Once everything was placed on the tray, Ryan lifted me off the island and set me on my feet with another soft kiss. “Lead the way, my heart,” he urged, picking up the tray.
In his bedroom, I grabbed the pillows off the bed and made us a comfortable place to sit in front of the bed before picking up the remote to the flat-screen mounted on the wall. Ryan set the tray on the floor then dropped down beside me, pulling me onto his lap and kissing me until I was dizzy from lack of oxygen.
When he lifted his head, we were both breathing heavily. “The soup should be cool enough now.”
I licked my kiss-swollen lips and looked down at his lap. How his hard-on hadn’t already split his pants leg open was a miracle all its own. “I’d rather eat something else.”
Groaning, he repositioned me on his legs. “Once you marry me, you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want.” He pressed his lips to my ear. “And so will I.”
26
Nova
The light filtering in through the drapes had my eyes snapping open. I didn’t even get to savor the happy glow of waking up in Ryan’s arms before reality slapped me in the face.
“Shit, shit, shit!” I was out of bed before my brain even fully comprehended where I was. All week, I’d been up and out the door before the sun was even fully up, on the go with Emmie and the rockers because most of the interviews took place at the ass-crack of dawn on talk radio. I couldn’t remember the itinerary for the day, but I knew there must have been something I was supposed to translate for Rossi that morning.
“Nova, get your ass back here,” Ryan commanded, blindly reaching for me.
“I can’t,” I called over my shoulder, dropping to my knees in front of the case Pietro had dropped off to me in the middle of the night. My phone was in there somewhere, but I hadn’t even bothered to look at it. My happiness at being with Ryan, knowing he loved me and wanted to be with me as I’d always fantasized about, was too much not to savor it and push all other thoughts from my mind.
But now, in the cold light of day, my guilt was about to choke me for not being more responsible.
Pulling on the first pieces of clothing my hands touched, I finally found the phone and whisper-screamed when I saw all the missed calls and texts from not only Garik and Laura, but Emmie and both of my parents.
“Ryan, is your phone on?” I asked, my heart racing as I skimmed through the messages on my lock screen.
“I think it’s on silent, baby.” His voice was muffled, and I glanced over my shoulder to find he’d pulled my pillow over his face to block the sunlight streaming across the bed.
“I think my dad has been trying to call you,” I informed him as I shot a quick text to both of my parents, assuring them I was alive, safe, and, indeed, with Ryan.
Two seconds later, my mom’s reply popped up.
Mom: Thank God, Nova! Now get your butt to work! Emmie thinks you’re dead. The rockers who took you out last night might very well be right now, for all I know. She was about to murder them all.
I grabbed a hair tie from my case and pulled my hair up into a ponytail before slipping on my Converse. “I have to go. I’m beyond late.”
Ryan shot upright in bed, an adorable pout forming that I wished I had time to kiss away. “You’re leaving?”
I paused with my hand on the doorknob. “I made a commitment. I have to finish it. Today’s the last day.”
His grumpy expression didn’t change, but he gave a grim nod. “Take Pietro with you. I’ll join you shortly.”
“I’ll be fine, Ryan,” I muttered with a roll of my eyes as I left the bedroom.
Just as I reached the elevator, it opened, and to my surprise, my brother stepped off. His green eyes narrowed when he saw me. Pulling off his knit hat and scarf, he started shrugging off his thick coat. “When did you get here?” he asked curiously.
“I’m not here,” I told him, stepping into the elevator. “You didn’t see me.”
“You can’t go out there like that,” he snapped, stopping the doors from closing. Grumbling under his breath, he shoved his hat, scarf, gloves, and coat into my hands. “It’s freezing out there. Do you want to catch pneumonia?”
I was too surprised by my brother seeming to care about my well-being to even say thank you. He stepped back and the doors closed, leaving me standing there clutching the warm clothing to my chest while my mouth gaped open.
Had Garret gotten a personality transplant recently?
Blinking away my stupor, I quickly pulled on the items and made a run for the doors as soon as they opened. The guards sitting by the elevators jumped to their feet as I ran past, their hands going under their suit jackets for their guns as their eyes scanned the area for any danger. I waved them off as I rushed to the front doors, ready to flag down a cab.
A familiar blacked-out SUV rolled to a stop in front of me as soon as my feet touched the sidewalk, and Pietro stepped out of the passenger side. Without a word, he opened the back door for me. Grinning at the guard, I told him where I was going and got a simple nod to confirm he’d heard me.
On the ride to that morning’s interview location, I texted Emmie to let her know I was on my way and how sorry I was for oversleeping.
Emmie: Your mom explained everything just now. I’m just glad you are okay, but next time, I need a heads-up.
Relieved that she wasn’t angry with me, I sat back and tried to relax. Stuffing my hands into the pockets of my brother’s coat, I snuggled deeper into it. The smell of his cologne lingered on it. It was a nice scent, one I remembered from when he used to live at home, and it reminded me of when he’d been at least somewhat nice to me.
My fingers came into contact with something in one of the pockets, and hesitantly, I pulled it out, curiosity and dread both twisting in my gut. Knowing my brother, it could have been just about anything.
When I opened my palm and saw it was a business card, some of the dread eased…until I saw what was printed on it.
Cherry Bomb Gentlemen’s Club
Muttering under my breath, I pulled up the contact information for Cali on my phone and shot her a quick text.
Me: Have you seen my brother recently?
Those three dots popped up moments later, but there was a long pause before her reply came through.
Cali: I might have seen him…every night for the past two weeks. He sits in my section and flirts like crazy. But
I swallowed my groan at the open “but” and waited impatiently for her to explain what she meant. Cali had let me know she was safe and had found a job once she’d gotten back to New York. She’d waitressed at a local diner near her apartment for a short time, but she’d told me that hadn’t paid the bills as she needed it to. Her roommate knew one of the bouncers at Cherry Bomb and got her the job. She wasn’t stripping at the gentlemen’s club, only serving drinks and appetizers, and the tips were triple what she’d gotten at the diner.
Cali: But he doesn’t know it’s me. I knew I had makeup skills, but I didn’t realize they were so good my second-biggest archnemesis doesn’t even recognize me.
I couldn’t help snickering at that. Garret tended to see only what he wanted to see. He’d never mentioned Cali to me after I’d confronted him about his behavior on her social media. But I knew for a fact that he’d stalked her on there religiously. If I had to guess, I would say he’d had a crush on her back then, but because she was Ramirez’s stepdaughter, he’d told himself what he felt was disdain rather than affection. He’d bullied her so often that even her followers at the time had taken notice.