by Marie James
When he groans his own release, I feel no better, no less heartbroken than I did before he opened his door. If anything, coming here only made things worse, refreshing the joy from our other night together. It also doubled the pain I feel when I dress quickly and leave his condo while he’s cleaning up in the bathroom.
Chapter 33
Flynn
My fingers twitch when I step back into the bedroom, a warm washcloth in hand. I know she’s gone, and not like just left the room. She’s no longer in my condo. The air isn’t charged even though the scent of her is still humid in the air.
I huff a laugh and turn to toss the washcloth back in the sink. I could blame the anticipation of chasing her for the straining erection jutting from my hips, but that bastard was ready for round two before I discovered she escaped.
With a smile wide enough to hurt, I get dressed. Not even bothering with socks, I pull the first things my fingers brush from the closet.
The drive to her hotel doesn’t take long, but I don’t rush inside, opting instead to shoot off a text to Wren to ask if she’s back yet.
Wren: Oh, you’re talking to me now?
I don’t respond, and he plays right into my hand.
Wren: She left in a cab about an hour ago, but I couldn’t track her. Records show she hasn’t checked out of her hotel, though.
I shoot off a thank you, one that earns me a middle finger emoji and I wait. She knows what running does to me, but from the way she acted when I wanted her to look me in the eye while I was inside of her, I don’t think she’s wanting me to chase her.
She didn’t want to talk. She instigated the entire thing, and it wasn’t until I was balls fucking deep did I realize what she was doing.
She’s going to learn very soon that trying to fuck me out of her system isn’t going to work for me. Getting off on my cock comes with having my own needs met, and even though I blew like a volcano earlier, that’s not my goal with her. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that if I could get her in my arms, it wouldn’t matter if we never had sex again. I’m not foolish enough to think I could resist her on any level, but I need more from her. I can’t give her some things without needing all of it.
It’s another twenty-minute wait before her cab pulls up outside of the hotel, and I’m at her side before she can climb all the way out.
“Flynn?” Her cheeks pink that perfect shade I love so much.
“You just took off.”
“Groceries?” She holds up two sacks of food.
“I had food in the fridge.”
She rolls her eyes, a small smile playing at her lips, and it’s enough to let me know I haven’t completely lost her. I know we have things to work on, and that little teasing grin is all the go-ahead I need to keep pursuing her.
“Don’t,” I say, stepping close as the cab pulls away. “Don’t leave without kissing me goodbye.”
I caress her cheek before lowering my mouth to her chin. She blinks up at me, and I wonder if she’s surprised I didn’t plant one right on her lips. It was hard not to but knowing she may have wanted it builds the anticipation.
“Catch you again tomorrow, baby.”
For good measure, I take a step back and smack her on the ass. She yips before moving her feet in the direction of the front entrance. I stand outside making sure she makes it on the elevator safely before turning around in a circle with my middle finger high in the air. I know Wren is fucking watching me.
He proves as much when he shoots off a text as I climb in my truck that her shift was just changed online to morning instead of closing. Followed up with…
Wren: And I would’ve kissed my girl on the lips before telling her goodnight. Pussy.
***
Finding Deacon’s light on in his office before the crack of dawn is surprising. Especially these days when his schedule is just as unpredictable as my moods have been.
“What are you doing here so early?” I ask, sticking my head inside his office.
He looks up from his computer with a frown. “What are you doing here at all? Don’t tell me you managed to fuck things up in just a couple of days.”
His faith in me is astounding… I sarcastically roll my eyes.
“I haven’t, but I needed to grab a few things from my office before starting my day. Is something wrong?”
He has a refreshed look to his face, as if he’s been awake for a while.
“Anna is exhausted all the time. She went to bed last night before the sun set, and I couldn’t resist climbing in bed with her. Since nighttime came early, I woke up at three, ready to take on the world. Figured if I can knock this shit out quick enough, I can make it home before she wakes up.”
The happiness on his face isn’t something I thought I’d ever see. He’s a surly bastard, or should I say he used to be one. Anna changed this man’s entire world.
“Pregnancy that exhausting, huh?”
“She doesn’t complain, but she doesn’t turn down the chance for several naps a day either.”
Thoughts of napping the day away while Remington is carrying our baby doesn’t freak me out. It makes me want to make it happen as soon as possible. Now only if she’d get on board. Her taking off last night after what we shared was a slap in the face. Thank God, I’m a resilient fucker. I won’t give up on her no matter how much she pushes me away. I can’t walk away from her. How I did it in New York is beyond me.
“But I’m glad you’re here.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” I step further into his office, taking a seat in the chair across from him.
“The Blairs have been calling. They want to know where their daughter is.”
It doesn’t surprise me that she didn’t tell them where she was going. Hell, she could’ve screamed it from the rooftop and they still wouldn’t have been paying enough attention to her to hear what she was saying.
“They’re threatening a breach of contract.”
“Fuck.” Both hands go to the back of my neck. “I didn’t mean to cause problems.”
Chasing and catching Remington was never part of my plans. Violating a contract was, until now, something I’d never do, something I’ll never do again.
