Deciding to go home to shower and change, I opened my door and was walking toward the living area when I heard voices.
“…not answering her phone,” Armstrong was saying. “And I can’t get Rodger or Marcus to answer theirs either.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Thornton told him as I entered the dining room where they were sitting eating a buffet-style breakfast. “She’s probably just busy.”
“Unless she had an emergency, she shouldn’t be, though. She would have called me if there was an emergency.” Armstrong stabbed his fingers through his hair in agitation. “And you just said Layla told you Emmie’s SUV isn’t in the driveway and she didn’t see it come home last night after Jagger’s taping when that stupid show was finished.”
“Have you tried Jagger’s phone?” Shane asked before stuffing his mouth with a huge bite of pancakes and eggs.
“His is off, so I can’t even check the GPS on it.” Armstrong caught sight of me, his blue eyes looking wild. “Did you speak to Mia yet? She’s not picking up when I call her, and she won’t respond to my texts.”
“No. I think she’s pissed at me.” I took a seat at the table with them, and Drake pushed the orange juice in my direction while Thornton waved at the buffet behind him with his fork. I shook my head, not sure I could eat much anyway. I hated when Mia was mad at me. “I take it your wife isn’t speaking to you either?”
“Yeah,” he muttered, the muscles in his jaw clenching and unclenching.
A phone going off had us both tensing until Drake picked his up. “Hey, Angel,” he greeted, his voice softening to a tone I hadn’t heard from him the night before. The light in his eyes at the sound of his wife’s voice dimmed, however, as he listened to her.
“What the fuck do you mean, Nevaeh isn’t answering her phone?” he exploded. “Where the hell is Cole?”
“What are the odds of everyone not answering being a coincidence?” Shane mused as he sipped his coffee.
I pushed back my chair and stood. “Slim. I’m driving up to check on Mia now. I’ll let you know about Nevaeh when I see her.”
Drake nodded his thanks as he continued to listen to whatever his wife was saying.
Armstrong walked with me to the door. “I have a bad feeling, man. Call me as soon as you see Mia.”
Assuring him I would, I opened the door, only to nearly trip with my next step when I realized someone was standing in the doorway already. Behind me, Armstrong uttered a vicious curse while I met first one set of green eyes then another.
The air felt like it was sucked from my lungs with a vacuum, and I felt my knees go weak at the look in Mia’s eyes. They were as cold as ice, emotionless. I wanted to grab her, pull her into my arms, and beg her to give me one of those soul-stealing smiles I couldn’t live without. Yet I felt rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to breathe.
Behind the mother and daughter duo stood a teenager who looked a hell of a lot like Armstrong, and Braxton, who looked like pure hell.
That couldn’t be good.
“Why the fuck haven’t you answered your phone?” Armstrong demanded, going on the offensive.
“We were in the air,” Mia’s mother replied, her voice an eerie combination of fire and ice that had me shivering while sweat beaded and rolled down my back all of a sudden. “Cole was kind enough to lend me his jet when he got in from partying all night.”
“Em, baby doll,” Armstrong began. “I can explain.”
“Good. Because that’s what your daughter and I came here for.” She took a step forward, and on instinct, I took two back, more afraid of this woman for some reason than anything or anyone I’d ever come face-to-face with.
“Mia,” I got out in a voice hoarse with emotion. “This really isn’t what you think.”
Those eyes that normally sparkled like the clearest emeralds were cloudy now. They went from me to her father, pausing on him for a moment, before shooting right back to me. “What do you imagine I’m thinking right now, Barrick?”
“I…” My throat tightened to the point I couldn’t speak. Closing my mouth, I tried to put everything I felt for her into my eyes, praying she would see how much I loved her.
Footsteps sounded behind me seconds before a loud curse came from Thornton. “Emmie.”
Walking around me and her husband, Emmie marched through the suite. Moments later, Shane yelped, and then Drake was saying a hasty goodbye to his wife.
