Page 43 of Grip Me Tight
In disbelief, I hear him when he calls Hamish, telling him to come and collect me, like I’m an extra suitcase and tears fill my eyes. I rub them in frustration. I am not going to cry over Tanner again. I pull my hair up, sticking a pen through the messy knot to secure it, throw my stuff in my bag and head out to the hallway to wait.
Hamish knocks briefly before entering and I wonder what kind of stuff he’s seen in his line of work. He smiles at me and reaches for my bag. “Am I taking you to the airport?”
“No, just to my room please.” I take a step forward and I can’t resist. Cool or not, it would be rude to not say good-bye, right? But when I turn around, Tanner is nowhere to be seen. Before I know what is happening, Hamish places a hand on my back to guide me to the door and I realize it’s to prevent me from walking back into the suite. Blood drains from my face. How many women have been escorted out by security when Tanner doesn’t want to deal with them anymore? I shake off Hamish’s hand and he gives me an apologetic smile, but he doesn’t move, standing between me and wherever Tanner has gone.
I square my shoulders and walk out the door.
17
Tanner
“Do you want to explain this fucking shit to me, Tanner?”
Laird’s voice is quiet and controlled when I stroll into the private dining room later that evening at the hotel. I’m not in the mood for any more shit. I tried to go for a run this afternoon, despite the mugginess outside, because I was buzzing from missing my morning workout and I needed to do something to distract me from the fact that Sterling was still at the hotel.
Her innocence this morning, the way she looked at me when I thought it might be possible to have everything I’ve ever dreamed of. I grit my teeth, angry at how close I was to taking a step I’d live to regret. The call from Noah was like providence, a reminder of how lucky I am and how I should never think I deserve more.
After she left, I tried to write, to eat, to get my head back in the game. I even listened to the fucking soundtrack to Top Gun of all things, just to hear something in my head.
But there was only silence.
I called Hamish, to make sure Sterling was safely inside her hotel room with instructions for security to call me if she so much as stuck a toe outside her door, or anyone, including any members of our team, tried to get in, and went downstairs for a run. Only the lobby was filled with people who’d found out where we were staying, and I was nearly mobbed. Security managed the situation, but sidewalks are public property and my chances of getting out undetected were slim. Frustrated, I hit the rooftop pool, but nothing erased the hurt in Sterling’s eyes from my brain.
No matter how hard I pushed myself, lungs straining, muscles burning as I cut through the water, there wasn’t a thread of a melody in my head.
And now Laird is holding his phone up for me to see, his brows drawn together in anger. I lean forward, the black background and red letters giving me horror movie vibes. “It’s TMZ.” I grimace. Those vultures.
“Yeah, it is. And that woman better not be who I think it is.”
The stark white headline jumps out at me:Kingmaker frontman with mystery woman – another baby on the way?
What the fuck? I snatch the phone. The photo above the headline shows me, shirtless, standing in front of… oh no. I glance up. “This is taken from my balcony this morning.”
“Do you care to explain why you are half-naked with Noah’s sister, who is wearing a goddamn hotel robe, on your balcony first thing in the morning? And why are you touching her stomach like that?”
Laird is furious. The guys aren’t here yet, thank god.
“Has Noah seen this?”
“You’d better hope he hasn’t. What is going on with you? First the threesome with the Allflix manager and now this?”
“First of all, you know there was no threesome with Natasha. Second, how did they get this footage? I click through the series of photos, looking like stills from a video. It’s shot from behind me. “Did they send up a fucking drone?”
Laird runs a hand down his face, rubbing his jaw. “I don’t know. People use drones all the time over the lake. So maybe some pervert thought they’d try to get some hotel action. And score! Looks like that they did. Is that really Sterling? Please tell me you found some lookalike to break your dry spell and this isn’t our new social media manager, who also happens to be your best friend’s baby sister.” Laird turns away, just as the rest of the guys, minus Ajax, walk in.
“Hey man, what’s going on?” Blaine stretches, driving a hand through his hair and heads straight for the bar set up at the end of room. “I am exhausted.”
Slade glances our way. “What are you guys looking at? More shit with Jax?”
Laird takes the phone from me, sliding it in his pocket. He glares at me again before walking back to Blaine and pouring himself a glass of whiskey.
Noah waves and pulls a chair out, lowering himself to the table where he lifts the towel over the breadbasket and snags a roll. “God, I’m starving.” He checks his watch. “When are we getting out of here?”
Laird drains his glass and moves back to the table. “I’m staying on because Jax insists on finding this girl. He’s got me and half the security team looking under every rock in the city.”
Noah sits forward, planting his elbows on the table. “Did something happen to her? I thought the police got the guy.”
“Isn’t the guy Jax’s brother? That is some fucked up shit.” Blaine shakes his head, tipping his beer up, while he leans back against the bar.
