The Possessive Groom (Groom 2)

“You should talk to him,” Darian says, leaning up against the door of the bathroom.

“Let’s take a test first. I’ve got some in the master bathroom,” Rosy suggests, and I nod in agreement.

“Either way. You still need to talk to him,” Darian pushes.

If only it was so easy.

Chapter 14

Gibson

Over the past couple of years, my business has taken me all over the globe and away from some of my favorite parts about my work. Being in the lab and working with my hands to figure out problems, streamline production, and see the success being built in front of me gives me an internal reward that being in a boardroom never did.

So I should be happy that the past month I’ve thrown myself into the work, but instead I’ve been fucking miserable.

As soon as Lindsey left me standing in her hotel room, I saw every mistake I’d made up to that point. When I went after her, it was too late. She’d left everything behind and chartered a plane off the island before even Mary knew about it.

It took hours for me to get another one to follow after her, but as soon as my feet hit the ground, she was already in the air again. I didn’t know where she'd gone, and it was like she fell off the face of the earth.

Darian wouldn’t give me anything, but he also didn’t fire me or tell me to fuck off. Instead, he gave me the keys to the lab and wished me luck. I think part of him knew that I had to do something, and if I couldn’t get her back right that second, I needed to fix what it was that made her leave.

With so little time, there wasn’t a second to waste, but every morning Mary would come in and shake her head, answering my unspoken question. Is she back?

A month of waiting without a single word, and I’m the most miserable I’ve ever been. Yes, I got the technology finished and we were first on the patent. The merging of our companies will be the greatest contribution to science in a generation, but none of it means anything without Lindsey.

I’ve been crashing on a cot in the corner of the lab, but most nights I don’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see flashes of her, and it haunts me. The curve of her hip, the fire of her red hair, and god help me, the parting of her lips before she climaxed and whispered my name.

I let out a long sigh as I rub the heel of my hands against my eyes. I’m exhausted but on edge all the time, and I can’t think straight. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.

The door to the lab swings open, and when I look up I see Mary in the doorway. There’s a second of hesitation before she nods, and I stand up so fast the stool I was sitting on topples backwards.

“Where is she?” I demand as I grab my coat.

“She just left Darian and Rosy’s house about ten minutes ago. I got a text from Darian saying she was on her way back to her place.”

“Thank you,” I manage to say past the lump in my throat as I fly out of the lab and to the garage.

I get in my Porsche and peel out of the garage much faster than is safe. I’ve got the way to Lindsey’s memorized because I drive by it every night, praying I’ll see a light on. She’s in a penthouse downtown, and every day the top floor was dark, my heart grew darker.

But as I come over the hill and see her building in the distance, there’s a light on and everything inside me wants to explode. I’ve gone in and talked to the doorman before, and already I’m worried about how I’ll get past him. There’s nothing I won’t do to get up there, so I shove those thoughts out of my mind as I pull up to the curb.

When I walk inside, the man at the counter looks up. “Good evening, Mr. Fox.”

I pause as my brows draw together in confusion. “I’m here to see Lindsey Evans.”

“Yes, Mr. Darian Wilson told us to expect you. The elevator is waiting.”

He holds out his hand to direct me onto it and I make a mental note to call Darian later and thank him for this. I give my thanks to the man behind the desk and take the elevator up.

Darian could have thrown me out on my ass and broken our deal, but instead he put me to work. There are some things I’ll never be able to repay, and this will be the biggest one. By him allowing me to fix my mistakes, he’s given me a chance at convincing Lindsey to take me back. It might not work, but she’s going to have a miserable life with me always five feet behind her until she agrees to love me.