Page 2 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 2

I handed her the phone. “Here, call him back right away.”

She nodded, her eyes becoming shimmery as they filled with unshed tears. “Okay, okay. Yeah. I can’t believe this. She’s so…unbreakable.” Her fingers fluttered over the phone as I slipped out of bed and entered the bathroom to get the two fluffy, white robes I spied earlier. I put one on and tied it at the waist before bringing one out to her.

I held it open as she stepped out of bed, naked as a jaybird, and slid one arm through the first sleeve, her other hand pressed to her ear, holding the phone. She switched sides and dipped her shoulders to put it on. I tied the belt around her waist.

“Daddy? It’s me. What’s going on with Mom?” she asked breathlessly.

I left the room to start some coffee right as I heard her say, “We’ll talk about Memphis later. How’s Mom?”

I gritted my teeth as I filled the machine with a small coffee pod, placed a mug under the spout, and set the machine to brewing.

Naomi entered the living space and went to the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out at the city of Las Vegas as she listened to her father’s update.

“Okay, we’ll get on the first flight out. No, I didn’t take the jet to Las Vegas. It was a pleasure trip not a work trip. And Dad, I don’t work for you. It’s inappropriate for me to take your jet for personal use.” She inhaled sharply. “Yes, I am officially engaged. No, it’s not to Malik…Jesus, dad. When are you going to let that go? It’s been over for a long time.”

Who the hell was Malik?

My competition for her affections? Perhaps. But she wouldn’t have agreed to marry me if she was still hung up on some other guy. And she most certainly couldn’t have given me all that she did between the sheets last night if there was another fella in the back of her mind. I recalled her mentioning the guy named Jamal that had cut her loose right before she came to Las Vegas, which is who I thought was on the phone when her father called, but not someone named Malik.

Why was that man more important than Jamal, if that was the last guy she’d been seeing romantically ?

Too many questions with no answers.

I sighed deeply as I added some cream and sugar to the coffee, not knowing how she liked it yet, but most people were okay with those options. Gently I approached and tapped on her shoulder. Her obsidian eyes softened when she looked at me and then down at the cup I held aloft.

She mouthed “Thank you” as I passed her the mug.

“I know I didn’t tell you I was in a relationship because it’s my business, not yours. Dad…” Her voice rose like thunder. “DAD! We’re not talking about this right now. Go be with Mom. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Yes, thank you for calling. Of course, I’m bringing Memphis.” She groaned. “Yes, we’ll take the helicopter when we reach JFK instead of a car. Yes, soon. Bye.” She ended the call, and her shoulders slumped. She didn’t even say, “I love you”, which said a great deal about the relationship she had with her father.

Within mere seconds I was behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder. “How’s your mom?”

“Alive. Being kept for observation,” she croaked.

I reached for her mug and set it on a nearby table, then gathered her in my arms. She planted her face to my chest, andher shoulders shook as she cried. “I can’t believe my mom had a heart attack,” she sobbed.

“But she’s okay. You said so yourself. She’s being held for observation. That’s a good thing. Did they have to do surgery or anything?” I rubbed her back in soothing strokes.

She shook her head. “No, they’re doing more tests. They don’t really know why it happened, but my guess is that it has something to do with the fact that she’s a lifetime closet smoker and openly drinks her weight in cocktails daily.”

I sucked a whistling breath through my teeth. “That’ll do it.”

“But she also works out every single day. Always has. Also eats really clean. Way better than me. She’s the one that taught me to keep myself in good shape.” Her breathing started to even out as she leaned back and wiped away her tears.

She was so beautiful when she cried. A living, weeping angel.

“None of that matters if you’re backing it up with booze and cigarettes, right? Everything catches up to us at some point. Add stress alongside all those things, and sometimes the heart just can’t keep up with it all.”

“True,” Naomi nodded and took a deep breath. “Are you okay with going to the Hamptons with me? I know we just got together and deserve some time to figure things out but…”

I cupped her face with both hands. “Naomi, there is no place I’d rather be in this world than by your side, especially when you’re hurting. I’m going to be your husband. Iamyour man. And after last night, woman, you couldn’t get rid of me if you tried. You’re stuck with me, baby. Now go get in the shower and pull yourself together. I’ll start looking at flights and join you in a minute. You said JFK airport, right?”

She nodded and smiled sweetly, rose on her toes and pressed her forehead to mine. “What did I ever do to deserve a man like you?”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing when I woke up and found the most beautiful woman in the world cuddled up to my side this morning, sleeping soundly.” I dipped my head and kissed her softly.

She hummed and flicked her tongue against my bottom lip then bit down on the bit of flesh before she pulled away, her eyes glittering with mischief.

“Don’t think I didn’t see what you did there. You bite my lip and my dick answers. Good mornin’, Naomi.” I rolled my hips against her in a tease. “How you doin’ gorgeous?” I ground against her playfully, and made kissy noises against her neck sloppily, until she was a squealing, giggling mess of laughter.

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