“It’s getting late. You both need to go home. And Leah, that goes for you too, you need to rest in your own bed. I don’t want you to stay in the hotel, penthouse or not. Take it from me, there’s no place better than home.”
I kissed his forehead, “Promise me you won’t give the nurses a hard time.”
“I’ll behave.”
“That’ll be a first.”
“You’re going home, right?”
“Maybe.”
Who was I kidding? I was either going to the hotel or to Chad’s house. It didn’t matter as long as I was with him.
He squeezed my hand and I gave a reassuring smile before leaving. On the way to the penthouse, my stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten since lunchtime and the small bag of peanuts mid-afternoon were long gone. Stopping in the crosswalk, watching the bustle of cars pass beneath the walkway, I pressed Chad’s contact name on my phone. It rang a few times before his voicemail picked up.
“Hey, it’s getting late and was wondering if you’ve eaten? Call me back when you can.” I pressed end and then followed with a text.
Leaning against the glass I scanned the buildings along the street for restaurants. I knew the hotel had fine dining and a deli, but something different would be nice. In the distance, I saw the familiar masculine build that wore the hell out of a suit. I’d recognize Chad ten blocks away. I watched him hail a cab when reality unfolded. Next to him, a stunning blond clung to his side. My jaw dropped and my heart stopped beating as his arms circled around her perfect hourglass body. When he pressed his lips against her forehead, my stomach rolled.
I couldn’t move watching him open the door of the yellow taxi as she slid safely inside. In a carefree move, he patted the top of the car before stepping onto the curb watching it disappear into the traffic.
Fucking hell.
Would he lie if I asked?
Would he be a good liar or a bad liar?
He stood on the side of the street still watching long after the red taillights were gone. He brought his phone to his ear when mine began ringing and I almost fell to my knees.
I didn’t want to talk to him right now, but I also wanted to see how he was going to answer.
“Hey.” I feigned a normal tone.
“Hey, I got your voicemail. I already ate since I ended up working so late.”
“Oh, that’s fine. Did you get a lot accomplished?”
He disappeared into the entrance of the hotel.
“I managed to execute a very important contract and spoke with Bivens about the home game tomorrow night.”
“You’re going to the game, right?” I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Yeah, I’ll be in the box. Why don’t you come? We could say you’re representing Harry.”
“Maybe.”
“No one will ever know you’re with me. It’ll look like you’re supporting the team for your dad. We can release a statement to the press if that makes you feel better.”
“We’ll see.” I paused before pushing forward, “What did you have for dinner?”
“Italian. My brother, Stone’s in town.”
Brother, my ass.
I should have never gotten involved. From the get-go, I knew a man like Chad might as well have the words ‘player’ tattooed across his forehead. The sting in my chest intensified and I swallowed the lump in my throat, and I had no one to blame but myself for putting myself in this position.
“Before...” I drew in a deep breath. “I head to the room; I’m going to pick up something to eat.”
“I’ll grab you something. I’m right here. Why don’t you take a long relaxing soak in the tub?” he said in a husky voice.
You’re a bad fucking liar.
He’d lied so smoothly about being with his brother. If I hadn’t seen him with my own two eyes I wouldn’t have ever known.
Players play—it’s who they are. I heard Carli say that too many times to count and she should know because she’s been a player for as long as I’ve known her.
“What are you hungry for?”
Something that’s going to give me enough time to pack my shit up.
“If you’re still at the Italian, chicken alfredo. If not—”
“You got it.”
Still at the window, I watched him exit the building wearing a sexy as hell smile. That would be the last time I would see Chad Mitchell in person.
Chapter 16
I watched Chad step onto the sidewalk and for a brief second, I forgot he’d been with another woman. I forgot he hadn’t kept his word. I forgot he straight up lied. I couldn’t take my eyes off of his perfection as he disappeared inside the door of the Italian restaurant.
Why does this feel the way it does?
There was never a beginning for us—only an ending. I laughed finally able to dissect it. Deep down, I’d wanted a beginning. Images of the night we met at the cantina and the drive home. That night was the first time, I’d felt as if oxygen was made just for me. Then when I needed someone because my life was turned upside down—how he’d refused for me to have anything but the best and carried me over his shoulder from the standard room to prove his point.
And then the scar...how he’d been so gentle and how he’d kissed it, making me feel more beautiful than I’d ever felt. His lips had branded mine and I absently brought my index fingers trailing across my lips feeling the warm tingly sensation.
“Good-bye, Chad,” I whispered before darting to the room.
Gritting my teeth, how could I have honestly believed he would give his time solely to me? I’d been the world’s biggest dumbass thinking I could keep my emotions separate from the sex.
Inside the room, I didn’t waste a minute packing my things. When he got here, I would be long gone. Glancing around for anything missed, I eyed a booklet of hotel stationary.
My hands trembled and I gripped the pen tight as I wrote out the words making my decision crystal clear.
