Page 86 of Raff
CHAPTER TWENTY
Raff
How the hell was I expected to go on acting normal when my entire fucking world felt like it’d been turned upside down and shaken?
Lula’s gaze watched her chopsticks as she dipped her bite of sushi into the soy sauce.
And me? I watched her face, wondering how the fuck she’d gone from so open and sweet and soft with me to completely shut down so quickly.
I mean, I knew that had been the risk. It was why I’d been keeping her at arm’s length even though I knew how much her attraction had grown. I wanted her to get to a point where she couldn’t just blame desire for her feelings toward me.
I guess I’d overestimated how close we’d gotten on an emotional level.
I didn’t know how much until she paused between bites to look past me and out the windows.
“I’m going to see if I can get a flight back to California tomorrow.”
My stomach bottomed out.
I sat back, putting down my chopsticks as the sushi rolled and sloshed around in my stomach.
I drew in a slow breath and held it until it burned. “Okay.”
“Okay?” she asked, brows lowering.
Was she expecting a fight?
Lord knew I wanted to. Fight. For her. But I also knew her well enough to know that she would only pull further away if I did that.
“Might not be able to get an ideal time or seat, but I’m sure you can find a ticket back home. You’re going to need a ride on the other end, though.”
“Did you have other plans for us?”
Oh, I had plans. Fifty years of them. But I damn sure couldn’t tell her that.
“Nothing special.” Except fucking her up and down the walls and through the floor.
“Good. I won’t be missing out on anything then,” she said, a false cheeriness in her voice that only made my stomach twist again.
“Well, I wouldn’t say that. You’ll be missing out on my devastatingly handsome face and charming personality.”
“A real loss,” she said, and for just a second, her real smile shone through.
“When we get back to the hotel, I’ll book you a flight. You can figure out everything you need on the other end.”
“Sounds good,” she said, voice a little tight. “I’m done here, if you are.”
She’d only touched about half of her food. I’d eaten even less. But I asked for a check and a box, paid, handed off the food to an unhoused man down the block, then led Lula back into the penthouse.
I lost her to her computer then. Presumably to get a ride squared away once I told her what time she would be landingin California. But she must have switched to work after that, because she had laser focus as she worked.
Not having anything to do myself, I made my way into my room, toed off my shoes, and dropped into bed, hoping to catch a nap.
The only problem?
My bed smelled like her.
The scent brought all the memories of her: over me, under me, moaning for me, crying out my name.
