Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Carley
The next morning, I wake up to the delicious aroma of coffee.
There’s no way Saylor is up before me. That never happens.
Opening my eyes, I expect to find the clock on my side table I always see first thing in the morning.
But I don’t. My eyes widen further as I remember where I am.
Quickly, I pull back the covers to see if I’m naked, and I’m relieved to find I’m still in the dress I had on last night.
I turn over, wondering if Dimos is in bed next to me, but it’s empty.
The pillow lays untouched, and that entire side of the bed is still made.
I breathe a sigh of relief knowing I slept alone last night, however, it’s short lived before I start cursing myself for coming here at all.
I vaguely remember being accosted by him in the bathroom at the club.
My clit throbs as I recall the way his fingers burrowed deep within me after a month-long absence.
I groan as my head flops back down on the pillow.
What am I doing here?
After several minutes of not being able to answer my own question, I swing my legs over the side of the bed, steadying myself as I sit up too fast. My head feels like it’s full of concrete, and I want nothing more than to crash back into my pillow, but I can’t.
Nature is calling, and I would kill for a toothbrush.
I walk into the connecting bathroom and do my business. After that, I snoop through the cabinets, hoping to find something to freshen my breath. I don’t find any toothpaste, but there is a small bottle of mouthwash which I open and swish around.
When I’m finished, I slowly exit the bedroom, letting the smell of rich coffee lead the way.
As soon as my feet hit the hallway, I’m distracted by the sweeping view of the city below us.
It’s mesmerizing. Just as much as the inside of Dimos’s seventy-sixth floor penthouse, something I failed to notice in my inebriated state last night.
I only remember bits and pieces of our conversation, and I’m hoping I didn’t say anything stupid or embarrassing.
Hopefully, I didn’t profess my undying love for him.
I timidly peer into different rooms as I search for the kitchen, looking for Dimos.
All the furniture and finishings in his penthouse are high-class and high dollar.
It’s chic with just the right amount of masculinity, so it’s clear a man lives here.
Just before I make it to the great room where we were sitting last night, I feel a presence behind me.
I spin on my heel quickly and am suddenly face-to-face with him.
“Good morning, théa. You look as ravishing as ever.”
God, his voice.
I want to ask him what it means—I still don’t know and I tried so hard not to think about it after Greece—but I can barely form words. That and I’m fighting to keep a moan from escaping me.
“Good morning, Dimos,” I’m finally able to get out.
“You can call me D if you’d like.”
I remember Ez calling him D when we were by the pool one day. I thought it was a nickname of sorts, but it makes perfect sense now.
“D.” I smile nervously at him and tuck my hair behind my ear.
He returns my smile with a dashing—and devious—one of his own. It makes me feel things I’m having a harder and harder time controlling.
“Can I get you some coffee?” he offers.
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
“I’ll be right back. Feel free to make yourself at home.”
I walk closer to the window, wondering if I can brave a look straight down, as D heads into the kitchen.
Aside from the Empire State Building, I’ve never been in a building this high before.
I feel like I’m on a cloud. Once I’m about five feet away, a slight feeling of dizziness takes over and keeps me from getting any closer.
Instead, I take the chair I was seated in last night and curl my legs beneath me as I wait for D to come back.
“Do you take any cream or sugar?” he calls from the kitchen.
“Cream only, please. Thank you.”
As I answer, I spot my clutch on the table across the room.
My phone. Saylor.
She’s probably worried about me. Hopping out of the chair, I grab it from the table quickly and take my seat once again.
I’m almost nervous to pull my phone out and check my messages.
She was very brutal toward D when we left last night—though nothing she said wasn’t true—and I am hoping her animosity didn’t transfer to me for not being strong and sticking to my guns about not seeing him.
Maybe she was too drunk to text anything after we left.
Probably wishful thinking. When I pull my phone out, the first thing I do is check the time.
Ten o’clock?
I never sleep this late. I must have been a lot more intoxicated than I thought I was.
I should have already picked up on that by the massive pounding in my head, but it seems my hangover has left me both physically and mentally sluggish.
I’m shocked to find I only have two text messages since last night and even more surprised just one of them is from Saylor.
Unlocking my phone, I pull up my messaging app and open them, starting with the one from Saylor at two-thirty this morning.
Saylor
Ren told me I should apologize for being such a dick. But I’m not really that sorry about it. I don’t like when people hurt my best friend. I just want you to be careful.
I smile softly at my best friend’s words. Saylor is goofy and sarcastic ninety-nine percent of the time, but every now and again, she says something meaningful, straight to the point, and exactly what I need to hear.
Me
I know you do, and I love you for it. I’ll be home in a bit.
The second text was from my mother. I groan as soon as I see her name.
Mother
Hi, sweetheart. I wanted to see if you’d like to grab some lunch with me today? It’s been a while since we’ve gotten together, and I miss you.
