Chapter 26
Lily
Iwasn’t even all the way through the lobby, clinging to the small envelope that had just been placed in my hand, when one of the hotel employees noted my direction and rushed over to the exit to open it for me. I thanked him on my way out the door, where Brady was parked along the curb, another employee meeting me at the passenger side of Brady’s Maserati, opening it enough to give me room to climb in.
It wasn’t just the boss who made me feel like a queen; it was everyone who worked here too.
But today, they could try their hardest, and it still wouldn’t take away the anxiety that was eating at my stomach.
“There’s my gorgeous girl,” Brady said before my butt even hit the seat.
He spoke like he hadn’t seen me in months.
But that simply wasn’t the case. The last several weeks had been full of encounters like this one. Pockets of time off, in between my flights with the Daltons, filled with nothing but him.
With a hand that wouldn’t stop shaking, I secured the seat belt around me and attempted a smile as I finished. “Hello to you too.”
He took in every inch of me before his gaze returned to my face. Still, the car stayed parked right where it was, showing he was in no hurry to leave.
“That’s new, isn’t it?” He nodded toward my dress.
I searched for air as I whispered, “It is.”
Despite how I was feeling, I still couldn’t believe he’d noticed.
Since we’d started dating, he’d seen almost my whole wardrobe. I’d lived in a uniform from the very beginning of my career, so I kept it casual during my downtime. An excessive amount of clothes had never been a priority. But once Diesel had become my bodyguard, I’d found myself doing much more exploring, and with that came shopping.
“Did you get that dress in Charleston?”
The last location I’d been with the Daltons, this time on a trip with Jenner that was for only one night before we returned to LA this afternoon.
“Yes, on King Street. Jo suggested I go there, she said it has the best shopping.”
“Light pink. That’s not like you at all.” His hand was on my neck, just below my jaw, his fingers brushing my skin, as if he was trying to warm me.
I glanced down the front of me. The shade and color were very outside my box. I wasn’t one for pastels. I liked boldness. I also wasn’t one for pink. I preferred jewel tones. Poor Diesel had stood inside the store with me for far too long while I debated over several different dresses, eventually picking this one.
“I guess I wanted to try something different.”
He nodded his head as he did another sweep. “And it worked. So fucking well.” His stare was unhurried, like swinging in a hammock on a spring Sunday afternoon. “Kiss me.”
“You know I have lipstick on.”
He moved closer. “You know I don’t care.”
A trait I hadn’t realized I was looking for until I met Brady. A man who was unafraid to get his lips stained in public—that was how much he wanted to kiss me.
I could only hope the sensation of his lips would force the anxiousness to die down. It would be short-lived. Once I gave him this envelope, the feeling was going to quickly return.
Our faces met in the center of the car, our lips aligning, a hunger coming from him. He didn’t care that his employees were rushing past us in both directions, helping guests with their luggage and parking cars.
He just wanted this embrace.
Here and now.
And that was something I would never grow tired of, even if my head, at this very moment, wasn’t in a good place.
“Do you want to know one of the sexiest sights?” he asked as he pulled away.
“Please.”
Anything to occupy my mind.
“Watching you walk out of my hotel, knowing you were on that bed and that you showered in that bathroom and that your clothes are hanging in that closet.” He let out a small but deep groan. “There’s something so fucking hot about it.”
“Why?”
“Because I know every minute you spend in there”—he briefly glanced toward the entrance—“you were reminded of me. Call me selfish, but I don’t care, it’s what turns me on.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at me. “You’re enjoying the hotel, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
I wished so badly it weren’t temporary and that I didn’t have my résumé in the hands of multiple private jet companies across the country, waiting to hear if they had any open positions. I could feel the sweat on my fingers as I gripped the paper package, a haunting realization that once I left LA, I wouldn’t know what things would look like or what would happen to Brady and me. A thought that continued to nag at me even though I was trying hard to push it away.
I needed something lighter, something that hid the shakiness in my voice, so I added, “Now that I’ve done a bit of traveling with the Daltons, I’ve stayed at quite a few of your hotels, and they’re all so incredible.” But the more I attempted to fake how I was feeling, the weaker my smile got. “Vegas, Charleston, Manhattan, Seattle, Chicago, Miami, Beverly Hills—I can’t choose a favorite.”
