Page 23 of Unravel You

I could confront him about what I heard or let it be for now. I opted for the latter. He didn’t need me aggravating whatever situation was brewing with Bridget.

“Okay.” I reached for his hand. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

After a few minutes, his tensed muscles relaxed, and his broody disposition faded. “I know that.”

He pulled me onto his lap. I curled up on top of him and rested my head on his shoulder, basking in his scent and the calming effect his arms had on me. No way was I going to let this Bridget thing go, but there was no harm in enjoying being like this with him.

“Everything will work itself out once we’re in Atlanta.” He kissed my shoulder.

Chapter7

Are You Kidding Me?

Derek

Nothing short of Valentina’s safety could have gotten me to leave Vail yesterday or Tucson this morning. Admittedly, the trouble we found ourselves in now was all my fault for being so lenient with Bridget. I should have sent her to jail when I had the chance.

Valentina sat in the car next to me, but she might as well be two thousand miles away. I’d hoped we would spend the flight to Atlanta in the private bedroom on the plane finishing what we started in Vail. I had Valentina’s raspy voice asking me to touch her on repeat in my head. I’d become addicted to the bursts of raw charge I felt every time I pictured her standing on the sofa.

“Are you hungry?” I reached for her hand.

As if I’d woken her from a dream, her body jerked a bit before she faced me. “No. I ate on the plane.”

“I know you didn’t. What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, her lips slightly parted. “It’s beautiful here.”

“Yeah. The humidity is insane, but the views make up for it.”

August in Atlanta meant blooming trees and green everywhere. The daily afternoon showers meant sticky and muggy nights. She nodded in agreement and offered a pleasant smile. I hated not knowing what she was thinking.

“When we get home, maybe we can take a tour, and you can see if there are any changes you’d like to make to the house.”

“That’s not necessary.” She leaned forward to peek out the window. I surveyed the side of her face for any sign that she liked Atlanta, even just a little. I wanted her to love it here as much as I did.

“It is. I want you to think of this house as a second home for us.” I kissed the inside of her wrist, her arm, and then her neck. “Maybe later we can finish what we started in Vail,” I whispered in her ear.

She sighed, leaning into me. “What did Bridget want?”

I gritted my teeth. Lately, every time someone uttered Bridget’s name, bad shit happened. She’d already messed the plans I had for the flight over. I couldn’t let her also ruin tonight for us.

“I heard you on the phone. By accident. Why were you so mad?”

“You don’t have to worry about her.” I pressed my lips to her, but she pulled away.

“First we leave Vail in a rush. Then you send me home alone. You changed your shirt.”

“I didn’t see her yesterday, if that’s what you think?” Bridget’s lies separated us once before. I wasn’t about to let that happen again. “I met with the head of security to arrange a security detail for you and Max.”

“What? Why? What happened?” Her eyes went wide as she waited for my response.

This was why I hadn’t told her about Bridget before. If she found out, she would worry sick about everything. “I promise you there’s nothing to worry about.”

“If that’s the case, why the bodyguards?”

“Extra precaution. Nothing more. Bridget has gotten into her head that she didn’t get enough money in the divorce settlement. Apparently, five million in cash wasn’t enough. She went to the house when we were in Vail and made some threats against you that got everyone nervous.”

“Don’t try to play it down now. I saw how you were. What did she say?”

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