Page 21 of We Own Each Other

“Sorry about that, doc. You may want to get a new badge made because it wasn’t being picked up at all. I had to manually enter it instead.”

I gave a half-hearted response that didn’t even register in my mind. As soon as the gate was open enough to let my car through, I peeled out. The security guard was yelling something, but I couldn’t make it out. His voice was lost in the rush of cold air whipping through my still-open window.

I turned right, then turned left down an unfamiliar stretch of road.

I drove and drove, but I saw no sign of that junky yellow car.

I felt compelled to keep driving, but then I’d be leaving the city limits, and even with my headlights, it was pitch-black. So, instead, I pulled off onto the shoulder and pulled his paperwork out of my back pocket.

Flipping on the car’s internal lights, I checked the identifying information. His last known address did appear to be outside of the city limits, but he wouldn’t have been the first intake that had fudged some of his information. Plus, I was interested, but not interested enough to just show up at his house unannounced.

I wasn’t giving up.

Not yet.

But I had to be careful. This stranger wasn’t worth risking my career, reputation, or safety over. I knew he still frequented the general area, and that was good enough for the time being.

I had something more important to think about anyway.

Luke’s face flickered in my mind, completely blotting out every thought of the pink-haired man.

Smiling to myself, I turned out the lights, folded up the paperwork, and stuffed it into my glove compartment, then turned my steering wheel and squealed back onto the road toward the city. It was just a few more hours. I’d sleep tonight, and I’d be that much closer.

I’d be that much closer to my date with the man I had been waiting for all this time — my other half.

Part Five

Luke

CHAPTER SEVEN

AS MY DEAR friend Everett had said, there were things I needed to get done, and quickly, if I was going to be worthy of my sweet Corin. Admittedly, it had been a while since I had a job, and my prior prospects weren’t all that conducive to my future ones. I didn’t think any employer of any repute would look too fondly on my prior role as a live-in Sub with minimal secretarial duties.

And it wasn’t like Rutherford Griff would give me any sort of reference.

Hunting for a job would be more comfortable in my own apartment, but without a job, getting one was nearly impossible.

So, there I was, huddled up at the minuscule desk of my hotel room, furiously scribbling out the names of various restaurants and bars on the hotel-branded notepad as I called them to verify if they were hiring or not.

I was on the tenth one, thanking them for their time, when my phone buzzed.

Checking the screen sent my heart fluttering right out of my chest.

There was Corin’s name, emblazoned across the notification, where his adorably succinct message was waiting for me:

I’m here.

Poetry. Pure poetry.

Giving my phone screen a loving kiss, I hopped up out of my seat and whisked myself out the door.

The elevator ride down had me fidgeting around like a little kid, and as soon as it started opening, I was squeezing through. All of my rushing paid off, as I was greeted by my sweet Corin waiting for me by the front desk.

He hadn’t noticed me yet. Instead, all of his attention was on a potted plant. It had some browning along the tips of the leaves, and Corin was frowning down at them. His hair wasn’t all that different from the night we had first met, though it appeared he had made some effort to swipe his bangs back so the pale expanse of his forehead was exposed.

His outfit, though, was quite imposing.

A black turtleneck on top with nice, tailored black pants on the bottom, all tied together with a heavy black bridge coat that was left wide open. Punctuated with a pair of chunky boots, he looked a bit like a punky werewolf or vampire from a romance novel. He was just begging to be left alone, but there was a vibe about him that you couldn’t help but be drawn to.