Escape With Me (Love With Me 1)

“I'll head over there with you,” she said, reaching for her purse. “I have to grab a couple of things from the office. I have an important guest, you know. Corporate needs things to be perfect.”

He smiled, knowing that he'd at least get a few more minutes with her.

He typed a command into his phone, and thirty seconds later, the SUV with his bodyguards was at the front door.

“Well, that's certainly convenient,” Cassie said, looking impressed. “Way better than a cab.”

He chuckled. “I have to get used to having someone watch me all the time. I'd gotten used to being alone. It's strange to know men in suits are following my every move.”

She chuckled, and he helped her into the comfortable SUV. She didn't say much on the short drive over. He didn't blame her. Thor and Odin were somewhat intimidating, and he wasn't sure what to say in front of them either.

The SUV came to a stop at the front of the hotel. Thor hopped out, scouted, and then motioned for Wyatt and Cassie to exit the vehicle. Wyatt sighed. He missed the days of just driving himself to the beach. He missed not worrying about being kidnapped and held for ransom. Being anonymous had been nice.

Flashbulbs went off around them. Two men with cameras ran off after taking a picture of Wyatt and Cassie getting out of the car. Wyatt sighed. He'd known it was only a matter of time before news of his return to the states would come out, but he'd hoped to avoid a lot of publicity.

Thor and Odin escorted Cassie and Wyatt up to the penthouse suite. Cassie tried to break away in the lobby, but the bodyguards shepherded her into the elevator with them. She kept a smile on her face, although her body language became tenser the closer they came to the penthouse door.

Once at the suite door, Odin and Thor vanished inside. They came out a moment later, and suddenly Wyatt and Cassie were alone in the hallway. The room was secure. The floor was secure. For now, Wyatt was safe to be on his own.

“Sorry about that,” Wyatt said, running a hand through his hair. “They can be a little overzealous.”

“It's okay. I get it.” She shrugged like it was nothing. Her eyes went to the hotel room door, and she took a small step away from it.

Part of being a businessman was reading people. Wyatt was good at it and being a bartender had only enhanced that skill. He knew what people sometimes thought before they themselves did.

She wasn't ready to be alone with him, and she was nervous. He decided not to invite her in. She would just say no, and he didn't want to push things.

“I had a really nice time tonight,” he said, leaning casually against the corridor wall. “I was hoping we could do it again. There's a charity ball coming up. My company sponsors it. Would you be my date?”

Her eyes went wide for a moment. “A charity ball?”

He nodded with a smile. “I know it sounds fancy, but it's a lot of fun. I'd like to take you.”

“Um, sure.” She shrugged. “I've never been to a ball before. Sounds fun.”

“Excellent. I'll have my assistant call you with all the details.” He pushed off the wall and kissed her cheek. He was glad to see she didn't shy away from him. “Thank you for a wonderful evening.”

With that, he turned and went into his hotel room, leaving her out in the hallway. He caught a glance of her surprised face just before the door closed. It made him remember the business adage of “always leave them wanting more.”

He certainly wanted more of Cassie.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Cassie

Cassie stared at the picture on her phone in total horror. It was her. Getting out of Wyatt's car. The headline read, “Prodigal billionaire returns! Who is the new mystery woman?”

There were well over a thousand comments on the one site alone. Cassie didn't want to read any of them. The first had been that she was too old. She didn't want to know what the world thought of her or her looks. She didn't want to know what they thought of her being with Wyatt. She had a feeling that it would all be negative.

“What have I gotten myself into?” she wondered out loud as she sat down at her kitchen table with her morning coffee. She felt like banging her head against the table.

She still wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Wyatt being here. She was still reeling from finding out that he was actually a billionaire and that he'd lied to her, but at the same time, he was Wyatt. She had fallen in love with him on the island.

The big question was whether or not Billionaire Wyatt was the same as Island Wyatt. The smaller question was whether Island Wyatt really was who she thought he was? What kind of man gave up the billionaire lifestyle to work as a bartender?

Last night had been great. She was surprised at how annoyed she was that all she got was a good night kiss on the cheek. It had felt like they were connecting again. She'd almost been ready to forgive him. But, then seeing the picture in the morning news, she was glad she'd stayed out of his room.

Everything around Wyatt felt like a big mess. She was better off staying away from him.