“Edinburgh will be.”
“Yes.” I pushed a laugh through my lips. “For more reasons than one.”
“It’s good to have you back. Charleston was too far away.” The narrowness of his eyes deepened. So did his gaze. “But something’s off. Something’s bothering you. What’s going on, Lily?”
“Oh boy.”
His brows furrowed. “What?”
I swallowed, the tightness attacking my throat. “When I was coming down to meet you, passing the front desk on my way out, one of the front-desk clerks stopped me and handed me this.” I wiggled the envelope, my skin so slippery and my fingers jittery that I almost dropped it.
“What is it?”
“I took a quick peek before I came out here to meet you and …” My other hand went to my chest. “I had to stop. I couldn’t look at it anymore.” I put the padded mailer on his lap.
“Let me get this straight. I don’t know what this is”—he lifted the envelope—“but you’re telling me that one of my employees handed you this package without Diesel intercepting it?”
“Diesel came to the lobby with me. I got a call from the Daltons’ assistant to schedule my next flight, so while I stalled to talk to her, he headed home. He’s off tonight because I’m with you. And we’re talking about a matter of seconds—that’s literally how long I was alone.”
“I’m not happy with anything you just said.”
He lifted the top flap and pulled out the photographs, flipping through a stack that showed snapshots of me in different locations—walking the Strip in Vegas, shopping in Charleston, eating pizza in Manhattan, visiting Pike Place Market in Seattle, walking the Navy Pier in Chicago, sunbathing in a bikini on South Beach in Miami. But it wasn’t just my travels that were included. There were also shots of me coming in and out of the Beverly Hills hotel, of me in Brady’s car, of us pulling into his house.
With each picture he passed, his grimace grew.
Until there was nothing but rage in his eyes.
Before Brady, a look like that would have terrified me.
But not with him.
With him, there was no fear at all.
All it did was make me fall harder.
“Was there a note?”
I took the empty package off his lap and rubbed my finger over the name that had been written on the front. “That’s David’s handwriting. He didn’t need to leave a note. Because now, I don’t have to suspect if he’s watching. I know he is.” I set the envelope back down, disgusted to even touch it. “That’s better than a note, and that was his intention.”
He ground his jaw before he said, “This is the first time you’ve heard from him since the flower delivery, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And there haven’t been any texts or calls from him?”
“No, nothing.”
I swore there was smoke coming out of his nose when he replied, “Stay right here. Don’t move.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to fucking fire someone.”
Before I could say another word, he was getting out of the car. He pulled one of the bellboys aside, their conversation brief, and while Brady disappeared inside the hotel, the bellboy positioned himself in front of Brady’s vehicle. He looked in all directions, just like Diesel did whenever he was with me, which told me he was standing guard.
Oh God.
I felt awful.
My intention certainly hadn’t been to get anyone fired. But when it came to David, I felt I needed to be fully transparent with Brady. I didn’t want any surprises, and I knew he didn’t either, so there was no way I could refrain from telling him about the photographs.
But really, they had come completely out of the blue. I hadn’t heard a thing from David for the last few weeks. A break that was needed and appreciated.
In the time that had passed, my gut told me he wasn’t gone.
A feeling that was similar to an invasion.
That somehow, some way, he was still here.
Watching.
Waiting.
Which I now knew was true.
What I didn’t know was David’s next move. That was the scary part. Because as loud as these pictures were, his silence was alarming.
When I couldn’t look at the door for another second, waiting for Brady to return, I took out my phone to text Aubrey. Anything to get my mind off this.
Me
How’s the babe?
Aubrey
He’s still the gold medal winner of crying. Dear Lord, I hope it stops soon. Aside from that, he’s an adorable, very hungry, very poo-ey machine. And I’m a very tired and very in-love mama.
Me
Aw! I need to snuggle him soon.
Aubrey
I’m home for one more week. Come anytime—you know that.
Me
Your maternity leave flew by, girl.
