“Right, of course,” I say.
We finish our goodbyes, and Rose comes back to escort me out. As she leads me to the elevators, I fumble with my phone, sending a text to Julian and Keaton.
Done,I say as I get on.
The doors close, and I feel a crushing weight land on my chest.
Holy fuck.
I can’t breathe. The combination of the looks they gave me, the way they sized me up and down, and the lies they told along with being in this fucking death box is making me feel lightheaded. I hold onto the railing to brace myself, but it feels like I can’t get any oxygen in. Finally, the doors open, albeit painfully slowly, and I rush out, gulping for air as I make it to the garage.
I dart out like a bat out of hell, unbutton my blazer, and try to calm myself down, but I can’t seem to get anything under control. A fuzzy feeling makes all my extremities tingle as I round the corner and run into what feels like a brick wall.
“Hey, hey,” I hear his voice say, and at first, I feel like my mind is playing tricks on me. Brooks holds me back, looking me up and down. “Are you okay?”
I stare up at him, confused, but I feel my breathing instantly slow down.
“Brooks?” I ask, confused. “How are you…how are you here?”
He shrugs.
“I decided I don’t give a shit about pleasing him,” he says matter-of-factly. “Not today. I’ve always been the disappointment. What else is new?” He forces a sad smile. I clutch onto his wrist as he holds me steady.
“I…I got the job,” I say, but I can feel my lip quivering.
He pulls me into him, squeezing me and kissing the top of my head.
“You’re amazing, Wren. So amazing,” he says, and I clutch onto him.
He leads me to his car, and we slide in the back. Eddie speeds out of the garage.
“I thought your brothers were going to be here?” I ask him.
“I told them I had this one. They weren’t too pleased about me risking blowing my cover. But today, I really just don’t care.”
I stare up at him, and he leans over to me. He reaches a hand out and lifts the strap of my tank top up. I hadn’t even noticed that it was sliding down my shoulder underneath my blazer.
“You look devastating in this outfit,” he whispers before leaning over and kissing my jawline. I feel another weight lift off me as I lean my head back and close my eyes. His hand never leaves mine.
The whole ride, I realize I hadn’t even asked where we were going. But when we pull up to a massive apartment building, I realize he’s brought me back to his place. Similar to Julian’s, we go in through a separate garage, a separate gate, and a separate penthouse elevator. When the doors open, I take it all in.
I follow him into the huge apartment, taking it all in. The modern architecture, the grand floating staircase, the massive flatscreen that’s bigger than my entire apartment.
But my brain is processing too much, and I feel like I can’t compute anything else. Without waiting to be invited, I plop down on the huge couch that basically swallows me whole. A moment later, he walks in with a glass of wine, putting it on the table in front of me.
Then, he gently lifts me up, sits down beneath me, and settles my head onto his lap.
I look up at him, and he gently starts to stroke my face. It feels so nice that I feel my eyes close.
“You did so good today, baby,” I hear him whisper. My body tingles. There is something about him praising me that makes me want to do more of whatever it is. His hand slides up to stroke my hair, and I let myself melt into him.
“They looked at me like I was a prize animal at the fair,” I mutter below my breath, and I feel my bottom lip start to quiveragain. Sitting still for a few moments has let everything settle, including everything I was feeling in that room that had nowhere to go.
“Baby, I’m so sorry,” he whispers.
I don’t say anything. I just roll my lips together in an attempt not to cry in front of him. But it’s no use. Right here in this room, his skin on mine, I feel my body giving itself permission to release everything it’s been holding in.
“Wren,” he whispers, then I feel him reach down and pull me up toward him. He’s fully cradling me now, squeezing me tight to his chest. The tears roll out of my eyes involuntarily, and I don’t fight them. A few moments pass, and I jump when I hear a buzz at the door.
