Authors: Danielle Jamie
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Erotica, #Romantic, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Romantic Comedy
Rolling
over, I pull the comforter over my head as I try to shield my eyes from the sun
shining onto the bed through the wall of glass windows. Why are the blinds not
blocking the damn sunlight!
After
tossing and turning under the sheets for a few more minutes, I give up on the
idea of falling back to sleep. Flinging the blankets off of my head, I turn
onto my side and glance at the clock seeing it’s already after ten. Kayden is
not in bed, so I decide to drag my hung-over ass out of bed.
Sitting
up I rub my hands over my face as I try to wake up. I feel like I’ve not slept
a second last night, when in reality I got about five hours of sleep. Swinging
my legs over the edge of the bed, I slide down onto the floor, and make my way
into the bathroom.
After
going to the bathroom, I take my birth control pill and quickly brush my teeth.
With all the crap that happened yesterday, I forgot to take my pill before bed,
so now I’ll have to take Mondays tonight before bed. I hate doubling up my
pills, it always makes me queasy.
Walking
over to the windows, I notice the shades haven’t been fully pulled closed,
which solves the mystery as to why I was awoken by a blinding ray of sunshine.
I gaze down at the Vegas Strip; the streets are packed with tourist. This city,
like New York, never sleeps.
I’m
in desperate need of some aspirin and coffee. I pad down the hallway towards
the kitchen where I smell the wonderful aroma of coffee. The entire suite is
quiet and the living room is totally empty. Looking around, I spot Brooklyn’s
heels and clutch by the door. I wonder what time she finally got in this
morning.
Following
the smell of coffee and donuts, I make my way into the kitchen. Stepping into
the room, my eyes land on the gorgeous view before me, and it isn’t the Vegas
skyline. Kayden is leaning against the wall, gazing down to the Strip and
sipping on a cup of coffee. He’s wearing nothing but a pair of black pajama
pants that are hanging perfectly off of his hips, showing off his back dimples.
He
was so drunk last night that as soon as he hit the bed he passed out. He stumbled
into our suite, kicked off his boots and slid half-way out of his jeans before
falling onto the bed. Thankfully; I was drunk, but not as drunk as he was, so I
was able to help him undress.
I
slid into bed beside Kayden, neither of us saying a word. Rolling onto his
side, he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me against him. I couldn’t help but
feel my entire body react to the feeling of Kayden’s scorching hot skin on
mine. The sparks between us were undeniable. We fight hard, but love harder and
the pull we have to each other is all consuming. The moment I was in his arms
it was as if all the anger I had instantly evaporated away.
Kayden’s
knuckles were battered and bruised, along with his left cheek. Being all banged
up actually made him that much more desirable. He looked like a sexy, bad boy
lying beside me.
I
gently kissed his bruised knuckles and cheek. I got one short sweet kiss in
before his eyes were closed tightly, and Kayden was sound asleep. I ended up
passing out right beside him, still wearing my sequin dress.
Smoothing
my hands over my hair one more time, I finish walking into the kitchen,
“Mornin’.” I whisper, wrapping my arms around Kayden’s waist and resting my
cheek against his back. I can’t help but inhale deeply as I take in his scent…his
body wash mixed with his intoxicating cologne.
Kayden
stiffens under my embrace and sucks in a sharp breath. Resting his left hand
over mine, he slides it a few inches lower and keeps his hand over mine, “My
ribs hurt like a bitch this morning.” His voice is husky from sleep. He must’ve
just woken up, too.
I
gently rest my lips against his back giving him a kiss before speaking, “Maybe
you should go to the hospital?”
He
lets out a low chuckle, “I don’t need to see a doctor; they’re just bruised. Shayne
took a pretty good shot at my ribs last night, but I imagine he’s hurtin’ a lot
more than I am this mornin’.” Kayden takes a long sip of his coffee before
continuing. I dread this conversation because I don’t want to start our day off
on a bad foot talking about Shayne. “He’s fuckin’ lucky that he isn’t sitting
in a hospital right now. If those bouncers hadn’t pulled me off him, I don’t
think I would’ve stopped until he was knocked the fuck out.”
