Page 104 of The Best of Us

“Thank you.” I smiled, not ready to throw back the comforter until she was free and clear from my sight.

“I, um, am going now, promise,” she said with a light laugh, and God help me, that was enough to turn me on even more than I thought possible.

She retracted her hand, and I missed the warmth of her touch the second she was standing.

On her way to the door, she gave me a fantastic view of her ass in those tight jeans, and was I seriously going to need to jerk off before brunch to survive it?Yeah, yeah the fuck I am.Because if I didn’t handle this problem between my legs, I really would snap.

When she was gone and the door was closed, I let go of a hot pent-up breath of air and got out of bed.

I sent a quick check-in text to Izzy and Hudson to see if they’d heard back from Sean and Emilia McGregor, as well as ensure Daniel and Jamie were still inside that hotel.

They didn’t respond right away, so I took my shower.

Beneath the warm spray of water from the double showerheads, I did my best to alleviate the tension between my legs.

Seventeen long damn years without her had me stroking myself in a punishing way.Andhad me feeling guilty for every woman I’d been with after her.

The guilt culminated into anger at myself, and it pulsed in my stomach and moved up into my chest. I snarled and bit down on my molars, stopping myself from finishing.

I slammed my palms against the wall and hung my head, cursing in Italian. I didn’t want to get off again unless it was with her, and I made the decision then and there that I’d withhold as long as I had to.

I hurriedly washed up, then stepped out, wrapping a towel around my waist before heading to the built-in shelves in my walk-in closet.

Once I had on jeans and shoes, I searched for a shirt, but nostalgia slowed me down in my pursuit and sent me to locate the NYU T-shirt Bianca bought me while she’d attended college there.

I held it open in front of me as memories assaulted my mind. After a minute or two, I forced myself to set the shirt aside, and I picked out a plain black tee, my usual. With a backward hat to tame my wet hair and my Apple watch on, I was ready to go.

I checked my messages, relieved to see a response.

Izzy: I told you, silly, I’d message you when I hear from Emilia and Sean.

Izzy: They’re still doing a deep dive. Something is fishy about Brian Cormac’s records. They'll let me know once they get to the bottom of it.

Great, just what I needed to hear about Lennon’s father, as if it couldn’t get any worse.

Hudson: Jamie, Lennon, and Daniel are still inside their hotel suite. No movement in or out.

Hudson: You should be clear to go out, but I can’t make any promises.

I hit reply to Izzy’s message first.

Me: The news about Cormac doesn’t sit well with me.

Maybe we shouldn’t go out?Maybe I also needed to contact the Sicilians and ask them why they were meeting with Jamie in the first place? Of course, the last thing I wanted to do was owe the mafia any kind of favors for information and help if I did call them up.

Izzy: If it did sit well with you, I’d assume aliens snatched your body and sent in a fake.

Me: Real funny.

Izzy: Absolutely serious. I’d Area 51 your ass in a heartbeat.

Hudson: She’s had too much coffee this morning. She’s a little jumpy, even for her.

Me: You’re both making me rethink going out into the city.

Izzy: I can’t imagine Jamie would be crazy enough to send people after you in broad daylight (or at night). He saw what you did at the rave. He saw a mafia guy piss himself.

Izzy: Plus, Daniel can’t open his mouth to Jamie about “knowing you” without screwing himself over, so I think we’re good there, too.

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