Armstrong let out a defeated exhale. “We should sit down.”
“Yes, please,” Mia murmured.
He stepped forward to put his arm around her, but she jerked backward to avoid his touch. She moved so fast, her knee protested, and she would have fallen if Braxton and her brother hadn’t steadied her. Chin trembling, she glared at her father. “Don’t,” she told him in a brittle voice.
His face tightened with pain, but he nodded. “I understand, baby girl—”
“No, Daddy. You truly do not understand anything right now.” Shrugging off Braxton’s and Jagger’s hold, she walked between us, doing her best to avoid contact with anyone.
Feeling helpless, I followed her into the living room where her mother and two of her uncles already were. Emmie released the hold she had on Shane’s ear and turned to face the rest of us as we entered the room. Hands on her hips, icy fire in her eyes, she waited until we were all seated before she moved.
“Let’s recap, shall we? Just so everyone is on the same page.” Folding her hands in front of her, she started pacing. Just like Mia did when she was trying to figure out a problem. I would have thought it was adorable if I weren’t fucking terrified I was about to lose everything I loved.
“Mia asked to go away to college to find herself. Without bodyguards.”
“And I said no,” Armstrong interrupted. “We all said no.”
“I didn’t say no,” she snapped at him.
“Are you saying that your opinion matters more than mine?” he countered. “I’m her father, Em. I should have a say in what happens to my daughter.”
“A daughter who is about to turn nineteen, Nik. Our time for guiding her has come to an end. She’s an adult now.”
His jaw hardening, he shook his head. “She will always be my little girl.”
“No one is refuting that,” she assured him, her tone no less hard than it was when she first arrived. “But at some point, you have to step back and let her live her own life.”
“That’s what I was doing,” he exploded, jerking to his feet so she wasn’t standing over him. “I let her go to college, without Rodger or Marcus. I didn’t stop her. She got to spread her wings and find herself.”
“You set her up to fail,” Emmie yelled back.
“How has she failed?” he demanded. “Her grades are on point, she’s got a job she loves, and she’s in a relationship with a guy who will always protect her.”
“A relationship you paid him to be in. What kind of relationship is that, huh? Your daughter is hurting right now, all because you shelled out money to some random guy who made her fall for him so you could have your gods damn peace of mind.”
“I didn’t pay anyone,” he told her smugly, crossing his arms over his chest.
“And that makes it okay? You didn’t pay his salary, so no harm, no foul?” She shook her head at him, disgust in those eyes that were so much like her daughter’s. “You—”
“Stop it!” Mia shouted, shooting to her feet. “Stop arguing, please. I hate it when you two fight. I’m sorry, okay? I never even should have asked to go away to college. You were right, Daddy. Are you happy now? You were right. I was stupid and gullible, and I couldn’t even spot a fake friend from a real one, let alone a man who might actually love me.”
“I love you,” I growled.
“Oh yeah?” She turned to face me, hands on her hips as she glared down at me. “Did you love the others, too?”
Fuck. Braxton must have told her about my other jobs. “No,�
� I told her honestly. “I’ve never been in love until you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Whether you believe me or not, I still love you.”
She lowered her lashes, and for a moment, I thought maybe she was softening and would believe me. But when she lifted them, her eyes were even colder than before. “And just how much is that love worth, Barrick? How much did you get paid to ‘love’ me?”
Standing slowly because I knew she was skittish, I walked toward her. “Doesn’t matter. I haven’t touched that money. And I won’t. You can have it. Spend it. Donate it. Whatever the hell you want with it, firecracker.” Reaching her, I grasped her hands and placed them against my chest.
Her fingers trembled, and she jerked out of my hold. “You don’t deny that you were paid to make me think you cared about me?”
“No one paid me to love you, Mia. That was just a bonus.”
“Smooth, man,” Jagger said with a grunt, reminding me we weren’t alone. “I need to take lessons from you.”
