The Hardest Part (11 page)

"
I think I should…" My voice faded because I wasn't sure what to say. I wanted to say that I should go home, but I couldn't go home. Not now. Not when there were reporters there waiting for me.

"
You can stay at my place until this blows over." His words caught me off guard, and I looked over at him.

"
I can't stay at your place, Reed."
Is he crazy? I barely know him.
"I'll be fine at a hotel."

"
Please, this is my mess. I have two extra bedrooms. It's already late. You can stay there tonight and then we'll figure everything else out tomorrow."

Every part of my brain was telling me no. This was not a good idea. This was just going to get me deeper in this mess.

"
Okay," I whispered as the little voice in the back of my head continued to tell me how stupid and careless I was being.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled into an underground garage. The car drove down a few floors to the basement level, finally coming to a stop in front of a small elevator door, away from the main ones near the front of the garage.

Reed got out and then held the car door open for me. The elevator doors opened when we approached and we didn't speak a word once they slid closed. With each second that passed, the more and more I wondered what I was doing in here. Even though I felt a connection to the man standing beside me, I was still in a freaking elevator with a guy I barely knew, heading up to his apartment. And the only reason I was going to his apartment was because my place was covered with reporters and paparazzi. What had my life become in the last few hours?

Even though all of this was going through my head, I was still curious as to what he was thinking. I couldn't even take a guess because my eyes were focused on the doors in front of me, but I swore he was looking over at me. I could feel his eyes on me.

My mind swirled with everything that had happened over the last couple of days, starting when Reed walked into my office. That’s what had started all of this in the first place. The words Christine had said to me rang loud in my ears. Reed was trouble. He had a reputation for breaking girls’ hearts. Then I couldn’t help but wonder. What were his intentions for wanting me to stay at his place? Was he just trying to be nice because of what happened tonight? Or was he expecting more? Suddenly, my mouth went dry. What had I gotten myself into?

When the doors opened we stepped into a brightly lit hallway. There was nothing on the plain, white walls, the carpet was a bland neutral color, and only one door was at the very end. Still feeling a little uneasy, I walked down the bland hallway.

"
We had to take the freight elevator. Robbins said the reporters were all over the front of the building," Reed explained.

"
Oh," was all I could say.

He opened the door and allowed me in first. The room I stepped into was a stark contrast to the hallway I’d just left. The walls were painted a dark grey and beautiful paintings hung on the walls. A long, thin table with two brightly lit lamps sat to our right. Reed immediately emptied his pockets and set everything down in a bowl in between the two lamps. It looked like it was something he did every time he got home. I followed him down the hall and into the foyer where a large round table sat in the middle.

The tall, broad-shouldered man I now knew was Robbins was standing near the kitchen, holding a plastic bag.

"
Thank you, Robbins." Reed took the bag from him and handed it to me. "Here are some toiletries. I'll find you something to sleep in, in a minute. I just need to talk to Robbins first."

"
Thank you.” I took the bag and glanced over at Robbins, who was staring forward. "Thank you," I said, looking directly at him. This whole situation seemed a little too familiar. As much as it hurt to even think about him, and even though they looked nothing alike, Robbins reminded me of Mike, even though the only thing they had in common was the same stoic expression they wore. I was beginning to wonder if it was a requirement in order to work in security.

"
You're welcome, ma'am." He turned to walk across the room, toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"
Make yourself at home," Reed said to me. He then turned and made his way over to Robbins. Even though I knew it was rude, I stood there and stared at them as they dove into a deep and serious conversation. Reed's eyes met mine for a second, catching my stare. I looked away immediately.

Trying to find a distraction, I turned around in a slow circle, taking in the room. There were two dark-grey couches in the middle of the large living room, facing each other, and a black slate coffee table sat in between them. Besides a few floor lamps and another couple of chairs and an ottoman near the floor-to-ceiling windows, the room was mostly empty.

I stole another quick glance at Reed and Robbins. Their voices were too deep to whisper. I couldn't hear every word, but I picked up on a few things. Their main concern seemed to be Lexi. They also mentioned her two bodyguard’s names, Peters and Warren. My name was mentioned a couple of times and then their conversation ended. Robbins went in one direction and Reed went in another. Where they went, I had no idea. Reed reappeared a few minutes later, coming from a different direction with something in his hands.

"
Here." He held it out for me to take. "It's really all I have."

Without even knowing what it was, I took it.
"Thank you." I could now see that he was giving me some clothes to sleep in. I held them, along with the plastic bag from Robbins, close to my chest. I didn’t know what else to say.

"
Your room is down the hall, second door on your left," he said, breaking the silence between us. "There should be fresh towels in the bathroom. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"
Thank you." I smiled softly and then turned to walk down the hall.

I reached the bedroom and slowly pushed the door open. Standing there in the doorway, I looked over the room, wondering with each passing second what the hell I was doing here.

