“Did it work?”
“I knew my mistake immediately. The only thing that kept me away was knowing that fucker is getting his ass handed to him.”
“My awful choices caught up to me, I’m sorry.”
I take the few steps to sit on the edge of the bed, adjusting her on my lap. “That’s the last apology I want to hear. ”
She looks at me closely, scaling her nails gently along the hairline on the back of my neck. “I don’t understand what’s happening. How did you get dragged into this?”
“Anything that has to do with you involves me. I made that clear from the beginning. This is no different.”
“Why wouldn’t they tell me? Why wouldn’t we travel together? You were on a plane at daylight?” Her questions fire out.
“First flight out at six-thirty. We all have our jobs to do. Mine began this morning. He needed to connect with you in Atlanta.”
“What exactly was your job?”
“I delivered letters to the firm founders.”
She shudders, her eyes popping. “Redmond, Kersh, and Reid?”
“Yes.”
“They’re all semi-retired and have little to do with the day-to-day operations. There’s a chance they don’t even know who I am by name.”
“If they didn’t, they do now.”
“Oh God, this is getting crazier and crazier. Did you know about Scottie?”
“That he leads a secret identity in part of an underground legal circuit that is packed with the dirty secrets law firms try to hide?”
“Seems like you do know.”
I tuck her hair behind her ear and run my thumb over the bruise on her cheekbone. She flinches.
“Does it hurt?”
“No, it’s easy to forget until I look in a mirror.”
“You’re still unbelievably fucking gorgeous.” I move to her wrist and pull her hand in between us. The injured finger is still wrapped. “How does this feel?”
“It’s more of a nuisance than anything.”
I bring it to my lips and kiss it tenderly. “How long do you have to wrap it?”
“Doctor said to play it by ear and comfort level.”
I nod, massaging the base of the finger. “He didn’t just fuck with you, Ashlyn. He fucked with me, taking something precious away.”
She sucks in a deep breath and shakes her head slowly. “He could never take anything away from you.”
“Princess, we have a lot facing us in the next few days, and I hate that cocksucker doing this right now. But I need you to focus on me.”
“You’re all I see.”
As good as that feels, it’s not enough. “Do you have any idea where we are?”
Her eyes dart from side to side, filling with recognition. “Is this?”
“Yes, this is our room.”
“I begged Scottie to take me somewhere else, but he wouldn’t budge. I blocked out most of the trip from the airport.”
“This room holds mostly significant memories. Time to make new ones.”
“I like that idea.”
“This time when we leave, it’ll be together.”
“Together.” She nods, a spark flickering in her eyes.
“It’s been a fuck of a long few days, baby. I need to kiss you.”
She doesn’t hesitate, using full body force and taking me to my back before her mouth crashes to mine. My hands fist in her hair, pressing her close as I take everything she’s offering.
I roll us to the side, sweeping my tongue around her mouth, groaning when her hips roll against me. My cock stiffens instantly, my blood rushing south with an aching need. I take over, kissing her urgently, sliding my hands to grip her ass and hold her in place.
She swivels and grinds, increasing her pace.
“Baby, we don’t have time,” I say into her mouth.
“Scottie can wait.”
I grin against her lips, slowing the kiss until our mouths are pressed together. “Drinks, dinner, updates on our days, then back here and naked.”
“Sex, we’ll re-energize with room service, more sex,” she counters. “Scottie will definitely understand the change in plans.”
“Such a temptress, but my body needs fuel now for what I have planned for later.”
“I like the sound of that,” she practically purrs.
I twist, find my footing, and haul us up. “Do what you have to do to get ready. We have a spot at the bar waiting on us.”
Her eyebrows scrunch together. “The bar?”
“I stopped by on my way in and found out Lily still works here. We’re visiting her.”
Her lips split into a wide smile. “Give me ten minutes and we’ll go down.”
I run my lips back and forth over hers a few more times before letting her go. She gets her suitcase and heads toward the bathroom, stopping back at the foot of the bed. Her eyes slice to mine, her thoughts transparent.
“Baby—”
“This is where it all began, and regardless of the outcome tomorrow, no one can take that away from me. No one can take you away from me.” With that, she heads into the bathroom.
She finally fucking understands.
Chapter 24
Ashlyn
I grip Miller’s hand, my stomach churning as we make our way into the pristine lobby of Redmond, Kersh, and Reid. Scottie strolls casually at my other side, his excitement rolling off of him.