Page 99 of Just This Once

Out in the reception area, Bridget was still standing at the counter, keeping guard of all things VIP. She was wearing the same Chateau Cove uniform that she had the first night, making me think forty-eight minutes could’ve passed instead of forty-eight hours.

Kind of made me wonder if I’d stepped from some time warp, where only seconds had moved on in the real world, while Parker and I had packed a whole lifetime into the inside of that suite.

Lifting her face, Bridget smiled warmly. “Miss Langston! Good morning. Did you need something?”

Glancing at all the shit I had gathered in my arms and clutched to my chest, I briefly wondered which part didnotlook like I was doing the walk of shame to her.

But I cleared my throat and managed a smile. “No, thank you. I was just…checking out.”

“Oh!” She reached for a phone. “I’ll have a valet bring your car around.”

“No, no,” I rushed to say. When she paused, blinking at me in confusion, I flushed. “I just mean, I didn’t check it in with them, is all.” Managing to jostle things around to dig my hand into my purse, I pulled the fob for Parker’s Lucid Air free so I could wave it at her.

“Oh. Okay.” Poor Bridget seemed flustered by that, not sure what to do next. But then she sent me a bright smile. “Well, I hope you enjoyed your stay and will visit again soon.”

“Yeah, Idefinitelyenjoyed it,” I assured, smirking when I saw her speculative gaze return to the door. She would’ve been here to see Parker go in as well; she had to know what we’d been doing for the past two nights without once coming up for air.

To prove her curious gaze correct, I leaned close and whispered, “He was amazing.”

She laughed outright, and I held my head high as I pranced toward the elevator. After pressing the button, I waited for the doors to open. A new elevator operator was working today, which reassured me thatsometime must’ve passed since I’d last entered this hotel.

We rode down to the lobby in silence. My brain was too wired to come up with idle chitchat, so I merely sent him a vague smile of thanks when he opened the door for me on the ground floor.

Out at the car, I climbed into the driver’s seat, let my crap tumble into the passenger side, and then wrapped shaking hands around the steering wheel as I gazed up at the hotel. Everything inside me wanted to pop right back out of the car and race up there to his room again. Maybe he’d still be asleep, and I could curl back around him in bed so he’d never know I’d tried to ditch out on him without saying goodbye.

But that would be epically stupid. This had never been meant to last. And it had gone on longer than it should have already.

Exhaling steadily, I put the car into drive and returned to my apartment complex. But the place was in chaos when I arrived. One crew of people was installing security cameras at the main entry points, while another was laying fresh asphalt in the parking lot, patching up all the potholes.

The super was outside with a clipboard, directing a pair of guys carrying a roll of carpet toward the front entrance before pointing to the north end for some other fellows who were waiting to ask him a question.

Parker had definitely poked his nose into my home life.

Shaking my head, I found a place to park down the street and started to trudge home.

But the super spotted me before I made it to the front door.

“Oh! Langston,” he called, waving me down as he jogged over to catch me.

“Yeah?” I asked uneasily.

Consulting his clipboard, he announced, “I got you down for getting a new electronic keypad lock to be put on your front entrance tomorrow and new carpeting on Wednesday.” Glancing up, he asked, “You going to be around to let people in?”

“Uh, sure. I should be.”

“Great. And I have explicit instructions that only you’ll know your number code. So don’t forget it whatever you choose for it to be because I won’t be able to get you in if you lock yourself out.”

“Okay,” I answered as I swallowed thickly, not sure what to make of Parker protecting my privacy, even from himself.

A knot swelled in my throat. Glancing around at all the changes he was making—for me—I suddenly wanted to cry.

Damn him. What the hell was he doing to me? I wasn’t a fan of this sensation he’d planted in my chest.

That’s it. I had to get out of here.

Needing my brother, I drove to Archer House and parked at the curb behind Damien’s black truck.

Letting myself in the back door, I found Oaklynn and Keene awake.

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