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Not listening to him, I took a few steps toward him. He chuckled. “Always the stubborn and independent one.” Before I was able to reply, he scooped me up into his muscular arms. “I’ve missed carrying you around, so I’m taking advantage of the situation.”
“Sometimes I miss it, too.” I leaned my head against his shoulder as he carried me to our room.
Once inside, he set me down on our bed, grabbed the trashcan and a towel from the bathroom, then placed them on the floor next to me. “Just in case.” He stood, scanning the space. “I’m going to grab you some crackers and soda. I’ll be right back.”
I slipped out of my jeans and hung them on Holden’s desk chair. Every time I looked at the desk, Tim and Logan’s faces flashed before me. My stomach rolled again, proving my point that I was stressed out about the two men.
“Here ya go,” Holden said, joining me. He set a plate and drink on the nightstand.
I crawled into bed still wearing my T-shirt and flopped over on my back.
“You’re beautiful even when you’re sick.” Holden climbed in next to me and pressed a sweet kiss to my forehead. “Hopefully you’ll be better in the morning, then you can rest.”
I burrowed under the covers and glanced up at him. “How was the meeting?” I stifled a yawn, exhausted again.
“Good. Well, I thought so, but you’ll need to let me know what you think.”
My curiosity was piqued. “Oh? Do tell.” I placed my hand over his and propped my head up with my other arm underneath me.
“What would you think about taking over another club? We would set it up similar to 4 Play.”
“Wow, that’s the business opportunity you were talking about?” I sat up, giving him my full attention. “Where’s it located?”
Holden ran his fingers through his hair and glanced away. “That’s the thing ...”
Chapter Forty
I stared at Holden, waiting for him to drop the bomb, my heart pounding against my chest.
“It’s in New York.”
My mouth hit the floor. “Holy Shit. Are you serious?”
“Very. We would travel back and forth.” He paused, pinning me with his stare. “I’d love to do it, but I can’t without you.”
“Of course, you can, Holden. You built 4 Play before we ever met.”
He grabbed my hand. “You don’t understand, babe. Home is where you are. If it’s here, or New York, or California ... The where doesn’t matter to me as long as you’re by my side.”
“But you love what you do. I can’t hold you back from that, and I—I.” My eyes narrowed. “I’m selfish, Holden. I’m not okay with a part-time boyfriend, especially with Tim coming to Spokane.”
“I’m not either, River. Where you are is where I’ll be. If the New York club doesn’t pan out, it’s not the end of the world. I’ll have other opportunities. We will have other opportunities. I’m not opposed to growing our business at 4 Play. After another year, you’ll have more experience and I’ll have graduated. The only reason I’m entertaining the possibility is because it knocked on my door. And it would give us some space from Tim.” His words hitched, and I finally fully understood why he was toying with the idea. Tim.
“When do you have to have an answer?”
“Next week. We have time to talk it through.” He stood and undressed, grinning at me. “You might be sick, but I can still be your eye candy.”
I barked out a laugh. “Yes, you can.” I appreciated him for lightening the moment. The information was overwhelming, and I wasn’t at a hundred percent mental capacity yet.
Holden slipped beneath the blankets, and I snuggled up to him. He rubbed my back and turned on the television quietly. Minutes later, I drifted off to sleep.
I slept through the rest of the night, but at six in the morning, I was hugging the toilet again.
“I don’t like this, babe.” Holden held my hair for me as I puked.
“Oh God, this sucks ass.” I propped the side of my head against the wall while he located a washcloth and wet it with cold water.
He wrung it out, then knelt beside me and placed it on my forehead. “How does that feel?”