Aubrey
For you. Not for me. LOL.
Me
Ha-ha, true.
Aubrey
How’s the job search going?
Me
It’s in full force. I’m confident I’ll have something within the week. I’ve applied everywhere. I have to imagine someone is hiring.
Aubrey
With the résumé you have, your phone will soon be ringing off the hook. Anyone would be so lucky to have you.
Me
You’re way too kind.
Aubrey
I’m honest. Knowing you took care of the Daltons while I was gone was the biggest relief. You’re an awesome flight attendant, lady. I bet they’re going to be very sorry they don’t have another position for you.
I quickly checked the doorway and saw Brady heading for the car.
Me
Heart you.
I’ll keep you posted about the new job.
Aubrey
You better. xo
He slid into the driver’s seat, his hand going to my thigh while he gripped the steering wheel. “That will never happen again. They now know any package or mail has to go through Diesel or me—not you.”
“I feel sick to my stomach that someone just got in trouble because of me.”
He exhaled, the movement of air sending me a whiff of his cologne. “I didn’t fire anyone. I just lectured the hell out of them. And I also met with the head of security to tell him to pull the camera feed of the front desk. I want to see if that motherfucker walked into my hotel and handed over that envelope or if he had someone else do it.”
While he was breathing hard, I was holding in all my air. “What are you going to do with that info once you have it?”
“Do you mean, am I going to go to the police?” He shook his head. “No.” His hand left my leg and landed on the gearshift, the engine revving as he shifted into first and pulled out of the hotel. “To be honest, I don’t know what my plan is, but at least that will tell me if he’s in LA or if he’s having someone else do his dirty work.”
“And what about Diesel? Did you call him and give him an earful too?”
“No. And not because you wouldn’t want me to, which I know. But because you should have been safe in the fucking lobby of my hotel if my employees had just done their goddamn job.”
I tried swallowing the lump in my throat. “Brady … it’s him.”
He looked at me when he reached the Stop sign. “How do you know that?”
“Because he would never have anyone else put their eyes on me. He wouldn’t want them getting that intimate. He’s too possessive. Every bit of this, down to the handwriting on the card he sent with the flowers, is all him.”
“When you put it that way, I’m not surprised.”
I put my hand on top of his. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
He glanced at me even though we were in traffic. “This isn’t your fault, Lily.”
“But it is. All of this drama is because of me.”
I could feel the emotion start to rise. I could feel it hammering in my chest.
Who starts a relationship this way?
Who comes with this kind of baggage?
When I’d texted Aubrey, it had given my brain a rest. But now, it was right back to the reality of the situation.
“Fuck, Brady, this is nuts. Every bit of this?—”
“No, we’re not going there. We’re not letting him ruin another second—do you hear me?” He was at a red light, so his eyes were on me. “That dude isn’t fucking special enough to warrant any more conversation about him. This is about us, not him. He doesn’t have a place in this car, and he sure as hell doesn’t have a place in this night I have planned.”
I flattened my hand against my chest. “You’re right.” With my other hand, I squeezed the top of his fingers. “This is about us.”
“I don’t want you to be wrecked over this. I want us to have a good night—a night you deserve, baby.”
The smile wasn’t like the one I had given him earlier. It was smaller, weaker. Like a scab that was about to fall off. I wasn’t going to continue to make David the topic. I was moving on from him completely, shifting my concentration, so I added, “What do you have planned?”
“I was going to take you down to Malibu and hit up Nobu and walk the beach after dinner but …” His voice drifted off as he analyzed my face. “You know what? I have a better idea.”
“Yeah?”
He chuckled. “Tell me, Lily, are you afraid to get dirty in that dress?”
“Dirty?”
“And possibly messy.”
I shrugged. “I have no idea what you mean … but as long as I’m with you, I’m not afraid of anything.”
“The list of reasons I’m so fucking wild about you keeps adding up.”
I giggled as he flew through the green light, weaving down several streets before he pulled into an In-N-Out Burger. I thought he was just turning around until he circled the lot and got in line at the drive-through.
