Page 132 of Lamb

I opened my eyes, the tall white ceiling with ornate crown molding staring back down at me. A large, modern chandelier hung above the canopy, a fan turning softly above.

“Babe,” I groaned, turning over to wrap my body around hers, looking for her post-sex scent and cool skin.

I found nothing.

I pried my eyes apart to stare at the vacant spot next to me, sheets tossed aside, not even an imprint of her body left behind.

I lunged forward, throwing myself up as my hands spread over the bed, feeling not even a trace of body heat left beside me.

Something sank in my chest. I felt cold.

I shoved the sheets aside, grabbed my discarded pair of dusty jeans, and dragged them on before storming into the suite. I checked every room, cupboard, and closet, and found no trace of her.

No clothes. No note. Not even a strand of hair.

“No.”

I couldn’t let her leave. Couldn’t let her escape. She belonged to me.

I buried my fist into the wall, the elevator springing open as I stormed into the small metal box.

Time moved slowly as every second descending the floors drained away as I waited for the final floor to open. Fortunately, the private elevator only stopped at the bottom floor and penthouse, so this was a one-way out for her.

I’d scour every inch of the lobby. I’d make every concierge search through every second of security footage. I’d have every guard blocking every door, exit, and window. If she was still in this hotel, I would find her. I would—

The doors pinged open.

Cloudy green eyes widened in surprise.

Ash stood with a small arm of boutique bags and two coffees in a tray in her other hand. Her eyebrows were raised in surprise as the door opened, hand hanging in the air as she juggled her haul.

“Oh!” Ash gasped, a smile lighting her face. “Thank God, I do not know how to open this thing from this side.” She pushed her thick glasses up her nose with a weighted arm before her gaze moved lower and her surprised brows buried into her hairline. “And your shirtless … in the lobby … in public.”

I stared, the raging inferno in my head still swirling with momentum. My body, on the other hand, lost all ability to move. I just stood there, staring at her innocent face, as my muscles turned to stone and my bones into iron.

“What is wrong?” Ash’s surprise melted into a frown as her eyes needled into my expression. Over time, she’d grown sharper, and our time together had provided her a unique peephole into my mind.

“I thought you’d left.”

It took a heartbeat for the realization to dawn on her face. The undercurrent of my words swept over her, her expression falling with heavy, languid emotion. Her beautiful, warred eyes jumped back and forth between mine, desperately searching for something in my expression. I had no idea what it could tell her, what it reflected of the tumultuous storm inside.

“I—” Ash’s mouth floundered.

A gasp jerked us from the pregnant atmosphere as a gaggle of women paused in the lobby, eyes nearly falling out of their heads as they stared straight past Ash and into the elevator where I stood. I didn’t even have shoes on. My jeans only covered what was important, and my bare feet bore the cold tile floor.

“Fuck,” Ash hissed, catching wind of the quickly thawing group of women behind us.

She pushed forward into the cabin, her free hand pressed against my chest as she backed me up with persistent force until my spine crushed into the mirrored wall.

Ash spun away from me, her hand still fixed on my solar plexus as she watched the doors quickly close just as the women made a mad dash toward us. No music played in the private elevator, and only the soft whir of working machinery filled the box.

I reached forward, letting my arms slip around Ash’s waist and tug her ass against my crotch.

“Careful!” Ash hissed, holding the coffee far out to one side. “You could burn yourself.”

I didn’t care. I buried my face into the nape of her neck, her long, brown hair draping over my skin as the soft scent of body wash mixed with her natural scent filled my nose. I pressed my nose into her supple skin, tracing the muscles with my lips. My fingers slipped beneath the hem of her shirt, her cool skin jerking at my touch. My palms flexed around her waist, enjoyingthe extra weight filling my hands. It wasn’t much, but she had slowly started to put on mass, and I loved it.

It didn’t take long for my teeth to ache as I peppered kisses across the small strip of skin exposed by the plain black shirt. I tugged at the hem, giving myself more access as I sucked, and nipped, and kissed my way across her collarbone, up her neck, and across her jaw. Her flustered breaths rustled my hair as I saw that tantalizing peach blush cresting her cheeks.

---