The room held a king-size bed that was covered in a dark-blue comforter with many different pillows ranging in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The far west wall was floor-to-ceiling windows, matching the view from the living room. Nightstands were on either side of the bed and tall lamps with grey shades sat on top. I was more convinced than ever that Reed had hired someone to decorate. Everywhere I looked in his house, it had a woman’s touch.

I walked in and placed the toiletry bag and the clothes he gave me on the bed and then made my way into the bathroom.

The bathroom alone was the size of my bedroom in my apartment. It had all the modern fixtures. The walk-in shower was the largest one I’d ever seen and had multiple showerheads. It looked absolutely amazing right now. A claw-footed tub sat on the far right wall and fresh towels hung over the side.

Stripping off my clothes, I took an extra-long shower, allowing the hot water to dissolve what had happened early this evening. It wasn't just the problems it could potentially cause me that filled my mind. I was more concerned for Lexi. What happened had really freaked her out and it was clear that, two years after the attack, the memories were still fresh and she was still suffering from them.

After drying off, I wrapped the towel around me before picking up the clothes that Reed had given me. I held the shirt out in front of me; it was worn looking. I couldn't help it; I pulled the shirt up to my nose and took in a long, deep breath. The smell was a mixture of him and clean laundry.

After pulling on the flannel pajama pants and rolling them up at the waist so they wouldn't drag on the floor, I combed through my hair and then walked back down the hall and into the kitchen. The place was quiet and dark except for a single light in the corner of the large living room. I craned my neck around the corner and looked around but saw no one. I wondered if Reed had already gone to bed.

"
How was the shower?" a deep but soft voice broke the silence. I looked to my right, toward the windows, and saw Reed sitting in an oversized brown leather chair with his elbows on his knees, his head cradled in his hands. A dark, amber liquid sat on the coffee table in front of him. Now, looking at the windows a little more closely, I could see his reflection in them, as well as my own.

I took a few steps forward.
"It was fine, thank you."

He tilted his head toward me. The pained look on his face hit me square in the chest, feeling like a wrecking ball had slammed into it.

"
Would you like a drink?" he asked.

I shook my head, taking another couple steps forward.
"No, I'm okay."

He nodded and then retreated deeper into his chair. I continued to make my way across the large room, finally taking a seat in the chair beside his. I watched as he slowly brought the glass up to his lips, how his lips curled around the edge of the glass. He titled his head back, taking a long drink before lowering the glass back down. After realizing I was staring at him and his lips for far too long, my eyes flew to something else, the rest of him. He was wearing blue-and-green plaid pajama pants with an old grey T-shirt. It was so old I couldn’t read the writing on the front. I fought to tear my eyes away as I curled my legs up to my chest.

"
How are you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Why am I whispering?
I waited for his answer even though I was pretty sure I already knew what it was. The pain he wore on his face was evident.

He said nothing for a long moment before finally answering,
"You know, the most frustrating part about it all is that I can't stop them. I can't protect my own sister from the people who care more about a damn story than an actual human being. They terrified her today. They said things to her, things that she should never have to deal with or hear ever again." After his rant, he took another long sip from his glass before letting his head fall back against the chair.

My heart ached from seeing him like this. I didn’t know exactly what he was feeling, but I knew he was still struggling with the guilt of what happened to his family. It seemed like all he wanted was to protect his sister, feeling as though he failed in protecting her two years ago, even though there was nothing he could have done.

We sat in silence and stared out the window, watching the city of New York before us. From this view, the normally loud and bustling city actually seemed peaceful.

T
HE NEXT
morning, I walked into the kitchen to find Reed on the phone. He looked like hell, like he'd been up all night. He was still wearing blue-and-green plaid pajamas pants and the old grey T-shirt I’d seem him in the night before. Last night, when I finally went to bed, he said he was going to turn in soon, too. I was beginning to think that didn't happen.

He turned his head in my direction. He knew I was there, but his eyes never met mine.

"
Just let me know when you get settled, okay?" His voice was strained and tired.

He set the phone down on the counter and turned around to refill his coffee cup.
"That was Lexi," he finally said. "She sounds better. Brandon's going to take her out of town for the weekend, get her away from all this shit." He sounded annoyed, or maybe it was anger. I didn't know him well enough to know the difference.

"
That will be good for her." I was a good ten feet from him, yet I could still feel the energy between us. The connection and desire of wanting to be near him was just as strong as it was yesterday.

When he finally turned to look at me, he didn't just look; he devoured me. His gaze started near my feet as he slowly took me in, finally meeting my eyes. I stood there, knowing what he was doing, letting him do it. My entire body felt like it was on fire from the way his eyes had assaulted me.

"
Didn't like the flannel pants?" he asked, his lips curving up into a small smile. I glanced down, seeing my bare legs, as his shirt only hit me mid-thigh. I had taken them off before bed and forgot to put them back on this morning.

"
I couldn't sleep with them on." My face felt hot and flushed. I must have looked like an idiot.

He nodded, still wearing the same easy smile.
"Would you like some coffee?"