That was when my laugh reached a much louder volume. “Burgers? That’s your idea?”
“You hate it?”
“No.” I moved my hand from his fingers to his arm. “I’ll take casual over fancy any day.”
He grinned at me and rolled down his window, saying into the speaker, “I’ll take two Double Doubles with chilies and two Animal-Style fries.”
“Anything else?” was said through the intercom.
“Two Cokes.”
“You can pull up.”
He paid at the window, collected the bag of food and parked behind the restaurant, handing me my wrapped burger and container of fries, positioning my Coke in the cupholder.
“I’m going to tell you two reasons we’re here right now.” He popped a saucy fry into his mouth. “The first is that even though Nobu is a restaurant I can’t live without, I’ve been there before with other women. You deserve better, and I should have thought of that when I planned our night.”
I unwrapped my burger, and the slippery bun, the chunky slice of tomato, and melted cheese proved just how messy this was going to get—and I loved it. “It doesn’t offend me, Brady. I don’t have jealousy issues like that. I know you’ve gone out with a lot of women. I would think there are very few restaurants in LA where you haven’t taken someone.” I winked. “But I’ll also say this: I wore this dress because I knew you were going to take me somewhere nice. I’m just as happy—honestly, I’m even happier—in yoga pants and a T-shirt, wolfing down a Double Double and Animal-Style fries.”
He wiped his fingers on a napkin and moved them to my face. “Something else that’s so fucking hot about you.” He finished chewing. “Reason two is that I’ve never brought another woman here before.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Considering who you are and what you can afford, I’m sure they wanted the best.”
“But when I tell you why I didn’t bring them here, it will.” He fanned his fingers over my cheek, keeping them there while I took a bite of my burger, attempting to lick the corners of my mouth, but knowing my face was the mess he’d warned me about earlier. “Going all the way back to high school, when I first got my license, this was where I came when shit got hard. When things spiraled out of control. When I needed a fucking break from everything and everyone around me. I’d order from the drive-through, and I’d sit in my car, just like this, and eat and give my brain a rest.”
My eyes briefly closed, relating to that emotion. “I get that. On every level.”
“College was no different. Post-college was the same.” His hand moved to my chin. “When you showed me that package from David, I wanted to find that motherfucker. I wanted to wrap my hands around his throat. I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure that bastard never contacted you again.” His voice rose, sharpened. But I felt the wave start to fall, the crest sinking into the top of the ocean as he said, “Sometimes, pouring myself a drink isn’t enough. Neither is going to the gym, or out for a run, or hitting the bag as hard as I fucking can. I need something more.”
“And that’s when you come here, like you did tonight.”
“With you.” He wiped the corners of my mouth with his thumb and sucked off whatever was on his skin.
“You get turned on by me walking out of your hotel.” I nodded toward his hand. “But whatever you just did, that’s what does it for me.”
He laughed. “That shit was good too.”
I allowed a few moments of silence before I said, “I’m honored you took me to your place.”
He took a bite of his burger, his mouth instantly cleaned with a napkin. “You know how fucking ridiculous that sounds? My place is a goddamn fast-food restaurant.”
“Mine was a coffee shop in Atlanta. A little hole-in-the-wall that couldn’t even make a latte and never had any paper towels in the restroom, so the floor was always wet from everyone’s hands air-drying. I didn’t care, I loved it.” I took a drink of my Coke. “They had these cute little almond cookies that were bite-sized and chewy and kinda gooey—so yum—and I would order a bag of them and drink my black coffee. Nothing made me happier.” I plowed several fries into my mouth. “What I’m saying is, who cares where the place is? What matters is that you have a place.” I licked off the tiny onion that had been dangling on the burger for dear life. “And now, I know what yours is, and now, you know mine.”
His stare intensified as his hands freed from the food and moved to my body. “You think the two of us are so different. But we’re not.”
“Can I tell you something?”
He nodded.
“The list of reasons I’m so fucking wild about you keeps adding up,” I told him, using his own words.
His laughter filled the silence. “Kiss me.”
“But I have In-N-Out sauce all over me.”
He moved inches away from my face. “And you know I don’t care.”