Page 6 of One More Kiss

CHAPTER FOUR

delilah

Gulping back a sob, I half ran through the lobby. I couldn’t focus on the fact that my secret lover used to fuck my new stepmother.

Gross. So, so gross.

That was a vomit-inducing thought for later. For the moment, my mind was trapped on the bigger, more life-changing discovery I’d made. The real reason Nash was keeping our relationship secret, why he didn’t want to marry me, despite how pleased it would have made our grandfathers.

I needed to know what else was in Howard Royal’s will.

“Delilah?”

Ducking my head, I ignored Winston calling out to me. I couldn’t face him, not now. There was only one person I wanted to see, one person who could give me the answers I needed.

Outside, I pulled out my phone and called Sam.

“Bunny!” His happy, exclaimed greeting made the sting of tears worse. “How are you feeling? Please tell me you’ve been resting. Stef insisted, and you know how he doesn’t insist on anything.”

“Sam,” I choked back a sob. “I need you.”

“Where are you?” All the sweetness was gone from his voice.

“On my way to you. There’s something I need to talk to you about. I need a favor.”

“Anything. You know that, sweetheart. Whatever is going on, I’m always here for you.” His heartfelt vow was too much, breaking the dam holding back my tears.

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” I whispered, hanging up before he could hear the meltdown I couldn’t stop as I slid into the back of a taxi.

The ride was short, but the driver kept sending me concerned glances in the rearview mirror. As soon as he stopped outside the large building, I scanned my phone to pay for the ride and rushed inside.

Sam was already waiting by the elevators when I entered. Even though it was a Saturday morning, a steady number of people were coming and going through the security checkpoint, but he opened the gate and waved me through. As soon as I was close enough, he wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug.

Sniffling, I pressed my face into his Brunello Cucinelli suit, his cologne a familiar, comforting scent that pulled an emotional hiccup from me. Patting the back of my head, he murmured soothingly as he guided me toward the bank of elevators.

We stayed silent on the ride up to his office, but he held my hand, occasionally squeezing my fingers to remind me he was there. The conversation I’d overheard kept replaying in my mind, causing my head to throb.

“Mr. Vincent, would you like me to bring you and your guest coffee?” I vaguely heard his assistant ask as we walked past her desk.

“No. Make sure we aren’t disturbed. Not even by my father,” he instructed without sparing her a glance.

Eyes swollen, I stumbled to the leather sofa and dropped down, while he walked to his small bar and extracted a bottle of water from the mini fridge.

“You are scaring the fuck out of me, bunny.”

Fingers shaking, I took a sip of the water, grimacing as the cold fluid hit my empty stomach. “You didn’t handle my grandfather’s will.”

Surprise flickered in his brown eyes. Sam was a beautiful man, with his dark-brown hair styled back from his face, his sculpted features, and the thickest lashes I’d ever seen on anyone. It should be illegal for anyone to be as good-looking as he was. He was eight years older than me, and his brilliant legal mind was a sight to behold when he was working and was the reason he was already a partner in his firm.

He and Stef were in a happy, committed relationship, something only a few people were privy to. His family was old-school traditional, and even though he’d come out to them, they refused to acknowledge his relationship.

“Can you access the files?” I asked, fighting another wave of nausea.

He sat down beside me, cupping my sweaty face in his hands. For a long moment, he just watched me. Sam was aware I didn’t know the details of the will, that, per my grandfather’s request, I wasn’t allowed to be present for the reading of. He’d argued the matter with his father and my own at the time, but in the end, he’d dropped it because I simply hadn’t been interested enough.

Stupid, naive little girl.

“Ethically, I shouldn’t. But if something has upset you this badly, I will.” Pressing a kiss to my forehead, he stood and walked to his desk. While he clicked away on his computer, I sipped my water. Hope tried to flicker in my chest, but I squashed it before it could fully come to life.

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