In spite of him trying to kiss