My heartrate climbs higher and higher, every breath harder to pull down, a panic attack well underway.
“Calm down, breathe,” I chant, inhaling through my nose, then out through my mouth. “Everything will be okay.”
The bedroom door opens and closes, the scent of Carter’s cologne breaching the warm space. I’m still walking in circles,talking myself out of a panic attack. I don’t trust my mind right now. If I stop moving, I might crumble.
“Hailey, stop.” Carter grips my wrist, pulling me into his chest. His other hand tangles in my hair.
“I’m okay. Don’t worry about me. I’m overwhelmed, but I’m dealing with it. I just—”
“Don’t analyze. We don’t have enough information yet. You need to stop thinking or you’ll drive yourself crazy before Charles gets here.”
“I’m trying,” I mutter, molding myself further into him. “He’ll explain, won’t he? It’ll make sense. I’ll be fine. I just need to keep my head occupied until then.”
Carter inches away, enough so he can cup my face, his thumbs swiping the remnants of tears from my cheeks. “I hope you realize how strong you are. How resilient. You have so much fight in you.” He kisses my forehead, keeping his lips there as he speaks. “I’m so fucking proud of you.”
I wrap my hands around his neck and rise on my toes, sealing his lips with mine. Nothing clears my head better than Carter. Whenever he commands my body, he commands my mind, and right now, in all this chaos, his dominating, imposing ways are the only thing that will help me switch off.
Our tongues mingle, my breathing rolling from one end of the spectrum to another. Instead of nearly hyperventilating, I’m close to breathless, the conflicting emotions inside me morphing into pure, adrenaline-driven lust.
“I know Ryder’s pulling up more evidence,” I whisper in his mouth, biting his lower lip, “and you want to see it, but—”
“It’ll wait,” he cuts in, filling his big hands with my thighs to haul me into his arms. “You need me, don’t you?”
I nod, weaving my hands through his hair as he drops me on the bed, covering my body with his. “Make me forget the world.”
He grabs a remote control from the nightstand, aiming it behind him. Thick, blackout curtains slide along the glass wall overlooking the gallery and the lower level of the loft.
“Before you start wonderingwhyI have them,” he says, helping me out of my hoodie. “I usually don’t go to sleep until the early morning hours.”
“I don’t care why you’ve got them. I just wish they were soundproof.”
“So do I... but they’re not, so you’ll have to be quiet.”
40
CARTER
“He’s here,” Broadway says, watching the street through the window. “Want me to go get him?”
“I think he’ll manage without assistance.” My eyes swing upstairs where Hailey’s been sleeping for four hours.
I wrung so many orgasms out of her she couldn’t lift her head off the pillow and she fell asleep before I got dressed.
It’s good she didn’t come down with me to carry on looking through the evidence... it’d probably fucking kill her.
Alex wasn’t the only familiar face among the three hundred and fifty pictures. I’ve been stewing for hours, imagining all the ways I’ll torture Vaughn for endangering Hailey’s life. For the lies he told and the strings he pulled behind the scenes.
Two minutes pass before a shy knock echoes through the loft. Koby flings the door open, letting Vaughn inside. He looks worse than he did atDelta: ashen skin, bloodshot eyes, slumped shoulders... little confidence left in his veins.
“Where’s Hailey?” he asks, stumbling inside. “Does she—”
“She knows,” I cut him off, pointing out a chair. “Sit.”
With visible reluctance, he does. “Where is she? Don’t you think she should hear this from me?”
I scoff, twirling the crystal glass on the armrest. “You thought I’d let you dump this onme? No fucking way am I cleaning up your mess, but before I wake her, I want to know one thing.”
I tell Ryder to bring the laptop, find the picture that’s been stripping me of my sanity for four hours and turn the screen Vaughn’s way. Leaning out of my seat, I rest both elbows on my knees, stewing beneath the artificial calm façade.