I take a deep breath and try not to roll my eyes.
I can only take her in small doses. I have a love-hate relationship with her.
Maybe that’s too strong of a phrase. I’m confused about my feelings toward her at best. I grew up thinking she was an incredible person.
Therefore, a daughter’s love is rooted inside of me for her.
But once I found out who she really was …
I can’t stand being around her. She’s right, however.
It has been a while since we’ve seen one another.
If I don’t meet up with her, she’ll only keep begging.
I give it some thought and come to the conclusion I am in no shape to deal with her today, but I respond with an alternative option.
Me
I can’t today. Plans with Saylor. What about brunch tomorrow?
Immediately, I see the three dots appear at the bottom of the screen.
Mother
That sounds wonderful. I’ll call around today and make us a reservation somewhere. 10:00?
Me
See you then.
As I hear footsteps approaching, I put my phone back into my clutch and tuck the bag in between my leg and the chair.
D puts a tray down on the table between my chair and the one next to it. As he does so, in addition to coffee, I also see a bottle of water and some pain medication. The thought he’s putting into taking care of me right now is very sweet. This is the guy I met in Greece.
“I brought you some ibuprofen, in case you needed it.”
“Yes, please. I don’t know what possessed me to drink as much as I did last night. It was stupid.”
Really? You can’t think of one reason?
“I think I have a bit of an idea why. And I am sorry, again, for the way I treated you yesterday.”
“I really appreciate that,” I admit. “But I need to take some of the responsibility, too. Plus, Saylor is also somewhat to blame.”
We both laugh, knowing the wild party girl she is.
“How did you sleep?”
“Fine,” I confirm. “Um, thanks for … putting me to bed.”
I scrunch my nose, hating that I had to be taken care of. I pick up the bottle of water and pain medication as he speaks.
“It was my pleasure. I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping under the same roof last night. I’m hoping we can do it again sometime. Soon, perhaps?”
I nearly choke on the water as I swallow the pills down.
The dark and dangerous look in his stare is back, making me squirm in my seat.
My breathing increases, and I can feel the blood in my veins warming up as it flows to the place between my legs I’ve fantasized about him touching over and over again for the past month.
The corner of his mouth curves upward, and I know he knows if he were to touch me down there right now, he would find I’m nearly drenched already.
“There’s … still a lot I need to think about,” I explain, placing the bottle of water back onto the tray and picking up my coffee.
“Mmhmm.”
He rubs his hand over his chin. Distracted by his fingers, all I can think about is us in the bathroom last night.
For the first time, it hits me that he stopped it.
Not me. Nor did I have any intention of stopping it.
If it weren’t for the strength of his willpower, I probably would have let him fuck me over the bathroom sink.
Oh my god, how hot would that have been?
Clearing both my throat and my mind, I speak again.
“I also want to thank you for what you did for me at the club last night. If it weren’t for that, there’s a possibility I would have woken up regretting it or feeling used. That’s the last thing I want to feel where you’re concerned.”
“But you told me you regretted getting into bed with me in Greece. Do you still feel that way?”
Do I?
I think about it for a minute before I realize I don’t regret it.
“I’m partly to blame for the mishap that occurred yesterday. I’m not going to sit here and say I deserved it, but I wasn’t honest with you just as much as you weren’t honest with me. I really am sorry I left without saying goodbye and without telling you my real name.”
“Why did you leave?”
Shaking my head slightly, I smile at him, still in disbelief about what occurred in his suite that night.
“The girl you were with that night is not who I am. I morphed into someone who I don’t recognize to this day.
While it was wild and freeing, she scares me a little bit.
” I turn away from him, thinking about it, ashamed of my behavior all over again.
“When I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t believe half of what happened the night before.
Not that I didn’t enjoy it. But I was also worried you’d already lost interest or would wake up with regrets.
Or worse, you’d think I was just some floozy who will jump into bed easily with anyone she meets. ”
I can feel his eyes burning into me, but I still can’t look at him. After a moment, he gets up and squats down in front of my chair. One hand grips my knee, and the other grazes my chin, finally making me lift my gaze.
“Let me be clear about a few things here and now, okay? First, yesterday had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me and the mistakes of my past. Second, I regret nothing about that night with you. Not a damn thing, Carley. It was the best night of my life. When I woke up and you weren’t there, I felt the closest thing to heartbreak I’ve ever felt before. ”
This is what I’ve been looking for. Begging for. A real man who knows what he wants and is mature enough to say exactly what he’s feeling. And fuck, I want to kiss him so bad it hurts. Then the devious gleam in his stare returns, and I fight to swallow the ball of nerves stuck in my throat.
“Third, I believe you are the girl I was with that night. She is the part of you you’re afraid to embrace, but she’s also the part of you that will set you free.
Mark my words, I will be meeting her again.
I’m going to draw her from you, little by little, for as long as it takes until you need her as much as you need your next breath. ”