Page 65 of Embrace
Greg’s frown intensified as he listened. Then he sniffed bitterly and handed my device back to me. “Let’s go.” He turned and stomped out of the hotel room.
* * *
“You’re at the Baywater,and you’re coming downstairs?” Asher asked.
“Um, yeah, how did you—”
He hung up.
My mouth remained stuck open as I joined Greg in the hallway. “What did he say to you?” I asked.
“Fuck him. If he snoozes, he loses.”
“Loses what?”
“Let’s just get food. I’m fucking hungry, Penina. And your guy just pissed me the fuck off. I have to eat, or I’ll rip his fucking head off.”
I jerked my head back as his heavy steps resonated through the hallway. I wasn’t afraid of an angry Greg, but I was surprised by his temper. He’d been quite amicable until then.
I needed to think, to take a shower, to stop seeing that street sign in my head, and to have a longer conversation with Asher. But I was starving too. Food would help me sort out my confusion.
So I sighed and followed Greg into the elevator. I would eat first then go to the front desk and ask if they definitely had no other rooms for the night. By the way Greg was looking at me, eyes narrowed but glistening with lust, I had been a fool to ever believe him.
Greg pressed the down button, and the elevator doors closed.
“I would still like a chance with you,” he said once we were enclosed in the small space.
I gulped, watching him without blinking. “I thought we were becoming friends.” I barely had enough breath to say that.
When he snorted brusquely, I knew it was because he found my reply patronizing.
“You know who I am, right?” he asked.
I frowned, confused. “What does who you are have to do with this moment?”
He sneered. “I’m Greg Carroll. I’ve never been turned down, not even by hotter chicks than you.”
Whoa.I jerked my head back, pretty sure he’d just shown me how insincere he truly was. His comment was designed to knock me down a peg or two as well, but it hadn’t. I didn’t give a damn about how “hot” I was to him.
“Great. Then by all means, go pursue those hotter chicks, you dick,” I snapped.
It looked like he was going to reach out to touch me, but he pulled back. “Fuck, I’m sorry for that, Penina. I…”
The doors slid open, and we peered into the pale-blue eyes of Asher Christmas.
Chapter Nineteen
Penina Ross
The first thing Asher said was that both of us had to go with him because our flight was waiting.
Greg snarled. “I’m not going any-fucking-where with you.”
“Jerry Cartwright is expecting you in his office first thing in the morning. I was being generous, letting you ride in my aircraft. But I don’t give a fuck what you do.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Penina, you’re coming with me.”
I nodded. Asher wasn’t going to receive an ounce of pushback from me. I could smell him from where I stood. The scent coming off him was not cologne, as Greg had insisted. No, it was freshly laundered clothes intermixed with his citrus and mint soap. The scent was mouthwatering. I wanted to eat him alive. But it was crystal clear that Asher was pissed off at me. He didn’t hug me or touch me, and he barely looked at me.
Once Cartwright’s name had been mentioned, it was as if Greg turned into an obedient robot. Asher would not let me out of his sight, though, as we went upstairs and retrieved what little we had brought with us. I only had my handy tote bag in which I carried all my stuff, from toothpaste to tampons.
