Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

"Is there something you need?" she asked, standing in the doorway with no intention of letting Elliot Sheridan in.

However, there was no way Elliot Sheridan would stay out just because Georgia Thorne didn’t want him to. That was never going to happen.

He took two steps forward, slipped off his shoes, and strode inside. "You’re taking me in tonight!"

That was a demand, not a request.

Georgia Thorne stood to the side, powerless to stop him. If she tried, he would press right up against her, an overwhelming prospect.

"Why should I take you in!" The words slipped out before she could think.

"I got locked out of my car, and I accidentally left everything inside," he said with a look of feigned innocence.

Georgia Thorne gritted her teeth. ’A man as shrewd as him would never accidentally leave everything in his car. He must have done it on purpose.’

"I’ll call Secretary Sawyer for you!"

As Georgia Thorne pulled out her phone, Elliot Sheridan gestured for her to go ahead.

The call connected and was answered almost immediately. "Secretary Sawyer, get over here and pick up Elliot Sheridan!"

Owen Sawyer was a sharp one. After so many years with Elliot Sheridan, how could he not understand what was going on?

He immediately played dumb. "I’m sorry, Ma’am, but I’m out of town at the moment. I don’t think I can make it back. Perhaps you could put the President up for the night?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Georgia Thorne furiously hung up. She shot a sideways glance at the man lounging nearby, casually watching TV.

Elliot Sheridan looked over at her. "So, what did Secretary Sawyer say?"

’...’ ’They definitely planned this together.’

Georgia Thorne dug her wallet out of her purse, pulled out a few hundred-dollar bills, and threw them at Elliot Sheridan. "Go get yourself a room somewhere!"

The bills scattered on the floor. Elliot Sheridan picked them up and counted them. Five in total. ’She’s quite generous.’

"But I left my wallet and ID in the car. Don’t you need an ID to check into a hotel?"

"Then you can use this money to take a cab home!"

"I lost my apartment key. You want me to sit outside my door all night?" Elliot Sheridan asked, looking up at her.

"The Sheridan family home!"

"Everyone at the estate is asleep. I don’t want to bother them."

"..."

’Elliot Sheridan was being unbelievably shameless tonight.’

’Georgia Thorne desperately wanted to slap him and throw him out, but she didn’t have the nerve.’

Just when Georgia Thorne was at a loss, Elliot Sheridan suddenly said, "Or perhaps... you could come with me to get a room!"

’...’ ’That’s actually not a bad idea.’

About ten minutes later, Georgia Thorne led Elliot Sheridan into a random small motel.

"Excuse me, do you have any rooms with a king bed?"

"Yes, we do." The receptionist looked up and glanced at them. She found her eyes lingering on Elliot Sheridan’s dashing face and asked him sweetly, "Do you have your ID?"

Elliot Sheridan remained silent, playing the part of the cool, aloof man beside Georgia Thorne. He lowered his gaze, which happened to land on her profile.

Georgia Thorne took out her ID. "Just one room, please!"

"Right away!"

The receptionist efficiently processed the room, her eyes stealing a few more glances at Elliot Sheridan in the process.

Elliot Sheridan was strikingly handsome and naturally drew attention, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed being stared at. His expression grew colder.

Georgia Thorne paid and handed him the key card. "There. You can go up now!"

"You’re making me go up alone?"

’What else did you expect?’

Georgia Thorne rolled her eyes at him, but he suddenly grabbed her by the elbow and started pulling her upstairs.

’There were a surprising number of people checking in. For such a small motel, business seemed to be booming.’

Being easily embarrassed, Georgia Thorne struggled against his grip and whispered, "Hey, what do you think you’re doing!"

"I don’t know the way to the room!" Elliot Sheridan shot her a look, offering an excuse that was barely an excuse.

In any case, Georgia Thorne was dragged into the room by Elliot Sheridan. It was tiny. A large bed sat in the middle, taking up nearly all the space, and the single window was pitifully small.

Elliot Sheridan frowned, clearly displeased with this so-called "king bed" room.

"Let’s just find another motel!"

"No need." Elliot Sheridan’s lips pressed into a thin line. "This will do."

The room was tiny, and the bathroom was even smaller. Elliot Sheridan walked in and looked around. The place looked filthy.

"Well, you can sleep here tonight. I’m heading back," Georgia Thorne said with a pout. ’He’s the one who refused to find another motel, so it’s not my problem.’

Just as Georgia Thorne was about to leave, she heard Elliot Sheridan mutter "Dammit," and she immediately rushed into the bathroom.

"What’s..." Before she could even finish the question, her clothes were soaked.

The showerhead overhead was spraying hot water, drenching Georgia Thorne from the top of her head. The hot water ran down, soaking her completely.

As for Elliot Sheridan, he was just as soaked. His white shirt was drenched, clinging to his body and faintly revealing the toned muscles beneath.

Georgia Thorne shot Elliot Sheridan a furious glare, her expression dark. He, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows smugly, his expression seeming to say, ’You’re the one who fell for it.’

This time, Georgia Thorne was angry enough to hit someone. "Why did you yell like that for no reason?!"

"I can yell if I want to. What’s with you rushing in like that? What if I hadn’t been wearing clothes? If you saw everything, would you take responsibility for me?" With every word, Elliot Sheridan’s smile grew wider as he backed Georgia Thorne up, step by step.

