Page 37 of August

“Please.” Oh, great. She was begging now. Lord help her.

He got to his feet. Embarrassment boiled beneath her skin, and she once again felt as if she were in that car underwater, about to suffocate.

August stopped inches from her, his arms across his chest as if to stop himself from hugging her. Regret sat like concrete in her belly. She’d had a hand in this. Had egged him on and gotten under his skin. Yes, he’d kissed her. Yes, he’d touched her.

But she’d wanted it. All of it.

Even as he stood before her, ready to switch places with the next available man-for-hire, she wanted all of him. To hell with everything else. But she couldn’t do that. Couldn’t say any of the words that would likely make him run away even faster than he already was.

“I just—” She cleared her throat. “I trust you.”

His lips flattened to a thin line. “I haven’t been professional.”

She set her mug down on the counter. “Screw professional. You don’t need to do that with me. We have shit between us,” she said, waving her hand between their bodies. “And if we can’t be adults for a few days, then maybe we’ve got bigger issues.”

“I can’t promise I won’t make the same mistake,” he drawled.

His words were like shrapnel to the heart. If she let August walk out that door, she might never see him again—and she might not live. Because no one else could protect her like he could. Of that she was certain.

“Don’t leave. Okay? I’ll give you space.” She made her way around him and went to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her as tears coursed down her cheeks.

CHAPTER 12

Ivy answered her call on the second ring, a note of trepidation clinging to her greeting.

“Hey, it’s me,” Gigi said.

After showering and getting into her pajamas, Gigi had asked August for a burner phone. He’d handed one over without a word, and now she stood in her room talking to her sister, who was also using an encrypted device.

Ivy laughed lightly. “I don’t know why I was nervous. Rami told me only August and the guys have this number.”

Gigi wrapped her free arm around her waist. The sun was low, lighting the sky with pink and orange hues. Normally, she’d be outdoors on an evening like this. Maybe on the beach. Once upon a time she’d enjoyed these kinds of moments with Todd.

My how things change.

“In situations like this we’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop,” Gigi said softly. “That’s how I felt when you were missing.” The memories of that time came with aggressive torrents of pain and fear.

“Yeah, I guess when things aren’t right in the world, the sound of a phone ringing is terrifying.” Ivy scoffed. “Enough of that. You said you weren’t calling until tomorrow. What’s up?”

Gigi sat on the edge of the bed. “August and I are... at odds.”

“You seemed fine at dinner. What happened?”

Oh boy.

Keeping her voice low, Gigi quickly told her sister a PG-13-rated version of what had happened in the elevator. Most importantly, she told her what he’d said.

Every waking minute in that hellish jungle was a struggle to survive, and the only thing that kept me alive was the thought of you.

Ivy screeched like a teenaged girl. “Ohmigod. This is juicy. Then what happened?”

Gigi guffawed. “It’s not juicy. It’s stressful. And awkward. Now he wants to leave and have someone take his place!” Her volume rose an octave and she covered her mouth, praying he hadn’t heard.

“Yeah, that’s not good. Sounds like he needs confirmation of your feelings.”

“I kissed him back,” she whispered. “I would have done more if we hadn’t been in an elevator, and if he hadn’t given me the cold shoulder when we got to the apartment. My body language made it clear I was on board.”

“Some guys need to hear it verbally. August is—I dunno. August. He’s noble to a fault. He probably thinks he was taking advantage of you.”

---