Swallowing
the lump in my throat, I try to find my voice. I don’t know what to say. All I
know is I don’t want to spend my morning rehashing last night. Deciding to
change the subject, I slide my hands from his stomach to his sides, slowly
dragging my fingers over my name tattooed along his ribs.
“Mmmm,
the donuts and muffins smell delicious. My stomach is screaming at me to feed
it.” I say, walking over to the kitchen island where there’s an assortment for
breakfast. “Did you have room service bring these up?” I ask, taking a
blueberry muffin from the platter and breaking a chunk off. I pop it into my
mouth and a small moan escapes as I chew the crumbly goodness.
Turning
around and leaning against the glass, Kayden flashes me his mega-watt smile. I
momentarily become lost in it, and for a few seconds block out the bruise on
his cheek. “Yea, I just had them brought up. I also have aspirin by the coffee
if you want some.”
I
can’t help but feel a disconnection between us. Right now, we’re so close to
one another physically, but so far away emotionally. It feels like the entire
room is buzzing with nervous energy. With everything that’s happened with Nadia
selling her false story, to the blow up with Shayne last night, I feel as if we’ve
been on a constant course over choppy waters and we desperately need this storm
to pass so we can have smooth sailing once again.
Spinning
on my heels, I grab a cup, quickly pour myself some coffee and add my vanilla
creamer and sugar. Opening the aspirin bottle I pour two into the palm of my
hand, washing them down with a bottle of water from the fridge.
Taking
my coffee, I climb on the bar stool at the island and take a sip while picking
at my muffin.
“Thanks
for the creamer.” I say, almost in a whisper. I feel my mood swiftly changing
from what it was a few minutes ago.
Setting
his cup down in the sink, Kayden walks over, stopping behind me. I instantly
feel my breathing hitch and my pulse race. I can’t help crave his touch; we
haven’t gone this long without being intimate since I left the hospital after
the car accident.
Gently
running his fingers through my hair, I instantly tilt my head into his hand. I
love when he plays with my hair. It immediately helps me relax, no matter how
stressed I am. “You don’t have to thank me Savannah.” He murmurs, as he presses
his lips into my hair.
My
entire body tingles from his close proximity. I yearn to be caressed and teased
by his strong magical fingers. Before I can speak, Kayden’s pulling away from
me, and moving back around the island towards the living area. The flames of
desire I felt igniting between us instantly burn out, causing my heart to sink
into my stomach.
“I’m
going to take a quick shower. I’ll be back down in a bit. I’ve got a phone
interview set up with People magazine at noon about the whole Nadia ordeal.”
Well
I just lost my appetite. I forgot, with everything going on last night that
Nadia is supposed to retract her story today and reveal the truth; letting the
world know Giselle and Logan concocted the entire scheme to make it appear
Kayden had cheated on me, so that they could break us up.
Pushing
my muffin aside, I force a smile on my face, but it’s a weak one, and Kayden
see’s right through it. “I pray Nadia keeps her word, and sets the story
straight today.” I say, dragging my eyes from Kayden’s and stare into my coffee.
“I just want all of this to be over with, and for Logan and Giselle to be
exposed as the lying, manipulative assholes that they are.”
Raking
his hand through his hair Kayden clears his throat. “Well, whether she stays
true to her word or not, I’m going through with the story. My attorney is
already drawing up lawsuits as we speak for Nadia, Giselle, Logan and my
assistant, Allison.”
My
mouth falls open. I can’t believe he’s suing them. The thought never once
crossed my mind, but then again, I was so blinded by my anger, I wasn’t really
thinking that far ahead. The only thing on my mind was getting to Kayden. And
that hasn’t even come close to turning out like I’d imagined it would.
“Good.
They deserve a lot more than a lawsuit. They intentionally set out to destroy
our lives for their own selfish gains. I didn’t think it was possible to hate
someone as badly as I hate those two.”
