Page 50 of The Price of Forever

Or scenario three: She’d been trying to tease me at my apartment all along and took her chance to take it further after someone cancelled their reservation…because she felt the same flutters of something inconvenient darting through her chest that I did.

I didn’t know which one was the most likely. My head spun by the time the door opened and the two guys wandered off. Her shift was over. I wasn’t convinced that meant I’d get any clarity, though. I didn’t know what awaited us back at the apartment. Crippling awkwardness seemed likely.

“Hey,” she said, glancing at me quickly before scanning the room as if she was looking for someone. “I’m gonna head to Roxie’s after work.”

“Excuse me?”

“I need a girls night.” She crossed her arms, sending me an annoyed look. “Can’t a girl spend some time with her friend once in a while? I’ll take a taxi to your apartment afterward. Can you allow that, My Overseer?”

“No. Girls night is fine, but you’re not taking a taxi from here, or from anywhere else. Fairchild vehicle only.”

She heaved a sigh, but she didn’t protest.

“And you sleep at my apartment, too. Not at Roxie’s. Or else I’ll show up myself and make it coed night.”

She didn’t meet my gaze, just looked out at the club and shook her head. “Fine. Whatever you say, boss.”

“The car will be waiting for you and Roxie when you’re done changing,” I told her.

She huffed but nodded. I figured she disliked the plan because it would involve her needing to share more details about her situation with Roxie—like why she had access to a private car—but I didn’t care. Her safety was priority. Nothing else. Least of all my dick. I opened my mouth to say more, to acknowledge the heart-stoppingly hot session we’d shared in the VIP room, but nothing came out. What else could I possibly say? We’d both been there. And now we weren’t. It had to have been a one-off.

“I’m gonna change,” she finally said, averting her gaze. She glided toward the other end of the club, beelining for the staff area.

I drew a deep breath, pulling my phone out of my pocket. I’d get the Fairchild drivers caught up on the plan for tonight. I recognized her sudden girls night for what it was.

An opportunity for a reset.

I needed to remember what life was like without Jordan breathing down my neck every day. What life alone felt like.

I knew better than to get comfortable, to get lured by false promises of happiness or whatever the fuck it was I felt when my heart got tight and the butterflies showed up.

I’d survived the infamous twins heartbreak and tragedy once. I didn’t need to welcome them to my doorstep again.

And wherever the fuck Jordan had tried to take me tonight would only lead to those two unwelcome visitors showing up in my life once more.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

JORDAN

I sat perched on my bed the next morning like a statue, afraid to breathe.

Was Seven outside? Could I run to the bathroom without seeing him? Would I have to confront him in full mortification and morning breath?

It was eerily silent, but every so often I thought I heard a strange whuff noise. My bladder was bursting. I listened harder, unsure of anything outside the door. All I could hear was the beat of my own heart, reminding me of last night: What. The. Hell. What. The. Hell.

Fuck it. I couldn’t wait. I slipped out of bed, opened the door as quietly as I could, and darted like a mouse through the apartment. I spotted Seven in the living room, mid-pushup. So that was the whuffing: the sound of his impeccable fitness. I rounded the corner silently.

Like a ghost.

I exhaled with relief as I shut the bathroom door behind me. After what was arguably the best pee of my life, I opted for the full morning routine. Why not? I wanted to avoid Seven for as long as possible, so it seemed only natural to hog the bathroom for an hour or so.

My head throbbed distantly, but I wasn’t sure if it was due to my residual mortification or the fact that I was tipping back tequila last night at Roxie’s like it was my job. I suspected it was a combination of both.

In the light of day, surrounded by clean, white tiles and my skincare routine, I could not figure out what the fuck I’d been angling for last night.

The girl that invited Seven into the VIP room felt like a stranger to me now. Awash with regret and queasiness, I struggled to figure out the new equilibrium. The one that would let me conduct myself with confidence around Seven. The new normal that allowed me to speak to him without thinking about the intensity I’d discovered on his lips, in his fingertips, pouring out of his body.

A shiver raced through me. As I waited for the shower to warm up, I let my head fall into my hands.

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