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Air rushes from my lungs at a comment that immediately catches my eye.
FelixTOfficial:Safe travels. Miss you already.??
Bastard.
Felix has a lot of nerve to ghost me for weeks, since we arrived in LA, and then comment on a public post as if we’re going strong and so close.
Fucking bastard.
The dumb kiss emoji makes me want to smash his face. A growl slips past my tight lips, and a fire burns deep inside me. I need to get home. Now.
My father isn’t going to like it, but I will no longer be linked to Felix.
I hit the programmed number on my phone, anxious to talk to my dad. Tell him now. Instead, my proverbial balloon pops when I’m greeted with Lois’s sharp harumph even before she utters a word. Of course she would answer his line.
“Leighton, he’s busy right now.”
“I need to talk to him.” I flip back the covers, get out of bed, and grab the clothes I set out on the chair last night.
“I’ll tell him you called.”
“No. You don’t understand.” I flick on the bathroom light. “This is urgent. I need to speak to him now.”
“Perhaps I can help.” She’s cold and professional and just an extension of my father.
“No. You. Can’t. Please have him call me as soon as possible.” I hang up and pull up Tom’s number to send a text.
Me: Come to my room. 4503
While I wait—unsure if I want Tom to get here first or for my father to call—I get dressed. The wait is way too long, and by the time there’s a knock at the door, I’m livid.
Fuming and ready for a fight, I swing open the door, only to swallow my tongue at the sight of the bright smile and relaxed demeanor of Tom. I wish I didn’t notice or care, but everything about him is hard not to like. Once again he’s in shorts, cargo this time, and a white, tight-fitting T-shirt.
He holds out a cup of coffee for me like he’s done before. “Good morning. I would’ve been here sooner but stopped for this.” His lopsided grin roots me to the spot. “I wondered when you’d contact me. I even thought about calling you several times this morning.”
Not waiting for me to step out of the way, Tom slides past me into the room. Our chests graze, our arms brush, and his wicked grin deepens and blue eyes darken. It’s as though he knows the storm of sensation his touch causes within me.
Flustered and needing something to do, I shut the door and press my back against it as I sip the warm brew. “Thanks for this.” I point to my suitcases. “My bags are packed and I’m ready. I need to be in Toronto in three days.”
Incredulous, he barks out a laugh. “Three days? The booking is for five days, and we’re already off schedule today since you slept in.” He shakes his tousled blond head. “It can’t be done.”
It can. The look he gives me says as much. He just doesn’t want to budge.
“Three days.” I hold up the same number of fingers to emphasize my point. But out of curiosity, I ask, “What was the route and stops my father arranged?”
Shaking his head, he pulls out his phone and scrolls. “The first day was LA to Vegas. Today, we’re supposed to drive to Vail, Colorado. It’s nine hours. If we leave now and make no stops, with the hour time difference, we won’t make it to Vail until a little after eleven.”
Head still shaking, he pauses to glance my way. “Day three, we stop in Lincoln, Nebraska. Next, Chicago, then our final day, we drive to Toronto.”
Nodding, I nibble on my lower lip to give him the impression I’m contemplating this, being reasonable when I’m anything but.
“Forget that schedule. I’ll make my own.”
His casual manner wanes. “Leighton, the only way we’re getting to Toronto in three days is if we drive well into the night, every day. It will be pretty much nonstop driving.”
“So?” I shrug, trying on his nonchalance for size. “People do it all the time. Drive all hours of the night to shorten the trip to their final destination.”
“True, but this is a job. I’m responsible for your safety. I won’t be reckless.”
