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I leaned forward, brought my mouth to his, and committed everything to memory—the way he tasted like the coffee he’d drank on the way here and how he wrapped his arms fully around my body and squeezed me tightly.
The love reflected in his tear-filled eyes when he pulled back was heartbreaking.
“Don’t cry. You’ll make me cry.”
“I’ll be back in time for New Year’s, Sin, and I’ll call you for Christmas. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Have an amazing Christmas.”
He pecked my lips once more. “You as well. You make damn sure Riva and the guys spoil you rotten.”
I arched my eyebrow at him. “Oh, they’d better.”
“That’s my girl.”
He walked through the checkpoint without a hitch, then turned back briefly to wave at me. I sent the smallest wave back and stood watching him until he disappeared behind a frosted glass partition.
Sadness filled my body as I made my way back out to the chauffeured car Augustus had lent me and directed the driver to take me to my apartment in Tottenham.The buildings we passed on the way home seemed bleaker than normal.
Trudging up the stairs, I stopped in my tracks when I saw Augustus at my door. “Aug, what are you doing here?”
He stepped close to me, a knowingness in his eyes. “I’m checking on you.”
“Why?” I asked, instantly suspicious of his motives.
“Because Ruben’s gone, and I know how much you’ll miss him.” He stroked my cheeks in much the same way Ruben had done earlier. “Let me make you a cup of tea.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “Do you even know how to make a cup of tea?”
“I’m not entirely useless, you know.”
“Not entirely, no.” I unlocked my door. “You’ll keep.” I walked inside.
Augustus Huntington, III followed me with a shake of his head and a smirk on his face.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Saturday was a better day for me. Waking up beside Augustus made the sting of missing Ruben less painful. Then having a meeting with Riva and Ramesh at a café regarding the final details of the gala, which was in a week, I felt as though things were getting back on track, even though I was still suspended.
The final flower in the Sienna Was Happy Hat was when my best friend messaged to tell me she and her men had touched down at Heathrow. They were staying until New Year’s Day, which meant I had around ten days to catch up with Lou.
We met that night at Electric Carousel, where I finally got to watch Cruz perform with his band. I understood Lou’s unwarranted concern about my attraction toward Jeremy and Cruz, but I wasn’t ready to inform her of my current relationship status. I wanted to keep it to myself for a while.
Now I understood why Lou had been worried about being misconstrued as slutty. Not only did I have Ruben, Augustus, Jeremy, and Riva in my life, but now Cruz was also demanding to be noticed.
When I let Lou and her guys drop me home, I was running away from the club and the guys because the whole thing was a shock to the system. Having my best friend in the same vicinity as all the guys I was dating was so overwhelming. I knew I needed to get past my hang-ups and, deep down, I also knew I could trust Louisa. We were both in the same kind of situation where we could easily confide in each other about our relationships’ ups and downs without judgment.
While I showered, I thought about how I’d tell Louisa my news instead of concerning myself with what Cruz was probably thinking about the way I’d left an hour earlier like a whirlwind with no interest in looking back. As I towel-dried my hair, I peered into the medicine cabinet mirror to ensure all the makeup was gone from my face. Then, setting the towel aside, I made my way toward my bed, only to be stopped mid-step by a knock at my door.
I glanced down at my powder blue silk nightgown and decided to pull my robe over it. There was another knock as I moved toward the door and cautiously opened it.
Cruz was standing in the doorway.
Once I’d picked my jaw up off the floor, I asked, “What are you doing here?”
“You ran away from me at the club,” he said, leaning his arm on the top of the door frame.
I frowned. “How did you even find me?”