“Jagger, go eat breakfast,” Emmie ordered. “You should have stayed in New York with Nevaeh.”
“I wanted to,” he complained as he got to his feet, pointing in Braxton’s direction. “But that one got all growly, and I decided it was safer to go with you, Ma.”
“Didn’t like the way you were looking at her,” Braxton muttered.
Jagger laughed. “Dude, you know we’re not related by blood, right? Nev is beautiful. I can look all I want.”
“Keep your eyes to yourself, kid,” Drake said with a sigh. “I’ve told you time and time again. That girl will break you.”
“Could be fun, though.”
“Jagger!” Emmie and Armstrong snapped at him in unison, but he only laughed harder.
Ignoring them, I reached for Mia again, but she stepped back, making my gut clench.
“You don’t have to pretend anymore, Barrick. The game, along with the job, is over.”
“I’ve never pretended with you, baby. Everything between us is real.”
“Liar,” she whispered, tears spilling from her eyes. “If you even, for one second, cared about me, you would have told me the truth.”
“I couldn’t. I knew if I said anything, you would hate me.” And I couldn’t risk losing her, not even in the beginning.
“No,” she denied vehemently, shaking her head and causing strands to fall from the knot she’d pulled her hair into. “I would have been pissed, but I wouldn’t have hated you.”
“I couldn’t risk it. Losing you wasn’t an option for me, because I loved you even then.”
“Your love is nothing but a lie you’ve been telling yourself to make yourself feel better about doing your job,” she whispered, turning her back on me.
She took a step then stumbled, a pained whimper escaping her.
This distance between us disappeared in a heartbeat. I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist, anchoring her to me. “Baby, you’re shaking.”
“I’m just tired. I’ll be fine.” Pushing against my hold, she glared up at me through her tears. “Let me go, Barrick.”
“Never.” When she continued to struggle, I lifted her into my arms. “If you’re tired, you should get some sleep.”
“He’s right, Mia,” her mother said with a grimace. “You haven’t slept at all. Please, take a nap. When you wake up, we’ll go.”
“I’d rather just leave now,” she muttered, continuing to push against my chest. “I don’t want to be here.”
“Take a nap. I need to talk to your father and uncles.” Emmie gave the four men a dispassionate glance. “Before I call their wives.”
Chapter 18
Mia
My head was throbbing from lack of sleep, and my knee was absolutely killing me, it ached so badly. But the physical pain had nothing on what had taken over my heart.
The bedroom door slammed shut behind Barrick as he crossed to the bed and placed me in the middle. As soon as he straightened, I sat upright, and I would have crawled to the edge of the mattress if my knee didn’t protest the sudden action. Even with the brace on, it was agony.
Dropping onto the edge of the bed, Barrick grabbed my ankles and tugged me carefully toward him. I had on jeans, but they quickly disappeared before he was examining my brace to make sure it was perfectly in place.
Which it wasn’t.
After my shower the night before, I’d just strapped it on, not really paying attention to its positioning.
Once he was satisfied everything was where it needed to be, he released me and stood up once again. Taking off his shirt, he started working on the belt of his jeans.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demanded, my voice coming out strangled.
“How well do you sleep without me, Mia?” he asked casually as he pushed his jeans down his thighs.
My traitorous body instantly responded to seeing him in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. Dear gods, it wasn’t fair that he could look so good when I felt like pure shit.
“I-I guess I’ll just have to learn to sleep alone again.”
He smirked. “Not happening, firecracker.”
“Says who?” I sassed.
“Says the man who loves you.” He climbed into bed, his arms reaching out for me and pulling me in close. My body was already starting to relax, knowing I was safe beside him.
But my heart knew better now.
“And you haven’t returned those words yet,” he reminded me as he pillowed my head on his arm.
“That will never happen,” I bit out. “Whatever I felt for you died a quick death when I heard you in the background when Uncle Drake called last night.”
“So that’s how you figured it out,” he said, choosing to ignore everything else I’d just said. “I was wondering about that.”