’...’ ’Responsibility? What responsibility!’

’They were husband and wife, for goodness’ sake! What was there to hide?’

’She hadn’t even called him out for his scheme, and he had the gall to turn it around on her.’

"Get away from me! Don’t come any closer!" Georgia Thorne tried to push him away, but Elliot Sheridan refused to move.

He pinned Georgia Thorne against the doorframe. "Georgia Thorne, could it be you’re just a little too concerned about me?"

"..."

Drenched as she was, Elliot Sheridan certainly wasn’t going to let her leave. It was so cold outside; she would definitely get sick by morning.

Luckily, the room had a hairdryer. Georgia Thorne stripped off her clothes and stood in the bathroom, trying to blow them dry.

Over the roaring of the hairdryer, she took the opportunity to thoroughly curse out Elliot Sheridan in her head.

The bathroom was freezing and had no heat. Elliot Sheridan told her to come out, but she absolutely refused.

Georgia Thorne cursed him for a while longer, hugging herself as she shivered. She felt her still-damp clothes and sighed in frustration. ’How long is this going to take to dry?!’

As she thought this, she silently cursed Elliot Sheridan again.

Just as she finished her internal tirade, there was a knock on the door. A male silhouette appeared through the frosted glass.

"Georgia Thorne, come out!"

"..."

She didn’t answer. Elliot Sheridan’s voice came again, impatient. "If you don’t come out, I’m forcing my way in!"

"..."

Georgia Thorne frantically pulled on her damp clothes and opened the door. "What do you want?!"

"Wear my shirt!"

Elliot Sheridan tossed the shirt at her face. Georgia Thorne caught it. The expensive shirt was wrinkled, but it was dry.

’How did it get dry so quickly?’

"Get out first!" Georgia Thorne snapped.

Elliot Sheridan shot her a look, then took the clothes hanging on the hook and moved them outside. "Change and come out. I turned on the heater; it’s too cold in here!"

’A small room had its perks; at least it heated up quickly.’

’It really was warm.’ That was Georgia Thorne’s first thought after putting on his shirt.

Elliot Sheridan hung the wet clothes she’d just taken off under the heater’s vent. Georgia Thorne stuck out her tongue playfully. ’No wonder his shirt dried so fast.’

’The state of this room was truly awful. She doubted it would even pass a health inspection. How could a place like this even be open for business?’

On Georgia Thorne, Elliot Sheridan’s shirt looked like a minidress. It wasn’t the first time she’d worn one of his shirts like this.

’It’s just that their situation now was... strange.’

’She couldn’t go home for now.’ Just as Georgia Thorne was about to sit on the bed, Elliot Sheridan stopped her. "Wait a second!"

She froze. ’Were there bugs in the bed or something?’

Elliot Sheridan laid his suit jacket out on the bed. "The sheets are dirty. Sit on this."

"Oh." ’So no bugs!’

Georgia Thorne sat down on his jacket. Feeling bored, she started watching TV.

A historical drama was on. She watched for a few minutes, but her attention soon drifted to Elliot Sheridan.

"Elliot Sheridan!" she finally called out, unable to help herself.

"Yes?" he replied cheerfully.

Her gaze drifted downward, settling on his abs. She quickly changed what she was going to say. "You’re pacing back and forth. You’re blocking the TV!"

’Georgia Thorne, Georgia Thorne, how could you be so pathetic!’

By the time her clothes were dry, it was already past midnight. Georgia Thorne had curled up on the bed and fallen asleep.

She was sound asleep. When Elliot Sheridan lifted her to position her properly on the bed, she didn’t stir at all.

He made sure his suit jacket was still spread out beneath her, then gently covered her with her own coat.

He turned off the TV and the lights, then got into bed and gathered Georgia Thorne in his arms. He situated her so she was lying on top of him, with her coat serving as their blanket.

The sleeping arrangement was strange, but the motel’s bedding looked truly filthy, and he worried it hadn’t been properly cleaned.

In truth, the conditions in this small motel were absolutely abysmal.

Around two in the morning, Georgia Thorne wasn’t woken by Elliot Sheridan, but by the escalating moans coming from the next room.

She rubbed her eyes, becoming aware of a familiar scent beneath her. Her voice was soft and raspy. "Elliot Sheridan!"

She called his name softly, not even realizing how much dependence on him her tone conveyed.

"I’m here." Elliot Sheridan stroked her hair.

He was a light sleeper, and under these circumstances, it was nearly impossible to sleep deeply anyway.

He had woken up as soon as the couple next door started going at it.

"The sheets are filthy. Don’t move around!"

’She shifted again. Dirty sheets were a lot safer than sleeping on top of him.’

But the moment she moved, she froze.

Her face, burning hot, was pressed against Elliot Sheridan’s chest. ’Oh, this is bad.’

"Why’d you stop moving?" A low chuckle came from above her. Georgia Thorne glared up at him.

’He knew perfectly well why.’

Georgia Thorne didn’t know when she finally fell asleep again, only that she deeply regretted not being able to fight off her drowsiness earlier.

’She’d ended up inexplicably spending the night with him in a motel, and on top of that...’

’It was an absolute disaster!’

All in all, it had been a heart-pounding night for Georgia Thorne.