Page 23 of Hale Damage
That’s when the truth hits me. His brother isn’t getting married today.
Joe is.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The missing Minnie
Remington
We still haveone condom left.
That’s the first thought that hits me when I wake up Saturday morning, and I smile as I roll to the side to find her.
But there’s no warm, feminine body in the bed with me.
My eyelids peel open when my hand finds only cool sheets. Pushing up, I look around the shadowed room, though I know she’s not there. There’s a feeling of solitude that tells me I’m the only person in this space, but I call her name anyway.
“Minnie?”
Nothing.
The absolute joy I’ve felt for the past ten hours ebbs like a receding tide as I touch the empty spot beside me. The sheets feel somehow rougher without her between them, and I quickly pull my hand away, rubbing my fingertips with my thumb to quell the anxiety I feel at touching the less-than-luxurious linens.
I find it curious that it didn’t seem to bother me last night when I was rolling around this very bed with Minnie. But then I had her soft, warm body to distract me.
“Minnie?” I say again, receiving the same response as I stand andmake my way to the bathroom. It’s dark and empty, but I turn on the light to check anyway.
Something akin to panic builds at the base of my spine and works its way up to my scalp, causing tingles to break out around every hair follicle. What if she went to get ice and someone took her? That’s what happened to my friend Auburn Bouvier’s sister, Evie, many years ago.
No, no, you’re being silly, I tell myself. Minnie is fine. She probably just… what? Went out for coffee? Decided to surprise me with breakfast? Yes, that’s probably it.
Well, why didn’t she leave a note?
I mentally slap myself. A note! I didn’t even check. Backtracking to the sleeping area, I flick on the lamp and stare at the nightstand. No note. And the sight of the phone charger punches me in the gut. Two cords. But only one phone.
It’s like some weird charger-sharing bond has been broken, and I sink down to the bed. My hand reaches for the far pillow, and I bring it to my nose, filling my lungs with her floral scent. My spine eases, and I curl around the cushy shape for a long while, simply inhaling her.
My eyes search the room, noting her dress and shoes are gone. Well, of course they’re fucking gone. Did I think she was wandering around the hotel stark naked? Her purse is missing too. Finally I snap myself out of… whatever this is I’m feeling and stand, gathering my clothes.
I need to go downstairs and find Minnie. My brain clocks the memory of a sign near the front desk proclaiming a continental breakfast. I bet that’s where she is. A smile creases my face. I did put her through her paces last night, so she probably woke up hungry and thirsty.
A flash of scarlet catches my eye, and I bend to pick up a scrap of lace from where it was hidden between the bed and the wall.Her panties. I bring these to my nose just like I’d done with the pillow, and dear god. I can literally taste her pussy on my tongue again.
My cock throbs, remembering her too, but I ignore him. I don’t have time for his antics right now. After rinsing out my mouth at thebathroom sink and donning my clothes, I neatly fold Minnie’s panties and place them carefully in my pocket.
I don’t bother with the phone charger, but my hand reaches for the condom box. I’ll just put the remaining one in my wallet and save it to use on Minnie later tonight. After the wedding. Maybe I’ll tie her to my bed and spank her perfect ass for making me worry.
But the condom box is empty.What the fuck?I know we had one remaining. I check my wallet, thinking maybe in my sex haze I’d put it in there, though I can’t imagine why. Nope. No condom, but my gaze falls on the lottery ticket Minnie bought me last night. I rub my thumb along the serrated edge and shake my head.
I’d almost begun to think I’d dreamed her up, but there’s this ticket. And her panties. Not to mention the sweet scent of Minnie mixed with hard sex pervading the room.
I stuff my wallet and the key card into my pants pocket and exit the room, taking the elevator down to the first floor. A sign points me to the breakfast area, and I find a dining room of sorts. There are pastries and small boxes of cereal, along with a selection of drinks lining the counters. Laminate-topped tables are arranged in neat rows to the right side near a bank of sunny windows.
My gaze darts from one to another. A couple wearing floral shirts like they’re headed to the tropics. A family with two small children arguing over a box of Fruit Loops. An old man sipping coffee from a paper cup. And…
That’s it.
No Minnie.