“If it helps, we hadn’t… things didn’t go that far until after they fired me.”
“Your personal life isn’t my business. What happens between two consenting adults isn’t something I’m going to stick my nose in.”
“I crossed the line between personal and business with her. That makes my actions a burden you’re having to deal with. Are you going to tell them she’s here in town?”
“I don’t negotiate with terrorists.” He winks at me.
The Blairs aren’t exactly terrorists, but I get the sentiment.
“If she doesn’t want them to know she’s here, then it’s not my place to tell them. Besides,” he pulls another one of those awful gossip magazines from his top draw, slapping it on the desk in front of me, “if they keep up with this shit, I don’t have to say a word.”
“Jesus, they need to find something newsworthy.”
I look down at the pictures, thankful for the small favor that she isn’t plastered on the front page. Remington, looking flustered but nonetheless gorgeous, is smiling down at a customer inside Paddy’s. She has a pen in her hand, notepad at the ready for the guy’s order. Her hair is wild, wisps floating out at her temples, her clothes rumpled from working hard. She’s absolutely stunning.
“That smile,” Deacon says, forcing me to look up at him.
“What about it?” I wasn’t even aware I was doing it, but him mentioning it makes me self-conscious.
“I see it on my own face every day in the mirror.” He leans back in his chair, hands clasped on his chest. “It looks good on you.”
“This may fuck everything up,” I mutter, pointing to the magazine, the headline reading Real Life Cinderella? Where Is Her Prince Charming? “If they know she’s here, it’s going to make things harder on me. She took off from New
York because of this shit.”
“She took off for you, Flynn. There are thousands of other cities she could’ve settled in, but she came straight here. Wren looked. She doesn’t have any other connections to this city. Only you.”
I’ve let myself think the same thing, but I didn’t want to be so egotistical about it. She came to town to put me in my place, and she could’ve left again at any point, but she settled in—somewhat, considering she’s still living in a hotel—got a job and is working less than ten minutes from my office.
“She’s playing hard to get.”
“And what are you going to do when you catch her?”
I smile. “Make her mine.”
“Atta boy. Now get out of here. I have a pregnant wife to get back to.”
Chapter 34
Remington
It’s possible that my shoes are finally broken in the way I need them to be, or it’s the simple fact that Flynn is showing the interest in me that I desire, but I’m light as a feather on my walk to work this morning.
Humming the song that was playing this morning while I showered, I move my feet a little faster. I know he’s going to show up again today, and although I know I have to ignore him like I did yesterday, today will be more difficult. My cheeks heat with the possibility of getting to sneak glances his way. I may even give in a little and bring him a cup of coffee.
Plans on how I can tease him while I’m working have me distracted. I blame Flynn’s ability to take over all my thoughts for turning the corner to work and making it halfway up the block before I notice the swarm of paparazzi. The flash of bulbs and cries of my name stop me in my tracks. I’ve been through this a million times, and not once have I ever been unsure of how to act. I don’t have security with me nor a chauffeured car to dive into to get away from them. I’m on foot, in my ill-fitting Paddy’s uniform, standing in the middle of the sidewalk like a deer caught in headlights.
My time here was supposed to be different. They weren’t supposed to find me. I’m no longer part of my parents’ world. They have bigger stories to chase after. A girl working to earn a living isn’t a story. It happens with millions every damn day.
My hands are trembling, my feet urging me to move, but I don’t know what to do as they move toward me. I have a shift I need to get to. I know how lucky I am that Sam hired me. I know I’ll struggle to find another job, just as much as I know fighting through the crowd of cameras and too personal questions, that even if I make it inside the pub, I’ll no longer have a job. Paddy’s is lowkey. Sam isn’t the type of man to use this situation to make more money. His place does well without the help of ridiculous front-page stories in crappy gossip columns.
I squeal when strong arms lift me off my feet.
“You just gonna stand there and let them get you, pretty girl?”
His voice is light, and I know it’s an attempt to help me calm down, but his hold is strong and unrelenting. He’s no happier about the sharks swimming toward me than I am.
When he turns me in his arms, I bury my nose in his neck, grateful he’s here with me.
“Let’s get out of here,” he says, his lips pressed against my temple.
His scent envelops me as his long strides carry me away, and I’m reluctant to let go of him when he tugs open the door of a vehicle and settles me in the seat.
“I love your arms around me, baby, but if you don’t let go, they’re going to catch up.”
Reluctantly, my arms fall away. Flynn brushes his lips against mine before telling me to put on my seatbelt. He hurries around the front of the truck, jumping and putting it in drive before the first wave of paparazzi makes it around the corner.
Cameras flash as he speeds away from the curb, and I do my best to cover my face.
“I’m nobody,” I hiss, my emotions getting the best of me. “Why are they even bothering?”
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world, Remi. You’re not nothing. You’re everything.”
I don’t have the emotional wherewithal to take his words to heart.
“I’m going to lose my job.”
“I’ll talk to Paddy.”
“I don’t need any favors.” I cringe after hissing the words out.
