Total pages in book: 204
Estimated words: 193115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 966(@200wpm)___ 772(@250wpm)___ 644(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 193115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 966(@200wpm)___ 772(@250wpm)___ 644(@300wpm)
“Coral was engaging in some activity with another male member this evening. Mike didn’t like it.”
My eyebrows rise, and I can’t help but think this is a good thing. Coral’s shifted her affections to another man? Great. This means she’ll leave me alone. Right? “Okay,” I say slowly, waiting for more information I’m hoping won’t burst my bubble.
“Mike’s asked me why Coral is still here, given he knows she’s not meeting her contractual payments.”
I cringe, resting back against the door. “Oh.”
“He wants to know who’s giving her the free pass.”
“Oh.”
“And she didn’t mind telling him when they were screaming at each other in the communal room.”
“Oh.”
John’s shoulders drop. “You are your own worst enemy, you stupid motherfucker.”
“I know,” I reply lamely, rolling my body until I’m facing the wall, giving my forehead a few deserved whacks.
“Coral thinks you have feelings for her, and now Mike does too.”
Bollocks.
“So you need to make yourself clear. To both of them.”
I hear the sounds of his heavy steps leaving. Leaving me to deal with the mess I’ve created. Fuck my life. An hour ago, I was on cloud nine. “John,” I call, and he stops but doesn’t turn around. “Miss O’Shea will be here tomorrow at noon.”
“Miss O’Shea?” He spins around faster than his big body should allow, his lips straight. “Have you taken the poor, oblivious young woman to bed yet?”
I start shifting on my feet, dropping my eyes to my shoes. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
His groan is epic, and he stalks back toward me, forcing me to back up until he’s got me pinned to the wall by his deadly glare. I remain where I am out of respect. And because, despite his strange way of showing it, he cares. And he’s always right. “It has everything to do with it.” He throws his arm out to my office door. “In there is a woman who is head over heels in love with you after you merely fucked her. No emotions or feelings. Yet she loves you. And your infamous Manor.” His other arm shoots out, pointing away from my office. “Out there, somewhere in London, is a young woman, Miss O’Shea, who knows fuck all about you. You’re giving her a side of you no woman has ever seen before. A softer side. A committed side. A side that cares, even if it’s driving you fucking crazy. And me, by the way. It’s driving me fucking crazy too, because you’re not thinking straight, you stupid motherfucker.” He takes in air as my eyes increasingly widen. “That woman out there? She’s falling in love with you, Jesse. Like every other fucking woman you’ve had. Except probably harder. Probably faster. And that”—he jabs me in the chest hard—“is plain fucking cruel when she doesn’t know who the fuck you are.”
“You think she’s falling for me?”
His big shoulders drop. “I can’t deal with your stupidity.” He turns and walks away, and I nibble my lip, contemplating John’s words. Is she? Falling for me? I let my head meet the wall behind me. I don’t know. But I do know he’s right. And I hate that. But everything he said is the fucking point of my silence. I have way more chance of keeping Ava if she’s in love with me, especially when she discovers what this place is. Who I am. Where I’ve been, what I’ve seen. It’s easy to fall in love—that I know for sure. It’s hard to fall out of it, and that is my saving grace. Because having had this clean euphoria, there can be no going back. So I have to do what I have to do, and telling Ava what happens at my hotel isn’t a priority right now. Making her unable to survive without me, however, is.
The door to my office swings open and Coral’s eyes dart around, eventually finding me propped up against the wall. She goes to speak.
Then throws up at her feet.
I jump away. “For fuck’s sake, Coral.” The smell is instant, and so are my retches. And yet, I’m alone in dealing with this. It’s my penance. But I’ll clear up puke every day if that’s my punishment. I can cope with that. It’s far better than the alternative.
No Ava.
I lose my breath at the very thought, which is probably a good thing as I approach Coral, sidestepping the splattered carpet and taking her arm. I hold her up as I escort her to the couch, placing her back down. Her eyes roll. She grins, reaching and grabbing at thin air for me. There is absolutely no point trying to reason with her now. She won’t remember a thing, and I’ll only have to go over the same rigmarole again in the morning when she’s coherent. So I lift her feet onto the couch before removing my jacket and rolling up my sleeves. It’s time to stoop to an unbelievable low.