Chapter 76 The Night Before My Wedding (2)

• My heart was a drumbeat, loud and unsteady, as I swung my legs off the bed. The knock still hung in the air, sharp and real, pulling me like a magnet. I stood, the carpet soft under my bare feet, and smoothed my slip down, though it barely covered anything. Excitement fizzed through me, bubbling up with a nervous edge that made my fingers tremble. Was it Dave? Had he ditched the guys early, knowing I was losing it without him? Or—my stomach twisted—was it someone else? Room service I didn’t order? A drunk guest at the wrong door?
• I took a step toward the door, then another, the lavender-scented room closing in around me. My pulse raced, half from the whiskey, half from the ache still throbbing between my legs. I was a mess—hair mussed, cheeks flushed, my body screaming for something I couldn’t quite name. But God, I hoped it was him. I needed it to be him.
• The door loomed closer, polished wood gleaming under the soft hotel lights. Another knock didn’t come, and that silence made my nerves spike higher. What if he was standing there, smirking, waiting for me to open it? I could already picture it—Dave leaning against the frame, tie loosened, eyes dark with that look he got when he knew I was desperate. My hand hovered over the handle, clammy and hesitant. I swallowed hard, excitement and anxiety tangling into a knot in my chest.