But as I fired up my laptop and Kate started reading her X-rated book, I realized that I’d messed with myself more. The joke was on me. I wasn’t going to get a bit of work done while wondering if Kate was reading a sex scene and thinking of me.

The car I’d hired to take us from the airport to the conference center pulled up to the hotel. Several work vehicles were pulling away, done for the day. Vans emblazoned with plumbing and electrical companies lined the street. Contractor and construction company vehicles. Taxis and Ubers dropping off and picking up.

The driver parked by the row of glass doors. I got out and helped him unload our bags. I took both mine and Kate’s and let her lead the way into the hotel. The din of footsteps on the marble floor and at least twenty conversations around the lobby hit us.

Kate went to an open agent at the counter and I stepped to an empty spot next to her.

The woman behind the counter was dressed in black slacks and a crisp white shirt. Her name tag read Cynthia, and she grinned as she watched me muscle all the bags into a tidy pile. “How can I help you?”

“Hi, Cynthia. Can I get a room for the next three nights?” Preferably as close to Kate as possible? I glanced up. Seven levels. What were the odds I’d land on the same floor?

“I’m so sorry, sir. We don’t have any vacancies.”

None? It was December. A slow month for conferences and sporting events. Ah. “Construction?”

Her smile was sympathetic. “I’m sorry. I can help you find a room in a hotel nearby.”

I hadn’t expected to spend a lot of time with Kate while she was at her convention, but I’d at least hoped to be under the same roof. The roof might house a few hundred rooms, but I’d remained optimistic.

Kate’s attention was on us. “No opening?”

I tucked my wallet back into my slacks. “No problem. I’ll talk with Luna about the bedroom.” Could I use it when the plane wasn’t in use? I didn’t care to sit in another hotel.

“On the plane?” Kate glanced at the young man helping her, then at the woman assisting me. Her gaze landed on me, full of resolve. “Just stay with me.”

“This is your conference.” I could fist-pump right now, but I hadn’t meant to intrude this much on her weekend. She was technically working, after all.

“It’s all right, Aiden.”

I thanked Cynthia for her time, gathered my suitcase and Kate’s, and shouldered my tech bag while she finished up.

On the way to the elevator, she handed me a key, hesitant. “There’s two beds. Two queens.”

Damn. “All right.”