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“That won’t be necessary,” Lola said. “I’d rather we just… Leave it. I can write a group text or something and explain it to everyone and tell them to stop trying to call. Nobody needs to give anyone an ‘innie nose’.”
“We’ll keep our options open,” I said.
She gave me an exasperated look, but I wasn’t about to promise not to raise hell. I didn’t know how to find these assholes who fucked with her, but if I came across one of them, I couldn’t promise to keep my anger in check.
34
LOLA
I expected Christian to book us some sort of swanky hotel, but he apparently had an apartment of his own in New York for travel–because of course he did. We’d lost two hours flying so far East and my internal clock already felt all screwed up. I was yawning even though I probably shouldn’t have been tired yet.
Christian was putting on a fresh dress shirt and doing up his cuffs as he strode through the apartment toward the kitchen. He stopped, noticing my yawn. “Are you tired?”
I shook my head, stifling another yawn. “Nope. Totally up for whatever it is you’re getting all dressed up to have us do.”
He grinned. “It’s a bus tour.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You remembered?” I’d rattled off a few things that made me happy to him and assumed he wouldn’t care enough to pay attention, but clearly, I’d been wrong.
“I did.”
“I’m the one who is supposed to be teaching you to be happy, you know. That whole conversation was just so I could figure out what kind of stuff to take you to do, not so you could spoil me.”
“Keeping my hands off you for a month was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, Lola. Now that you’re mine, I want to spoil you. I need to spoil you.”
I smiled. Brian thought spoiling me was giving me unlimited access to his bank account, which had always annoyed me so I’d made a point of only spending my own money. To him, I was lucky enough just to be taken care of by such an immaculate male specimen. Just thinking of how freaking blind I’d let myself be with him made me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit. “Well,” I said softly. “I’m not so tired that I can’t handle being spoiled tonight.”
“Please tell me I don’t have to come,” Max called from her room. The apartment was relatively modest by mega-millionaire standards. There was a main lobby style area with views of skyscrapers and endless traffic on the streets below. Other than that, there were a few rooms and two bathrooms. Max had rushed off to claim a room as soon as we arrived and hadn’t come out since.
“Do what you want,” Christian said.
“What he means,” I interjected. “Is we’d love for you to come if you’re interested. But if you aren’t feeling up for going out, you can stay here. Assuming you’re comfortable being on your own.”
Max stuck her head out. Her hair was wet like she’d freshly showered, and she had on an oversized t-shirt like she was getting ready for bed. “Comfortable being on my own? Stones over there left me alone in his penthouse of boredom constantly. I think I can handle a little alone time. Thanks,” she added with a smile and then pulled the door closed.
“Is she acting suspicious to you?”
“Huh?” Christian asked.
I sighed. “You are such a man.”
He smirked, moving closer to me and cupping my ass in both hands. “Yes, I am.” He lowered his mouth to mine, kissing me so good it took my breath away.
I was still catching my breath when he ran his tongue from my collarbone to the base of my jaw, grinning wickedly. “Nap on the bus if you have to. Tonight, you’re all mine.”
“Actually,” I said, faking a yawn that turned into a real one. “I am pretty tired. Maybe we can take a raincheck.”
“Fuck your raincheck,” he grated.
I smiled with a shrug. “I don’t know. I guess I could try to find the energy.”
“Don’t toy with me, Lola,” Christian warned. His eyes were icy pits of desire that made my stomach go tight and my lady parts heat up.
I looked down, noticing he was hard as a rock. “But it seems like you enjoy it when I do.”
He followed my gaze, then gripped my wrist and yanked it down so I reflexively cupped his erection. The feeling of his arousal pulsing under my fingertips made my breath catch. I was well on my way to needing a new pair of panties and maybe a paper bag to breathe into.
“I can’t control myself around you, Lola. Before you, nothing ever made me lose control. Nothing. But around you, I’m fucking helpless. All I want is to have more of you. To see you more. To touch you more. To hear you more. And after what you said on the plane? I want to help you find peace with what happened here. Just say the word, and I’ll come with you. We can talk to all of them at once or one at a time–whatever works best.”