This man just rescued me from a situation that could’ve turned very ugly since I had no place to go, and I repay him with attitude.
“I just—” I run my hands over my face, no doubt smearing the makeup I paid extra careful attention to this morning in anticipation of seeing him again. “I want to do things on my own.”
“Needing help sometimes doesn’t make you helpless.”
His eyes focus on the street ahead of him, but I don’t miss the way his fingers twitch on the steering wheel. Is he agitated that he has to say these things out loud or does he want to reach for me?
“I just thought I got away from that stupid life.”
“A rich girl—”
“I’m not rich,” I interrupt.
“A girl with rich, famous parents working in a rundown pub is a big deal to some.” He doesn’t look at me, and I’m thankful for the reprieve.
My lips quiver, tears burning the backs of my eyes and threatening to run over.
“Besides,” his handsome mouth pulls up in a grin, “how can they keep an eye on your bump if they don’t track you down.”
My lip curls in disgust. One, because even if I were pregnant, invading a person’s life the way they constantly do is rude. Two, don’t those idiots know that people can have sex and not get pregnant?
“There’s not going to be a bump.”
His truck rolls to a stop at a red light. His eyes drift to the rearview mirror first before they swing in my direction. His gaze starts on my stomach, making me grow warm, before drifting up to my face.
“Yet.”
If I were drinking or eating something, I’d choke.
I turn my head, breaking our eye contact. Saying things like that gives me hope, and that’s a dangerous, stupid thing to have where I’m concerned.
We drive around in silence for an eternity. It may only be fifteen minutes or so, but he doesn’t say a word as we navigate the streets of St. Louis. I haven’t ventured very far since starting my job. Taking every shift offered and begging for more doesn’t really leave much time for exploring. I can admit it’s a gorgeous city. The Gateway Arch was never on my list of must-see things, but it’s gorgeous from a distance.
“Where are we going?” I finally ask.
“Where do you want to go?” The teasing lilt to his husky voice doesn’t have his desired effect on me.
I roll my eyes and look out the side window. “Back to my hotel.”
He doesn’t speak as he drives around the block and heads back in that direction.
Knowing what I need to do, I pull my phone from my pocket and hit the contact for work.
“Sam?”
My boss sighs on the other end of the line. “Remington.”
“I ugh—”
“I’m sorry, Remington.”
“I understand.” I tell him goodbye and hang my head as I drop my phone in my lap.
Just like that, I’m back where I started when I first arrived in this city. Maybe now is the time to move on. I have a little saved, but without a job or prospects to find a new one, I know leaving isn’t smart.
“I’m going to have to go back to that shitty hotel,” I mutter, more to resolve myself to the fact than anything.
“Which hotel?”
“Riverview. It’s off Gravois Avenue.”
The truck lurches. “What? You stayed down there?”
I shrug. “The rooms were cheap.”
“And Benton Park West is one of the worst neighborhoods in the fucking city. Do you know how lucky you are nothing happened to you?” His jaw ticks. “Riverview? There isn’t a fucking river within miles of that damn place.”
I thought the same thing when I stayed there, and yeah, the motel was crappy, the guy at the front desk was a creep,
but no one bothered me. Granted, I leaned the box spring up against the window even though I was on the third floor and pushed the dresser against the door.
“You’re not going back there, Remi. I won’t allow it.”
“Allow it?” I cross my arms over my chest, the indignant side of me raring to go. “Need I remind you that you aren’t my father?”
I hate people bossing me around. Call it the number one pet peeve I have.
“Need I remind you what happened the last time you told me that?” His eyes burn hot, tongue licking out at his lips. “I’ll spank your ass again, if that’s what it takes.”
Heat pools low, but I manage to keep my hips calm when the need to wiggle hits me.
“You going to finger me then walk away again?”
A slow smile spreads across his handsome face, mischievous and full of warning.
“I’m never leaving you again, baby.”
I refuse to listen to his promise. Looking forward to anything these days only leads to disappointment, and I’ve had enough of that to last several lifetimes.
“My hotel, Flynn. I need to pack my things and find a cheaper place to stay.”
He doesn’t take his eyes off me as he puts the truck in gear, and I can practically see the gears running in his head.
The drive to my hotel is once again silent although my head is swimming with my limited options.
“Fuck,” he grunts, forcing my eyes forward.
Paparazzi swarm the front of the hotel, making it impossible to go inside.
The tears that were threatening to fall overflow. It’s too much to handle. Despite the freedom I wanted, the hard work I’ve been putting in to be normal, it’s all crashing down around me. My parents are going to get exactly what they want—me back in New York right under their thumb.
“Change of plans,” he says as he drives past the front of the hotel.
“Where are we going?”
“My place.”
“Not a chance.” I know what going back there will lead to, and my heart can only take so many hits. Despite the promises of not letting me go, of always catching me when I run, my heart can’t take more disappointment. I wouldn’t survive him walking away again or changing his mind. There’s safety in being alone, and that’s what I’m determined to be. “Take me to Riverview. I can call and make arrangements to get my things later once they get tired of waiting out front.”
