Page 76 of (Un)Expected

I expected to see anger radiating off him. Instead, Nate just smirked.

“Not if I ruin you first.”

THIRTY-THREE

This drive was taking too fucking long.

I stared out the cab window, willing my leg to stop shaking. The closer I got to the hotel, the more my nerves were shot. The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror, a look of concern crossing his face. I probably looked insane, but I didn’t fucking care.

I woke up this morning with a bad feeling. I thought it was the residual guilt from not telling Adam about what happened between Alex and me, but it lasted all day. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t shake the lingering dread away.

All it took was one text from Adam, and I was on the next train out of Saint Stephen’s Lake. Alex had hidden herself in the bathroom at his event, and he wasn’t getting an answer from her. That alone was enough to set off alarm bells in my mind. Once Alex turned off her phone, ignoring calls from me and Calla, I knew it was more than nerves.

It took seven hours to get to New York—seven hours of imagining every worst-case scenario, wondering what the hell had made her go silent. Adam sent updates throughout the night, trying to calm me down. He was rattled too. The moment his speech was over, Alexasked to leave the event. When she returned to the hotel, she locked herself in her room, barely sparing two words to say goodnight.

When Adam called originally, I considered staying behind, knowing that between him and the security staff, they’d have any issues handled. I’d be overstepping by interfering with her weekend with Adam, but if Alex was hurting, I didn’t give a single fuck what lines I had to cross.

I needed to know for myself that she was okay.

When the cab driver reached the hotel, I tapped my card, hopping out as quickly as possible. Luckily for me, I only had my old pack, with random clothes shoved inside. Pacing in front of the elevator bay, I texted Adam, letting him know I was there.

He texted back their room number almost immediately, and for a moment, my jealous side reared its ugly head, hating that they shared the same space. It was my fault; I should have had the balls to say something to Adam when I first caught feelings for Alex. Well, the fucking cat was out of the bag now, and I didn’t give a single fuck who knew. I wanted to tell the world that Alex was mine, and I was hers. One night together, and my mind was fucked, already addicted to every inch of her. We needed to talk to figure out exactly what was happening between us, but now was not the time.

Right now, I needed to see my girl with my own two eyes.

When the doors opened, I trudged down the hall, grateful Adam was waiting by the suite. I gave him a stiff nod, waiting for him to question me, but all he did was nod his head. “She’s in the room on the left.”

I dropped my pack on the side of the entryway and walked over to her room, tapping my knuckles on the doors, waiting to hear her voice on the other side. Nothing came. “Alex?” I called, hoping that maybe she’d fallen asleep.

Dread filled my stomach when her quiet voice came from the room. “Cole?”

She opened the door, and it took everything in me not to explode. Her blue eyes were puffy and red rimmed, fresh tears spilling down hercheeks. She looked so small, so broken. Without another thought, I pulled her into my arms, lifting her so I could cradle her against my chest. Not wanting to embarrass her before Adam, I shut the door, bringing Alex over to the bed.

When I sat down, I pulled back a little, brushing back some of the hair from her face. Alex stared back at me, confused. “What…what are you doing here?”

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You were hurting, sweetheart. Where else would I be?”

“But Adam–”

“I’ll talk to him,” I quietly said, stroking my fingers through her ponytail. We sat there for a few minutes, Alex crying against my chest while I caught my breath, grateful to have her safe and in my arms.

I was so tempted to ask her what happened, to find out what caused her to fall apart. All I knew was that Calla almost passed out when I said something had happened in the city. Her reaction alone was enough to get my head spiraling, hating that I didn’t know enough about Alex’s past to protect her.

“I’m sorry I turned off my phone.” Alex sniffled. “I was already overwhelmed and just wanted to clear my mind. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

“Hey,” I said, brushing my fingers along her jaw so she’d look up at me. “You havenothingto apologize for. I don’t care that you turned your phone off. I care that you’re upset. Adam texted, and I…” I cleared my throat. “Fuck, Alex, my head went to the worst places. I know I shouldn’t have come, but I needed to see you for myself.”

“I’m glad you did,” Alex said. “I wanted you here.”

“You need me, I’m there.”

Alex nudged out of my grip, leaning down to nestle under the covers. She took a shaky breath, her gaze focused on toying with a loose thread. “I saw my ex tonight.”

I had to force myself to stay still. I already hated where this story was going. “What happened?”

Alex pushed another long breath through her lips. “I was stupid. I thought he’d moved on, that I could get away with fighting back.” She laughed dryly. “That never ends well, not with him.”

“Did he hurt you?”

---