The Battle for His Heart

8 YEARS AGO

AMELIA walked into the guest room of Sagamore Resort, she dropped her black backpack on the king sized bed before slumping on it. Looking up at the white ceiling , She thought...Should she welcome Nicholas wearing Victoria secret's newly launched lingerie set she'd bought yesterday at the mall while thinking of him or maybe just remain in her birthday suit ?

A smile she couldn't stop bloomed on her face at the thought of Nicholas' expression when he walked in to see her naked. She had found it difficult to concentrate during her classes at the University of Columbia because he'd stayed on her mind. Since he had called her on Tuesday to tell her that he would be flying in from Florida for the weekend, the days seemed to have been moving at a snail's pace and so had the four-hour drive earlier from the University. It felt like a year had passed since she last saw him, instead of just 2 weeks.

Sitting up , she bent to take off her sneakers before standing up to remove her jeans, shirt and underwear. She stuffed her clothes into the backpack, stowed everything in the closet. Then hurried into the corner bathroom for a bathrobe. When she came back out, she dimmed the glass lamp on the bedside table. Moonlight shining through the sliding glass door across from her gave the elegantly furnished room a romantic glow.

Looking around the room , She couldn't help but think about how for the first time she and Nicholas would actually fall asleep in each other's arms and wake up together in the morning, like a normal couple , cooking and sharing breakfast together. Her dad was on a business trip until late Sunday. So this time around, she wouldn't have to sneak back into the living quarters of the resort before dawn.

More importantly, Nicholas' concern about them seeing each other as a conflict of interest while he negotiated to buy Sagamore Resort from her father no longer existed. The papers had been signed yesterday, selling the property to Nicholas' family company, Chesterfield group. They had taken over ownership of her dad's fifty-acre resort next month, so she and Nicholas were finally free to share about their relationship.

Amelia walked back in the bathroom, opening the window. Moonlight illuminated the steam rising from the hot bathtub on the left. She hung the bathrobe , twisted her long black hair into a loose topknot, then slipped into the rippling water. The stress from studying and agonizing over the business management exam she'd ultimately aced that afternoon melted away as she leaned back and closed her eyes.

Would Nicholas have more of Chesterfield's modernization plans to show her? What he'd shared so far was fantastic. Picture windows would provide views of the lake, trees, and mountains. Revamp the lobby , Invite new design elements into guest rooms.

Amelia's heart accelerated as she recalled Nicholas sitting across from her three weeks ago in the hot tub, telling her about his plans. His slicked-back dark hair had emphasized the chiseled angles of his mesmerizing face.

"Not only are we building larger decks on the cottages, we're also installing bigger hot bathtub s." He had shot her a lazy grin.

"You and I will definitely take advantage of them when we visit the new and improved Sagamore Resort next season."

"I like that idea a lot." She hadn't been able to stop herself from smiling. "But I wouldn't mind if you took advantage of me now."

"Come over here and I will," He smirked.