Chad,
I’ve decided to end our... whatever this even was. Please respect my decision and I’ll trust you keep your word in regard to my dad’s employment. I’m sure we will cross paths from time to time and hope neither of us will feel awkward. I apologize for sending you after food, knowing I wasn’t going to be here when you returned. I would appreciate you not calling or texting and for us to go our separate ways from this point forward. Thanks for everything. I’ll always be grateful.
—L
The words were hard to write but images of the blonde made it a little easier. I let out a sigh, wondering if the note would even mean anything or if he had her on speed dial.
Ten minutes later, hospital valet retrieved my car and as soon as I veered onto the freeway my phone began ringing. Chad’s name lit up the screen and a wave of emotions rushed through me. A lump formed in my throat but visions of him with the blonde and then blatantly lying made my blood boil. I ignored the persistent calls, flipping it over so I couldn’t see his name.
When I arrived home, I couldn’t even remember how I got there. In a daze, I dropped my things onto the floor inside the door. Not bothering to turn on the lights, I made my way to the bedroom and sank onto the soft bedding. Hugging my pillow, I curled up into a ball and drown in my misery.
How had I allowed him to inch his way inside my emotions? Why did I feel like shit? How could I miss him, when I knew all along, he was temporary?
I let out a sigh, knowing I needed to check for any missed calls from the hospital. Dragging myself off the bed, I retrieved my phone and stared at the screen. Thirty-six calls, ten voicemails, and eleven texts. With trembling fingers, I began pressing the buttons to block his number.
I had to. I needed to.
But before I finished, his name flashed on the screen again, making thirty-seven attempts to reach me. I rolled my eyes and drew in a deep breath of courage. Determined to get my point across, I answered in a fake cool tone.
“Can’t
respect my request, huh?”
“What the fuck, Leah? Where are you?”
“Did you even read the note I left?”
“You didn’t think you owed me more of an explanation than that?”
“There’s not anything to explain. It’s just best...”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on? Less than eight hours ago, you couldn’t wait to go home with me. What the fuck happened to make you change your mind?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“You said honesty was a hard limit. I expected the same from you.”
His lies stung and it made me completely shut down.
“I saw your dinner date. She had blonde hair, Chad. So, fuck you and your hard limit honesty expectations.” I pressed end and quickly went to the settings and finished the steps to block his number.
Tears pooled in my eyes and I couldn’t shake the sadness. I’d wanted Chad to be so much more. I sure as hell gave him credit for being so much more. There was no turning back to the lonely pathetic girl I once was, but I wasn’t going down the path of destruction either.
Hugging the pillow against my chest, I couldn’t stop thinking about what could have been and how I wanted something I couldn’t have—unless I didn’t give a shit that he was a liar and kept sleeping with him.
Why were tears in my damned eyes? I wiped them away unable to stop thinking about how his smile had dazzled me and how his hypnotizing voice sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach. And those hands… how they made me feel.
His image followed me into my dreams, his mouth coming toward me but never reaching my lips. I reached and kept reaching but my hands couldn’t clutch onto him. I could feel his breath and I wanted to feel his lips on mine so bad I could taste him.
Jerking awake, my breathing was ragged, and I sat up on my elbows for a few minutes looking around for him. It felt so real, like he was right here. But he wasn’t. Falling against the pillow, I rolled onto my side. This was going to be the longest sleepless night of my life.
I gazed across the room at the twinkling stars flickering in the black sky. Sinking into a twilight state, I remembered the night I’d been in Chad’s bed and how the sky seemed to go on forever across the pasture.
In a haze I heard the sound of a door closing and footsteps drawing closer. I felt Chad’s presence fill the room, and it made me curse the damn dreams.
In a drowsy state, I rubbed my eyes with the heel of my hand and stared at a room filled with nothing. The silence was deafening, and I let out a frustrated groan.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Why was he affecting me like this?
Then I heard the soft sounds of footsteps again. They eased closer in the hallway and my heart lurched into my throat. In one fluid movement I reached to the drawer of the bedside table and wrapped my hand around the stock of a loaded nine-millimeter. In a very skillful aim, I pointed it toward the entrance way.
My heart hammered in my chest and I wasn’t sure I even breathed.
The shadow emerged into sight before his body and I fired the weapon hoping to make the intruder run like hell. The bullet lodged into the wall, but the shadow kept frozen in place.
“Shit, Leah! It’s me!”
Chad Fucking Mitchell.
Awareness hit me like a baseball bat to the knees and I let the pistol fall from my hands to the mattress. Dashing toward him with my pulse beating too fast to palpate, “Are you fucking insane? I could have killed you!”
“But you didn’t.”
“What in the hell are you doing here? Breaking into my house?”
A smile bloomed on his ever so sexy mouth and my hands itched to slap it off his beautiful face. It was as if I’d blown a kiss at him instead of almost blowing a hole in his chest.
“The blonde was Avery. Stone’s wife.” He cocked his eyebrow. “Not my date in the sense you thought.”
“I don’t care. I almost killed you, Chad!” I did care, but I cared more about his life.
“Again, you didn’t.” He closed in still wearing a grin.
