After that,everything was a rush. The only flight they had gave me a short three hours to get to the airport, and their house was an hour and a half away from it. Otherwise I’d have to wait another week or charter a privateplane.
While I ran around collecting my clothes from the laundry and getting my backpack together, Griffin and Chandler went to the SUV and got the rest of my things out ofit.
It took me all of two minutes to pack my bag, so I twiddled my thumbs in the kitchen. Ellion walked in and stared at me. I staredback.
“What?” I asked with no sass in myvoice.
He walked over to me and held out his hand. I placed my hand in his and allowed him to pull me to myfeet.
My cheeks flamed when he put one hand on either side of my neck. He pulled gently, and I fell into his body. His lips whispered acrossmine.
“I’ll see you again,” he breathed against my cheek. “Ipromise.”
His kisses were butterfly wings on my skin. I closed my eyes and let the sensation soak in. My skin heated, and my abdomenignited.
“I want that. I want… you,” Isaid.
His light touch at my neck became a grip. His fingers threaded into my hair, and his kiss turned urgent and full ofneed
Chandler cleared his throat from the doorway, cutting off our goodbye. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we don’t have much time.” His eyes were sad. He didn’t want me to goeither.
“Why are we all acting like this?” I asked. “We don’t know each other. We’re behaving like lovesick teenagers.” I grabbed my backpack and brushed past both of them only to be jerked back byChandler.
“I want to say goodbye.” His husky voice sapped any fight Ihad.
I wanted hisgoodbyes.
“I’ve not left yet,” Iwhispered.
He didn’t give me the chance to say anything more before his lips crashed intomine.
The kiss was unwanted, I was repulsed by Chandler with his swimmer’s body and his eyes that saw into the depths of my soul. I didn’t want his soft, flirtatious lips onmine.
Yeah, right. I kissed him back like a soldier coming home fromwar.
“We have to stop,” I mumbled against his lips. “I have togo.”
He pulled back and looked into my eyes. “Don’t let this be goodbye,” hesaid.
My heart had begun to break when I said goodbye to Ellion. It splintered more with Chandler’s words. “I shouldn’t be sad,” I whispered. I closed my eyes and pulledaway.
Griffin waited for me in the garage. “You ready?” he asked. “Have you beencrying?”
I nodded. “I’mfine.”
“Why are you crying?” He took my backpack and put it into a luxury SUV I’d eyeballed many times but never could afford on a nurse’ssalary.
I slid into the warmed leather seats and sighed. By the time he walked around to the driver’s seat, I had a smile on my face. “Let’s go,” Ichirped.
He blinked twice but didn’t ask about my change of mood. I was determined to be happy and not sad to leave three men I had no connection to other than a spontaneous, impulsive one-nightstand.
“Thank you for taking care of returning the SUV to the rental company,” I said. “I really appreciateit.”
“No problem,” he said, attention on the road. Even though he’d had someone plow, and the county had plowed the main roads, there was still a good layer of snow and ice. He drove carefully, without conversation. The ride was long, boring, and tense. By the time he pulled into the tiny airport’s parking lot, I was shaking my leg like it was about to fly me out of Alaska on itsown.
I expected him to dump my bags and me at the front door and take off, but he parked and carried most of my things for me. We headed to check in, stillsilent.
All through the initial check in, dropping off my bags, and the walk to the security entrance, he didn’t say a word. Once I turned to say goodbye at security, he set my carry-on down, closed his eyes, and sighed. As I opened my mouth to tell him he didn’t have to be here, he yanked me into ahug.
