NOVGO.NET Chapter 23: HEAT WAVE
Chapter 23: HEAT WAVE
TRISTAN
I could not contain my grin as I got into the passenger seat of her BMW. My cheeks were splitting apart.
Maybe the night was still young. I could still look at her pretty face for a couple more minutes. Maybe hours. We could talk a bit more, share a laugh.. Like we had back in the restaurant.
But I was wrong.
The ride turned out to be a quiet one.
Laura seemed to have sobered up a bit, and her jaw was set in a grim line the whole time, her gaze focused on the road ahead.
I cleared my throat a few times, trying to get started saying something, or break the choking silence. But it always ended in the quiet scratching of my voice. I hardly minded because I’d gotten more than I deserved tonight. Her time. Her smile. Her scent.
At some point, my thoughts drifted. Back to the idiot who dared to disrupt my dinner with Laura.
Who was he, anyway? I hadn’t stopped wondering, even though Laura had given me a bit of a clue. A mistake from her past. Probably an ex. Or a fling? Seemed too serious for just that.
It stung a bit that without having to say it directly, she had shelved me in the same category of mistakes. It was just difficult to believe that what we shared was a mistake. It had been too real to be flimsy. It still was.
But it could be possible that I was her mistake. I could not begin to imagine the amount of pain and heartbreak I must have put her through.
Squeezing my eyes shut against the ugly memory did not help. It had returned to haunt me.
My phone vibrated in my shirt pocket, pulling me out of my head. I rolled my eyes at the name flashed across the screen.
There would be no tangible reason why I would be getting a call from him at this hour. If he was going to rant, I’d rather not hear it.
The call came a few more times. I ignored all.
"So, this is me." Laura’s tight voice rang in the quiet space, sending a heatwave through my veins. I adjusted my stiff cock and glanced up to see she was pulling into a street.
I’d been hard ever since we sat opposite each other having dinner. It was just difficult not to be, watching the deep hue of blush in her cheeks everytime I said all the right things, watching those green eyes flare hot when I said the wrong ones, watching her bite her lips.
It was all so fucking hot.
"Called a cab yet?" she asked as the car rolled up next to the brown-walled apartment.
"On it."
She turned the car off and the headlights died. Then we sat there in the darkness in thick silence, our breathing loud and uneven. She could feel it too. I could swear it. I knew I would taste it on her lips if I just leaned across the space and claimed her lips the way my brain and heart screamed at me to do.
She adjusted in her seat as she reached for her seatbelt, clearing her throat. I could feel every move, envision every spring of tension in her body.
My fingers flew across the screen as I booked a ride, but I was barely aware of the entire process. My shaft was so hard it hurt. It made it difficult to think of anything but driving into her warm walls.
Fuck. I should leave before the needy shaft drove me crazy.
"Thanks for the ride," I said, reaching for the door. My gaze strayed to her face, and I paused. "I hope we do this again, soon."
Her head bobbed in a curt nod as she averted her gaze. "You’ll hear from us."
My lips curved into a smirk. "Goodnight, Laura."
"Night, Mr. Pierce."
I got out and slammed the door shut. Then I turned and walked away without glancing back, feeling those green eyes behind me until I disappeared around the corner.
My ride arrived and I slid into the backseat with a satisfied smile.
°°°
It was a good night until it wasn’t.
The moment I walked through the front door of my penthouse in Tribeca, the bliss was shattered.
Madison sat perched on the small living room island with her legs crossed, a glass of champagne dangling from her fingers. "Look who decided to come home to his fiancée."
Her tone dripped sarcasm and anger. Ignoring her was not difficult tonight because my mood was great.
"Don’t walk away, Tristan. I stayed up all night, waiting, worried. The least you could do is acknowledge me. A kiss on my cheek or forehead would not burn your lips or ego."
I scoffed, tossing her a glance as walked towards the alcohol cabinet. "A kiss on your forehead? Don’t be ridiculous, Madison. I’ll remind you for the millionth time that this marriage is simply a medium of business alliance with your father. And it hasn’t happened yet."
I reached for a bottle of whiskey and sloshed half a glass down.
Madison watched me the whole time. She was hurting. I could tell. But I couldn’t care less.
"So you feel nothing for me?"
"Let’s not make this any more complicated than it should be."
"You fuck me."
I shrugged. "It’s fucking. Humans fuck."
"Oh come on, Tristan!" She threw her hands in the air. "It wouldn’t hurt to not be a prick for one night!"
"This is just me. I can’t help it."
She rolled her eyes and grabbed her glass. "Whatever. You need to speak to my father. He’s been calling non-stop."
"Oh."
I turned to leave, but her voice stopped me. "Nuh-uh, come here. He’s calling."
I whirled, eyes burning. "What did you say?"
"My father’s calling." She jumped off the island and strode over. "Here." She thrust the phone at my chest and glared at me until I snatched the phone.
Then I slapped the phone against my ear. "Mr. Steele—"
"Call off the deal."
"What?"
"You heard me. We can’t work with Laura Hayes."
My blood ran cold. How the hell did he know? The deal had only been run through a close circle. I had intended to keep it that way until it was accepted, concluded, in its final stage, before presenting it to the full board.