Page 110 of For Wrath and Redemption
Her tone is forced. Fake niceties. I blow out a slow breath and nod. “Right. Thanks. Send me the video, yeah? I’ll post it.”
“You sure? I can?—”
“I’m sure. Send it.”
“Okay.”
I can feel her looking at me, so I cross the floor and turn the ring light off myself. What I find when I look in her eyes takes my breath away. My hands cup her face, my thumbs wiping her silent tears.
“What’s wrong, baby? What did I do?”
Claire shakes her head. “Nothing. Nothing is wrong.”
She snakes her arms around my neck and lifts onto her tiptoes. I bend down to meet her and press my lips to hers in a soft kiss. I taste her tears. I feel her heat. I pull her closer.
“Why are you crying?”
She huffs out a sad laugh. “I don’t even know. I don’t even know anymore. You just keep...You just keep...The queen. The chess set. The book. And now this...”
She buries her face into my neck, her breath skirting over my heart tattoo. When she speaks, her lips tickle the thin skin there, and I swear I feel it in my chest. A direct line from the tattoo to the real thing. I’m a goner.
“I just feel...I just feeleverything.”
I laugh into her hair, then press a kiss to her head. “I know. Me too.”
Fuckingeverything.
When Claire goes back to work, I step into the bathroom, shut the door, and count my stash. I won’t buy more. This is it.
Then I tell myself to brace for the comedown.
“Are you coming with me?”
“No.” Claire looks up from her laptop with a smile. “I don’t want to encroach on your dude time.”
I snort out a laugh. “It’s just brunch, Trouble. Torren and Levi won’t care if you come.”
She smirks. “It’s so funny to think about you and Torren, all tatted up and intimidating, eatingbrunch.”
“I can crush some eggs bennie, baby.”
She shakes her head with a laugh. “Go have fun. I’ll be at the stadium before the show starts. I’ve got to make some calls and finalize your plans for Amsterdam. Have you had a chance to look at the calendar?”
I grin. “Nope.”
“Jonah. I want your feedback.”
I cross the floor until I’m directly in front of her, then bend down and cup her face.
“I trust you, and it’s fun to be surprised.” She fights a smile and narrows her eyes. She’s not angry, but it’s cute that she’s pretending. I kiss her once, then pull back just enough to make eye contact. “I’ll be watching for you on the floor. You better be there as soon as the stage lights go up.”
Finally, she lets the smile slip. “I won’t be late, Mr. Hendrix.”
I stand up and run my eyes over her. She hasn’t eaten breakfast yet, but she’s still in her pajamas. At least I know she won’t be running five miles on nothing but espresso today. I open my mouth to suggest she order room service, but then my phone rings.
Claire flicks wide eyes to me. We both know the only person who would be calling. Everyone in the band texts except Ham, and Ham has no reason to be calling me right now. I’ve been a good boy lately.
I let the phone ring out, but it starts right back up again. Claire sighs. “Just answer it, Jonah. He won’t stop until you do.”
