And there she was. In the midst of my shit. Remorse pumped through my veins as I stared at the image of Royce.
Head high.
Chest out.
Spine straightened.
A fucking force to be reckoned with.
I leaned my head leftward until my neck popped. My eyelids found each other, consuming me with darkness. I inhaled deeply.
And there she was. In the midst of my madness. Joy exuded from her frame as she stared at the images of us.
Lips pulled backward.
Teeth on full display.
Shoulders curled inward.
Chest caved.
Admiration and disbelief tiptoeing around the business persona she had coated her desires in from the moment she stepped intoThe M.
The black socks on my feet caught the dust the robotic cleaning tool that was a gift from my realtor after closing hadn’t. I scanned my contacts, settling on the one I yearned to connect with most. If it wasn’t Royce’s voice on the line, I didn’t care to hear anybody’s.
I didn’t only need her to handle this.
I needed her to handle me.
My head was in an uproar.
So was my heart.
The first ring sounded off like explosives in my ear. The second ring caused a tightening in my chest. The third ring forced me to halt in the middle of my condo. The fourth disabled me.
“The caller you–”
I ended the call and retried the line.
Five rings.
“The call–”
I couldn’t remember a moment in life I’d tried anyone a second time. Neither did I remember a time when my call went unanswered. There wasn’t anyone in my life who didn’t value my existence and vice versa. The missed call from my mother was the first in history and it would be the last.
Another text vibrated my cell. I dismissed it, regretting the decision almost instantly. It wasn’t Sarah or Matte or Cameron or anyone from my team.
It was her.
I opened the nearly empty thread and fixed my eyes on her message.
You’re late to the party, Mr. Grayson.
I didn’t respond. Instead, I exited and pressed her contact from the call log. This time, a regular call wouldn’t suffice.
“Hello, Ishmael.”
Her body was dripping with sweat. Her dark, perfectly even skin shined from the moisture. And those fucking lips. I’d imagined them wrapped around my dick too many times for them to still be unbruised and on her pretty face. Untouched.
