11. Kaitlyn
ELEVEN
Kaitlyn
IT’S NOT LEXI… SHE’S A FRIEND .
Yes, Kota, she’s a friend.
Heart hammering in my chest, I ease myself away from the door, closing it quietly between us. Hand still gripped around the knob, I listen to Went, his deep voice muffled and flat while he says his goodbyes to the person on the other end of the phone.
She’s my friend.
Not the woman I’m going to marry or even the chick I’ve been fucking.
She’s my friend.
Heart lodged in my throat, I back away from the door. Finding my way to the bed, I scramble back into it, managing to settle my computer in my lap just as it opens.
“Hey.”
Looking up with a frown, I find Went standing at the foot of the bed, watching me.
“ Hmmm ?” I say before looking down at my computer, pretending to me lost in concentration while I fight a sudden wave of nausea.
She’s my friend.
“The concierge is going to deliver everything you asked for within the hour,” he tells me, hands dug into the pocket of his jeans. “Including a replacement pack of your birth control pills.”
“Okay.” I look up again, giving him a vague smile before I close my laptop. “Thank you.”
Went makes a noise in the back of his throat while he gives me a nod. “I figured out the clothes situation. I reserved a suite for you under a fake name. You can use the room key to go shopping at the boutiques downstairs. Just charge whatever you want to the room.”
I frown at him again. “That sounds really expensive.”
Went frowns back. “So?”
“So?” I say it back on a laugh. “ So, I don’t have any money, Went. I can’t just?—”
“I have a net worth of one hundred-fifty-three billion dollars, Kait,” he bites back while his face falls into a scowl. “I think I can afford to buy you a few pairs of jeans and some underwear.” As soon as it comes out of his mouth, he sighs. Pulling a hand out of his pocket, he swipes it over his face. “Shit—that sounded really douchey. Let’s try that again—I’d like you to go downstairs and buy some new clothes.” Cocking his head slightly, he gives me the kind of look that would make me agree to do just about anything he asked me too. “Will you do that for me?”
“Yes.” Right now, I’d throw myself off the roof if he asked me to. Looking at him, I nod. “I’ll do that for you.”
“The room is under the name Sierra Raintree. Kota has the key—she’s waiting for you at the front desk.”
Kota.
That’s what he called Damien’s twin sister.
The twin sister Damien never told me about.
“I didn’t know your sister worked here,” I say, busying myself with gathering my notebooks and laptop scattered around the bed so I can shove them back into my backpack.
“Neither did I.” Even though I’m not looking at him, I can hear it in his voice. It bothers him. “Listen—” I catch movement in the corner of my eye as he skirts the foot of the bed, moving closer to the side I’ve claimed as my own. Reaching for my ankle, just as I zip my backpack closed, Went drags me to the edge of the bed. Suddenly face-to-face, I feel my breath catch in my throat when his hips wedge themselves into the juncture of my thighs. “I want you to have fun. Buy yourself whatever you want.”
Because they’re stupid and have a mind of their own, my legs wrap themselves around his hips, pulling him even closer when I lock my ankles under his ass. “What about what I want?”
Friend, Kait.
He called you his friend.
That’s all you are—a friend who needed his help.
One he enjoys fucking.
Nothing more.
Went groans, giving me a hard, quick kiss on the mouth. “Fucking kill me.” Before I can ask him what he’s talking about, he grips my thighs and pries them open. “Downstairs. Get the key from Kota. Go shopping.” He backs away from me while shaking his head. “Now.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask while I watch him walk away, on his way back to the living room.
“I’m going to bribe a bunch of people at the county courthouse,” he says, flashing me a quick, over the shoulder smile on his way out the door. “While you’re down there, make sure you buy something nice enough to get married in.”
FINDING MY WAY TO THE FRONT DESK WAS EASY enough. Stepping off the elevator, into a large, open-air lobby, I almost instantly spot the long, marble-topped counter with a trio of smartly dressed clerks helping guests check into their rooms—a man in his early thirties, a young blonde who I peg as a college student, and a woman who looks like a female version of Damien. Hair so black, it shines blue in the overhead lights. Almond-shaped eyes that are almost as dark as Went’s. A sharp, angular face that’s more striking than beautiful.
As soon as the customer she’s helping picks up his bags and walks away, the woman who must be Dakota points directly at me and smiles. “Miss, I’ll help you over here,” she says, even though I’m nowhere near the front of the line. Frozen for a moment, I look at the several people, frowning in front of me, before I start to move. Muttering excuse me and I’m so sorry , I push my way to the front of the line, toward the woman waiting for me behind the counter.
“Name?” she asks, her mouth set in a vague, professional smile while she waits.
“Sierra…” I look around, waiting for someone to call me a liar. When no one does, I look back at the woman behind the counter. “Raintree. Sierra Raintree.”
“Welcome to the Hawthorne, Ms. Raintree.” Another vague, professional smile while she taps on her computer keyboard. “I have a Mountain King suite reserved under your name, is that correct?”
“Yes.” I nod for good measure even though I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“Excellent.” More tapping before she plugs something flat and rectangular into the side of her computer and sets it on the counter between us. “Press your left thumb against the screen, please.”
Still having no idea what’s going on, I do what she says. Pressing my left thumb against the flat square on the counter in front of me, I watch while it scans my print. Looking up at her to make sure I’m following her directions correctly, I’m rewarded with another polite smile.
“Your print grants you elevator access to the upper floors of the hotel, as well as access to the all-inclusive spa.” More tapping before she pulls a plastic key card from a drawer and slides it into the back of the flat, black square that just scanned my thumb print. “And this will grant you access to your suite. If you choose to shop in any of our boutiques or dine in any of our restaurants, your key card can also be used as a form of payment.” Pulling the card from the machine, she offers it to me. “Just swipe it as you would a credit card and your purchases will automatically be charged to your room.”
“Okay.” I swallow hard on a nod while I take the card that’s being offered. “Thank you,” I tell her, forcing a smile onto my face because even though I know what I’m supposed to do next, I have no idea on how to actually do it.
Like she can read my mind, Dakota smile softens slightly. “Would you like me to give you a tour of the hotel and its amenities, Ms. Raintree?”
“Yes.” Relieved, I give her another nod. “That would be lovely.”
“You can wait for me over there.” Reaching under the counter, she pulls out a wooden plaque that reads closed. Setting it on the marble top between us, she points at the lobby behind me. “I’ll grab my jacket and meet you in a few minutes.”