Gold - Linde K. A. (версия книг .TXT) 📗

Hugh sighed heavily into the phone. “I wish you’d tell me what’s wrong. You keep your secrets so close to your heart. Just let me in,” he pleaded.

If only I could tell him the truth…but what’s the truth at this point? She had lost sight of it in the chaos.

She bit her lip and decided to tell him as much as she could. It wasn’t like she could go into explicit detail about Eric. “I got into a huge argument with two of my best friends. I know it probably sounds dumb,” she admitted softly, “but I don’t think things will ever be the same. And it’s all my fault.”

That last part took her off guard. She hadn’t even known she was going to say that, but it felt true. She could have prevented the argument with Stacia if she had accepted Pace, but the thought of doing that made her want to throw up. She could have prevented the argument with Eric if she could accept his feelings, despite what had happened with Audrey, but that didn’t seem possible either right now.

“It’s not dumb,” Hugh said understandably. “If it has upset you this much, then it’s important.”

She swallowed back her tears at his words.

“I’m in Atlantic City. I’ll fly you out to see me, so you can get away from everything. How does that sound?”

“Really great,” she admitted.

She couldn’t think of anything better than escaping the reality of her life right now. She’d had to confront everything head-on recently, and she didn’t know how much more she could take.

“Good. I’ll have someone make all the arrangements. Try to relax, and you’ll be with me soon.”

Five hours later, a car picked her up from the airport and drove her to Hugh’s resort in Atlantic City. Though she had been groggy on the plane, she hadn’t been able to sleep, no matter what she had done. She was even more alert in the car. She couldn’t escape the images flashing through her mind or the reality of what she had been through.

When she arrived, Hugh was waiting for her in the lobby. She couldn’t believe he was awake. With the three-hour time difference, she couldn’t believe she was still awake.

“Why are you awake?” she asked.

“As if I could sleep after that call.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Come on. You look like you need to sleep.”

“I’m not the only one.”

He laughed. “It’s morning here, love. I have to work.”

“Work when I leave.”

“I would love to do that.” They hopped into the elevator, and Hugh inserted his key to take them to the top floor. “But I can’t neglect my responsibilities. It’s nice to have you here. I’d travel with you everywhere if I could.”

She smiled at his words but didn’t respond. Her head was too clouded with other things, and she was tired.

They reached the penthouse where Hugh was staying. It was dark inside, and he didn’t bother to turn the lights on as he guided her to the master suite. The bed was enormous and unbelievably inviting.

“Why don’t you rest?” he suggested. “You’re dead on your feet. You can tell me all about what happened when you wake up.”

“Wait,” she murmured. She ran her hand down his tie. “Aren’t you coming with me?” She didn’t want to be alone tonight even though her mind told her it was the smart thing to do. She didn’t want to listen.

“You know I’d love nothing more, but I have to work.”

He pulled back the covers, and she crawled into bed.

“Let me take care of you. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

As soon as he disappeared, fresh tears hit her anew. She didn’t even know why she was crying. Her emotions felt like a tangled knot in her chest. She couldn’t differentiate one from the other. She just cried and let it out—everything that pained her, everyone who had ever hurt her.

Her father.

Her mother.

Celia.

Pace.

Jude.

Gates.

Avery.

Tara.

Stacia.

Eric.

Just a long list of people who had disappointed her and people she had disappointed. They all scrambled together, their faces morphing into one, until her tears were just a cascading waterfall of her pain. She unleashed it on the world, fighting with herself for even feeling. How dare I feel!

The tears ached and tore at her, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t escape the darkness that pulled her under.

Bryna awoke with a start.

She clutched at the sheets in a panic. Her eyes flew open. She couldn’t remember where she was, and for one blissful moment, she forgot everything. Then, it came back to her, knocking into her with a ferocious vengeance.

Her heart hammered in her chest, and she waited until it returned to its normal cadence before deciding to check the clock. 3:00 p.m. She had slept through most of the day. Sleeping had given her some perspective and made her more alert. She wrenched the sheet off the bed, wound it around her body, and wandered into the main living area of the penthouse. She didn’t know who she might encounter or else she likely would have gone in the nude.

But no one was out there. The blinds were drawn, so none of the afternoon light could filter into the room. Only one of the rooms off of the living space had a light on, and she walked in that direction.

Hugh was working in an office, as she had found him so many times in his Vegas suite. It was a comforting sight. At least some things hadn’t changed.

“Do you ever sleep?” she asked.

In a slow and desirous fashion, his eyes moved up her body covered in nothing but a sheet. “Only on weekends when I’m with you.”

“Come to bed,” she encouraged. “It’s late.”

“Or early. It is the middle of the afternoon after all.”

She walked over to him and let the sheet slit up one leg, as if she were wearing an expensive ballroom gown. “Come to bed,” she repeated.

Hugh grabbed her without pretense and pulled her in front of him, so she was seated on his desk. “I think I’ll have my bed here.”

He leaned forward and kissed her neck, savoring the taste to her shoulder. Then, he removed the thin sheet to expose her body to him. She didn’t cover up even though she felt bare—mind, body, and soul at this point. His lips moved to her breast, and she arched against him, willing him to devour her whole.

“I want you so much more than this, Bri.” He kissed his way to the other breast.

“What do you want?” She was sure she sounded like she was pleading with him.

“Everything.” He leaned her backward, so she lay across his desk. “Let go with me.”

His fingers trailed a line down her sides to grip her hips. His eyes roamed her body as he kissed down her navel. She sucked in a deep breath.

“I do,” she murmured.

“You come to me with worries, but you are still so far away.”

“I’m right here.” She ground her hips in a circle as a reminder.

“I know.” He sighed and sat back up before indulging.

She quivered underneath him, desperate for his touch, desperate to forget.

“I know how much you’re hiding, and I don’t know why.”

“Hiding?”

This conversation had shifted.

“Do you think I would start a relationship with you without knowing everything I could first?” he asked.

In confusion, Bryna sat up quickly. Her stomach dropped out, and fear seemed to reign over all other emotions. What did he know? How much did he know? And how did he know it?

“What?” she asked.

“I’ve been waiting all this time for you to tell me. I want you to admit who you are. I’ll still love you either way.”

Bryna startled. “L-love me?”

“I know.” He looked down and then up again into her eyes. “I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Of course I love you. I was lost when I first met you. I don’t care that you’re an eighteen-year-old college student. I don’t care that you told me you were going to Miami to hang out with your girlfriends when you were there for the play-off game. Did you think I wouldn’t notice the coincidence? There’s so much. I don’t care who you are or where you came from. I’m tired of the lies.”