Nodding
his head, Kayden’s face is expressionless, “I’ve sadly learned that there’s
some people who no matter what happens, will show no remorse for the
destruction that they cause. Their selfish wants and needs cloud their
judgment, making it easy for them to hurt others to get what they set out to
have.” My stomach instantly does somersaults, I feel like he’s talking about his
father and Luanne too, and not just Giselle and Logan.
Kayden
has been let down by the people he trusted, including myself. I hate myself for
allowing my stupid actions to be the reason that I now fall in the category of
people who’ve hurt Kayden.
As
I sit on the bar stool staring at him like an idiot, I know I should say
something, but I just don’t know the right words to say to ease his pain.
“If
you want anything else to eat, just call room service. The guys and I are going
to a poker tournament after my interview so we’re going to eat somewhere on our
way.” He says with little emotion in his voice, before turning and disappearing
into the living room.
I
hate seeing him like this. It’s as if he’s slowly shutting down and pushing me
away. I don’t know what to do. Do I give him space and allow him to deal with
everything he’s got going on in his head? Or do I push past the walls he’s
putting up and force him to open up to me. I feel like we’re broken thanks to
all the crap that’s been thrown our way, and that we somehow have to figure out
how to glue ourselves back together.
Not
fixing our shattered relationship is simply not an option. I just need to
figure out what to do to get us back together again.
~~~
Kayden,
Dixon, Jax and Braxton all left almost an hour ago, so Brooklyn and I have
decided to eat lunch down in the restaurant here in hotel, and then hang out by
the pool. After lounging by the pool for a few hours we’re going to go watch a
Vegas show at Planet Hollywood.
Slipping
my yellow sundress on over my bikini and sliding my feet into my flip flops, I
toss my wallet into my purse and put on my Ray Bans. I walk around the suite
looking for my sunscreen, but can’t find it anywhere.
Leaving
my room, I head down to Brooklyn’s. The sound of music blasting out of her
suite is so loud I doubt she’ll hear me knocking on the door. Pushing the door
open, I spot Brooklyn by her closet trying on an assortment of sandals.
Yelling
over Jared Leto singing
A Beautiful Lie
, I cause Brooklyn to jump as my
voice startles her. “Hey, you have any sunscreen?” I laugh as she spins around,
pressing her hand against her chest.
“Jesus
Christ, Savannah! You scared the shit out of me.” Her eyes are as big as
saucers as she walks across the room turning off her iPod. “I thought you had
sunscreen so I didn’t pack any.”
Walking
over to her closet, I pick up her gold gladiator style sandals. Dangling them
out in front of me, I hold them out to Brooklyn, “These are perfect with that
bikini.”
Letting
out a sigh of relief, Brooklyn takes them from me and quickly slips them on.
“You’re a life saver, I’ve tried on ten pairs and couldn’t decide which looked
good with my bathing suit and wrap.”
“You’re
welcome!” I say in a sing-song voice. “That’s why I work in fashion.”
“Well
you’re a life saver, I cannot wait to go soak up some sun.” Sliding her
sunglasses on top of her head, she follows me out of the suite.
“We’ll
have to stop at the gift shop down in the lobby and get some sunscreen. The
last thing we need is to get sunburned and spend the rest of our time here sore
and looking like lobsters.”
Stepping
off of the elevator we make our way across the busy lobby and into the gift
shop. The gift shop is packed with tourists and Brooklyn doesn’t even bat an
eye as she struts around in her black barely there bikini and sheer wrap. I
mentally thank myself for opting on a tunic sundress.
While
reading the different sunscreen bottles Brooklyn decides to ask about Kayden.
“So, things with you and Knox all good now?” She asks, giving me a sideways
glance before returning her focus to the bottles on display.
Reaching
in front of her I grab a bottle of SPF 30, “Let’s just get this one.”
“Changing
the subject I see? So I’m taking it things are still complicated at the
moment?” She says with air quotes, as she emphasizes complicated.
Rolling
my eyes at her, I head up to the counter and stand in line. “We’re not talking
about a Facebook relationship status, Brooklyn. Things are okay I guess. Kayden
just seems off since everything that’s happened over the last forty-eight
hours.”