I placed my hands up gesturing for him to stop. “What is the matter with you? I almost killed you!”
“We’ve established that. What we haven’t established is I would never cheat or have an affair.” He cupped my chin with his hand and walked me backward until my back pressed against the wall.
Trembling, the adrenaline wore off and I huffed out uneven breaths. What if he’d moved and instead of the bullet penetrating the sheetrock wall it ripped through him? What if I hadn’t realized it was him because the next bullet I would have fired would have been aimed at his heart… and I didn’t miss. I never missed.
“Were you jealous?” he whispered against my mouth.
“I… can’t believe I almost shot you.”
His dipped his head down and lightly kissed my lips “I’m glad you didn’t, otherwise this wouldn’t be happening right now.”
“Twice you’ve committed breaking and entering, and one count of kidnapping. Do you think you’re above the law because you’re Chad Mitchell, Mr. Oilman tycoon and owner of the Lonestar’s?”
His mouth possessively claimed mine and I opened my lips to invite his tongue inside. It was impossible to even try and keep my distance from him. In theory, I knew I should, but in reality, it would be easier to control the waves in the ocean than to stay away.
He pushed his hands into my hair and angled the sides of my face to deepen the reckless kiss. I clutched onto his shirt and fisted the fabric while every fiber inside me zinged with each caress of his tongue.
He tasted so damned good.
A whimper escaped my throat and I shivered lost in him.
He hadn’t lied.
He hadn’t been with another woman.
And he was here.
My hands circled around his neck and I ran my fingers into his hair. Between breaths, he whispered, “Were you jealous?”
“Yes.”
His hand ran under my tank and held onto the small of my back. “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I want it. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life… and I’ve had everything I’ve ever wanted.”
He pulled away and stared down at me.
“You just like my body,” I teased.
“I love your body.” He rested his chin on the top of my head. “You have to stop running from me.”
“Are you going to chastise me or make love to me?”
He cupped my face and kissed me hard backing me up to the bed. He angled his position so when we toppled over onto the mattress I landed on top. Straddling him, he held onto my ass pulling me against his hardness.
“Give me a minute,” I panted sliding off of him. I picked up the pistol lying on the bed and put it in a safety lock position before tossing it inside the drawer.
“I didn’t know you could shoot.” He rolled onto his side propping up on his elbow, resting his head in his hand.
“I took lessons last year at a range in Corsicana. I can hit the center of the bullseye with all six rounds.”
He let out a laugh. “Remind me never to piss you off.”
We stared at each other for a moment before I couldn’t resist, “You’ve already proved you could piss me off and survive.”
“My girl is sexy as hell when she’s pissed.”
Oh. My. God.
He’d called me his girl.
Chapter 17
“I saw the picture of you sitting in the VIP box at the game.” Dad held up a section of the newspaper and judging from his smile, that made him happy.
I studied the photograph, not realizing it had even been taken. My face pinkened, thankful he didn’t know in that same skybox, Chad had shoved his fingers deep inside me giving me an explosion of an orgasm while the crowd went wild over Jericho’s homerun for the win.
“You didn’t tell me you were going,” Dad continued.
“It must have slipped my mind. Not to mention you’ve had a tube down your throat helping you breathe which could still be making me a basket case.” I raised my eyebrows at him.
“Don’t remind me. Did you enjoy it?”
“Actually, I did.” In more ways than one.
“I knew you would. All you had to do was give the game a try.” He shuffled the stack of newspaper around the table over his bed, but not quick enough.
“What’s with the red folder you’re trying to hide under the rest of the paper? Who smuggled in work?”
“Federal Express. We’re talking about you.”
“Since you didn’t care much about what was going on when I was a kid, maybe you want to hear about the here and now. Going to the game made me regret all the times I didn’t go before because it’s like a candy store filled with a whole lot of good-looking guys that can wear the hell out of those uniforms.” I cocked up an eyebrow, choking back a laugh.
“Most of them are married, Leah. And the single ones are off limits.” He scowled.
What about the owner. Is he off limits?
On the verge of continuing with dramatics and fanning myself, Anita couldn’t have picked a better time to sashay into the room. She rolled a leather suitcase behind her looking like a million bucks. Her sense of style was impeccable, wearing a kelly green blouse and white linen pants like she belonged on the front cover of Vogue.
“You’re looking lovely as ever this morning.” I crossed my legs, swinging my foot back and forth in a frisky mood.
“Thank you, sweetness. Right back at you with the compliments, gorgeous.” Adoration filled her words, expression, and tone. Then she turned toward Dad. “Any word when they are transferring you to the rehab hospital?”
“It’s bullshit that I’m even considering going! I need to be on the field, not in some facility where I can’t hear the sound of the bat connecting with the ball. I need to be on the field and walk the chalk lines. My team is what will make me better.”
“Dad,” I warned. “It’s not on the table for negotiation. Even if you refused to go to the cardiac rehab center, Ch—Mr. Mitchell, has already made it abundantly clear you can’t go back to work.”
Keeping Wicked (The Mitchell Brothers Book 3) Page 12
