I let out a long breath. “It’s stupid, but I thought maybe she and I were becoming friends.”
“It’s not stupid,” Iri replies without skipping a beat. “I told her it was a fucking shitty idea.”
“But you didn’t warn me.”
“I know,” he rushes to say. “It was just... you just seemed so excited about it and I didn’t want to fuck that up for you.”
... And if that isn’t an infuriatingly sweet reason for keeping the truth from me. Dammit, I don’t even know if I can keep being pissed at him.
I wonder if I would have had a worse day if I had known the truth.
Doubtful. Being blindsided sucks. But so does being stuck in a new city with a drunk and distracted Julia.
“Next time, I’d rather you just told me. I can’t tell you how much I hate secrets, Iri, as ironic as that might be.”
“Noted,” he rasps in my ear. “I’ll try not to fuck up again.”
Chapter 35
Sin
Back at the hotel, I head up for a long bath and slip inside our suite unnoticed. After spending half an hour in the hot water soaking my tired muscles, I’m feeling slightly better about things.
What does it matter if Jules and I won’t be bosom buddies? She’s clearly never heard of having a work-life balance, and it’s not like the two of us have anything in common beyond us both giving a shit about Orpheus Underground.
I step out of the steam-filled bathroom and am instantly greeted with the sight of Dorian waiting on my bed. He jumps to his feet, pulling me into a tight hug and I feel a little more tension melt out of me.
“I’m sorry you had a bad day. Fucking Jules,” he mutters into my wet hair. “I’ve told her before this is why she has no friends and can’t make a relationship last. She gets fucking tunnel vision and can’t separate work from everything else.”
I hug him back, enjoying the feeling of his arms around me and nuzzling my nose into his chest. He smells like a vanilla candle today and I feel like I could bury myself in his armpit and the rest of the world would fade away.
“Come up to the roof when you’re ready. We’ve ordered some food from the hotel restaurant and we can have a rooftop picnic.”
“That sounds nice.” I give him another firm squeeze and step back. “I’ve missed just vegging out with you guys since we left the cabin.”
He shoots me a soft smile, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Me too. Can’t tell you how much I’ve missed seeing your sexy ass bending over while you work on my bike, too.”
Twenty minutes later, I’m out of my usual outfit of overalls and instead am wearing a dress and boots that should stop me from freezing my ass off on the roof. I ride the elevator up there and am hit with a sense of déjà vu.
A hotel rooftop is where this all started.
I step out and the first thing that hits me is the scent of fresh herbs and honeysuckle. It’s as though I’ve stepped into a damn fairytale. There’s a full garden up here, complete with full-grown trees which are dripping with twinkly lights and lanterns.
I follow the path leading through the garden, toward the scent of food and the sound of male laughter. The guys are seated around a table that’s laden with plates of food. There’s also a little gazebo and a hot tub bubbling away a few feet from where they’re sitting, overlooking the city.
As soon as he spots me, Cal rises to his feet and strides over, meeting me partway. He has me hoisted up into his arms before I can take another step. He then presses a gentle kiss to my lips, then brushes butterfly kisses across my cheek, my jaw, and down my neck.
“I missed you today,” he murmurs.
“Me too.”
When Cal reluctantly lowers me to my feet, Dorian’s there with a smirk on his face. “You look hot as fuck.” He slaps Cal on the back, earning him a growl like he’s poking an angry bear. “Quit hogging her, big guy.”
He tries to make a grab for me, but before he can get close, Micah is spinning me around with a cheeky grin on his face.
“Too slow, man.”
Micah effortlessly carries me closer to the edge of the rooftop and the view of the city, releasing me slowly from his arms so that I slide down the length of his body. He then tips my head up and meets my lips in a kiss that’s both tender and hot as fuck, leaving me squirming in his arms. When I’m suitably breathless, he gestures to the view with a little jerk of his head, not letting go of his hold on my hips for a moment.
