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Mitchell witnessed the war raging in her, intermingled with her indecision on how best to make her next move. She spun, sliding her legs out of the vehicle, and pushed her phone into the pocket of her olive cargo pants which hung low on her full hips. She ignored his hand but he wasn’t letting it go. Or her.
Grasping her elbow as she hit the ground, he cocked an eyebrow at her. The smile she pasted on her face told him everything he needed to know. She wasn’t going to make a scene.
“I’ll bring your bags,” the bellhop said with a smile.
“Thank you,” Mitchell said, cutting off what he knew would be her refusal and guiding her inside.
He ignored the looks he got from people as they moved through the lobby. All he could see was the woman beside him. Hope’s curls tumbled around her clip and he saw it was stars. His fingers itched to sink into their softness and tug her head back so he could kiss her.
“Good afternoon,” the concierge said to her even as the woman glanced up at him. “Mr. Anderson, good to see you again. It’s been a while.” A flicker between him and Hope. “Your usual room?”
“I want a room on the same floor my friend is checking in on, if possible.” He braced his hip against the counter and looked down at Hope.
“And you are, ma’am?”
“Checking in for two rooms. João Carvalho and Dr. Hope Roman.”
The woman was efficient and she got Hope checked in on both. Mitchell hid his grin as Hope said doctor. God, she was sexy.
“And you, Mr. Anderson, are in the room across the hall.” Their keycards were passed over.
“Thank you,” Hope said, turning and walking to the elevator, even as she pulled her phone out of her pocket once more.
Mitchell fell into step with her, frowning as he saw she was texting her room number to João. They entered the elevator together and he crossed over to her when she took the opposite side of the car from him.
No words passed between them as they rode up to the sixteenth floor. After marking his room, he stepped over near Hope, not at her side but to her back as she used the keycard to open her door. He gripped the frame but didn’t go in the room, simply used his foot to block the door from closing all the way.
“Come on in, Mr. Anderson.”
Not exactly a welcome with open arms, but she hadn’t slammed the door in his face, so he’d take it. Stepping in, he closed the door behind him, waiting for the click before engaging the security chain.
Hope stood across the room in front of the window and damn it if she didn’t look defeated and exhausted. Mitchell was moving before he could even comprehend what he was doing.
Gathering her in his arms, he held her tight to him. “Tell me what you need, Flykra.”
She turned in his embrace and angled her head to look at him. “What are you doing? I saw your statement to the press.”
“I know you did.” He stroked his hand along her cheek. “I meant everything I said, Hope. I love you.”
“I can’t live with this, Mitchell. I’m not a gold digger and I didn’t know about your computer company. I knew you were spending time on your computer but I thought that was because you were simply a grouch and didn’t want to interact at the mixer. I had no idea about your company or that you were a player worth millions.”
Billions actually. “I know, baby. I know you didn’t and you don’t care. You’ve only seen me as Mitchell and that’s who I want to be to you. Yours. Your Mitchell. The man who loves you more than his next breath.”
“Words are easy to say. Actions hold more value. And to hear the local gossip from João, you haven’t been divorced for long, so why should I believe that you want to be with me? Isn’t this fast?”
He guided her to sit on the edge of the king-sized mattress and cupped her face in his hands. “Did you hear everything I said?”
She shrugged. “Sort of.”
Mitchell cocked an eyebrow. “Sort of? What does that mean?”
“Means we were in a helicopter as João showed me your press conference. I didn’t hear everything, I don’t think.”
“Helicopter,” he muttered. God, this woman was amazing. “There’s a term in the computer world called a cooldown. It’s the minimum time limit that a player has to wait to use a specific ability again within the game.”
She shrugged. “I told you I don’t play computer games.”
“After what I went through with the ex, I figured my cooldown time was going to be a long time but then I met you and I realized something.”
“What’s that?”
He brushed his lips over hers. “When it comes to you, Flykra, there is no cooldown on love. I’m all in. Head over fucking heels in love with you. I can quote movies for you, yell it from the top of every skyscraper, but if you don’t believe me, it doesn’t matter. I know I fucked up and I didn’t back you up when you needed me to. Especially having just lost your mentor, and for that, I’m going to be sorry forever.”
