Page 15 of Waiting on You

Then, he leans in and presses a soft kiss on my forehead, and those damn butterflies make another appearance.

“Good night,” he murmurs. “Sweet dreams.”

With his words lingering, I step onto the elevator and press my floor number while wondering how the hell I’m going to get any sleep after that damn kiss that still has my body vibrating.

When I get to my room, I spot the large Jacuzzi tub I forgot about, and an idea forms. Nothing helps a woman fall asleep quicker than an orgasm. Nate might be physically off-limits for my own well-being, but that doesn’t mean I can’t think about him.

And, holy shit, do I think about him…twice.

chapter six

NATE

“Why didNolan tell me you skipped out on all your meetings yesterday and you’re planning to do the same today?”

I curse my assistant, who’s supposed to have my back and not spill shit to my dad, while I try to think of a valid excuse as to why I flew all the way to London to attend meetings about the hotel expansion, only to bail on them all.

When I can’t come up with a believable excuse, I go with the truth. “I met a woman.”

Stunned by my response, he doesn’t say anything for several moments. And when he finally speaks, he’s no longer in CEO mode, but instead talking to me as my father.

“What’s her name?”

“Paige Abrams. She tripped over some cobblestone, and I saved her from getting run over in the valet line.”

Dad chuckles. “Well, that saved the company a lot of insurance paperwork.”

“She’s only here until Monday.”

I know that from seeing her reservation and looking up the wedding that’s being held here. Friday is the rehearsal and dinner, Saturday is the wedding, and she’s checking out on Monday morning, which leaves me today and Sunday to convince her to give me her number. I already tried to get it from the hotel, but the number on file is local, so it’s probably her ex’s.

“Okay,” Dad concedes. “Go have your fun, but make sure you’re still handling things.”

“Of course,” I say because business has always come first.

I’ve been working for Bradford Hotels since I was old enough to have a job, and before that, I spent every chance I could learning from my dad because when he’s ready to retire, I’ll be the one to step into his shoes. And from what he’s told me, it’ll be sooner rather than later—by the end of this year if Mom has it her way.

My brothers, Dustin and Carmine, also work for our family’s company. Dustin is the head of accounting. He’s always been a whiz with numbers, so it suits him. He loves his position as CFO and has no desire to change it. Carmine is the head of marketing and does a damn good job. I’d bet he and Paige would get along. When she spoke about working for Kingston Liquor, I could see the same kind of passion in her eyes that Carmine gets when he’s discussing his latest marketing idea.

Our father never pushed anything on us, but we’re a close-knit family, and working for Bradford Hotelswas always what we wanted to do.

Dad and I hang up, and I shoot Nolan a text, letting him know I’m aware that he ratted me out to my dad. Then, I scan the room in search of Paige, hoping she isn’t going to stand me up, when I spot her staring down at her phone with a frown marring her beautiful face.

She shakes her head and sighs and then pockets it. Her eyes meet mine, and she smiles, but because I’ve seen what her genuine smile looks like, I know this one is forced.

“Everything okay?” I ask once I’m standing in front of her.

“Yeah,” she chokes out.

“Let’s try that again.” I palm her cheek. “What’s wrong?”

She releases a harsh breath, and her eyes ascend as she tries not to let her tears fall.

“Hey,” I murmur, pulling her to the side so we’re not standing in the middle of the lobby. “Talk to me.”

“Apparently, my friends have chosen sides, and it’s not mine.” She shrugs like it doesn’t bother her, but we both know otherwise. “It was bad enough John cheated on me with my friend, but now, the couple who’s getting married, who were my friends first, have welcomed them to attend the wedding together.”

“Ouch. That doesn’t sound like any of these people are your friends.”

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