“I hate you,” I whispered, fighting back a new wave of tears and soul-crushing heartbreak.
A muscle began to tick in his jaw, and that same damn urge to comb my fingers through his beard made my fingertips itch. “Don’t say things you don’t mean, baby.”
“I mean every wo—”
He moved faster than I’d ever seen him move, flipping me onto my back and crashing his mouth down hard on mine.
I resisted for all of two seconds before I gave in and let him take what he was demanding.
One more time, I told myself as he tore my panties out of his way and thrust two fingers into my already drenched and clenching sex.
Barrick was normally so gentle with me, but there was a desperation to his touch and kisses now. Angrily, I kissed him back, pushing his boxer briefs over his hard ass before wrapping my fist around his massive cock.
He groaned into my mouth, his hips thrusting forward while I stroked him from tip to base. Lifting his head, he locked his dark eyes with mine. “I love you.”
“Liar.”
“Nothing about what I feel for you is a lie,” he growled. “I’ve hated myself for not telling you about any of this, Mia. But I couldn’t risk losing you.”
“You lost me anyway.” My voice was choked with emotion, my heart breaking all over again.
“No,” he breathed. Spreading my thighs wide with his hands on the inside of my knees, he thrust deep into me. “I won’t lose you, baby. We love each other.”
“I…don’t…love…you,” I panted as he began to move inside me.
“Don’t lie,” he commanded, cupping my breasts in both his hands. “I know all your tells. When you lie, your nose scrunches up for just a second.”
“I won’t love you,” I amended, my back arching when he pulled almost all the way out and sank balls deep once more. I dug my nails into his hips, trying to hold on to my anger when my body only wanted to feel the euphoria of release it knew Barrick could give.
With a groan, he grabbed my hips and thrust into me harder, angrily. “I’ll earn it back. Just don’t give up on us, baby.”
“There was never an ‘us,’” I choked out, fighting the orgasm that was already rushing up on me. “It was all pretend.”
“No!” he roared. “I fucking love you, Mia.”
My inner walls clenched around his girth at those words. My release was triggered, and seconds later, he was joining me.
Out of breath, he fell on top of me. I loved these moments after we were both spent. When he was too worn-out to hold his weight off me for a little while, and I was consumed by his entire body.
But this time, I couldn’t enjoy the afterglow or the warmth of his body pressing me into the bed. My tears spilled over once again, and for the first time, I began to sob uncontrollably.
It was over.
There would be no more Barrick. No waking up beside him every morning. No holding hands as we walked across campus. No more forehead kisses or hour-long baths together. No slow dancing at Jameson’s followed by making love all night long.
“Baby, don’t cry,” he pleaded, kissing my face over and over again. “I’m sorry. So damn sorry. Please stop. You’re killing me.”
Wrapping my arms around his back, I clung to him, knowing once I let go, it would be the end.
--
When I opened my eyes, it was dark outside the window. My eyes felt gritty and swollen, my head still throbbing, only worse this time. Barrick’s heavy arm pinned me to the bed, but he was sleeping so heavily he was snoring, so I knew it would take a bomb going off to wake him.
Rolling away from him, I slid out from under his arm and sat up on the edge of the bed.
I didn’t even remember falling asleep. He’d held me while I’d cried it all out. Gallons of tears had flooded from my eyes, yet they were still close to the surface, and that only pissed me off.
I was stronger than this. I was Emmie Armstrong’s daughter. I could and would get over the heartache trying to engulf me. Something as small as a guy tricking me into loving him wouldn’t break me completely.
Even though it felt like it already was.
Squaring my shoulders, I stood, being cautious in case my knee protested and I fell. It held strong, thankfully, and I grabbed something to wear. I didn’t have a change of clothes with me since I’d left my carry-on back in New York, which also meant I didn’t have any panties to put on since Barrick had shredded mine earlier.
Holding Mia Page 13
