I didn’t hesitate. I shifted my weight, pinning her gently beneath me. “Delete it.”
Her brows rose, amused. “Seriously?”
I dipped my head, letting my lips graze hers without giving in to the kiss. “Dead serious.” My hand slid down the side of her thigh, slowly.
“Hmm. Someone is still grumpy. I guess my massage didn’t work after all. You're still tense.”
“There’s another way to relieve my tension, Cupcake.” I told her as I reached down and hitched her legs around my waist
“Oh, is that so? I’m all for suggestions.” Elise replied as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
I dove for her lips, groaning at the first taste of mangoes and mint and kissed her until my name was the only one on her mind and the one she screamed at the top of her lungs.
The memory was so strong I could almost feel Elise in my arms. Feel her silky soft skin against my hard muscles as she came down from her release and cuddled into me. Yet when I opened my eyes, I’m met with nothing but an empty, cold bed and deafening silence and that was when I knew I had to get Elise back.
No matter how long it took.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
NATHAN
NOTHING WAS WORKING.
Not the top-shelf whiskey in the mini fridge at my penthouse in the Ritz-Carlton, not throwing myself into work, though Edge Entertainment was thriving. The company’s biggest artists were booked for global tours, our streaming numbers were off the charts, and I’d closed more deals in the past month than in the entire last quarter. Turns out, I was a more efficient CEO when I wasn’t rushing out of the office to spend time with my sexy girlfriend.
And working out? A complete failure. My body was wrecked from exhaustion, but the ache in my chest was worse.
Still, I pushed forward.
The rhythmic pounding of my feet against the pavement was the only thing keeping me tethered to reality. The burn in mymuscles, the sweat dripping down my back, it was the only pain I could control.
“Fuck this. I’m done.” Ryan groaned, slowing to a stop as we hit the eleven-mile mark along The Strand, the ocean breeze doing nothing to cool the burn in our legs. Dalton was here too, doubled over and panting like he’d just run a marathon instead of keeping pace with our usual morning sprint.
I glanced at my watch. “We still have eleven miles left.”
Dalton gave me a withering look. “We’ve been doing this every day for two weeks straight. My legs are going to fucking give out.”
“Then train harder.”
Ryan shot me a glare. “Man, I swear to God, if you don’t chill the fuck out.”
I ignored him and kept running.
A beat of silence passed before I heard their heavy sighs and the sound of them jogging to catch up.
Every morning, we ran until my body screamed for rest and every afternoon, without fail, I waited outside her rehearsals just to catch a glimpse of her. Pathetic, maybe, but it was the only part of my day that felt like breathing. I’d wait until she came out, press a cold bottle of water into her hand, and pretend it was just about keeping her hydrated, when really, it was the only way I knew how to take care of her anymore. Every day, I worked, stopped by rehearsals, then spent the rest of the night in my hotel room checking Elise’s social media like a fucking stalker, then tried to sleep. Rinse, repeat.
It was pathetic, but it was the only way I could function.
I barely registered when Ryan and Dalton finally tapped out. I was too deep in my own head, mentally replaying every moment leading up to Elise walking away.
The way her eyes had shimmered with hurt. The way her voice had cracked when she said,there is no us.I’d wanted tobeg, sit outside her door every night if I had to, but I didn't. Because I knew she deserved better than a man who had kept secrets from her, who had pursued her for reasons other than love, even if I did love her.
And now? She was thriving.
Elise was preparing to dance across the world, smiling in every behind the scenes post, getting ready to perform in front of sold-out crowds, and live the dream she’d worked so hard for.
Meanwhile, I was following her like a lost puppy.
