Yes, Mr. Van Der Wells (Not Another Billionaire Romance) (46 page)

A relentless knocking hauls me from the oh-so peaceful depths of slumber. I grumble incoherent things into the pillow, groggily pressing back into the protective man-heat behind me. 

“Bet that’s Mom,” the man-heat mumbles into my neck.

The words aren’t completely out of his mouth when there’s another round of knocking accompanied by, “Charlotte, I know you’re in there!”

Giggling, I turn over on my side, coming face to face with the man-heat. “You’re in trouble again, Mr. Van Der Wells.”

One lazy eye pops open. “
You’re
the one in trouble. Last time, I told her, quite candidly, that she needs to get used to the idea. By the tone of her voice, I’m thinking you told her differently?”

“I didn’t tell her anything,” I quickly refute. “She voiced her opinions and I just listened. I didn’t even nod. No way I’d make a promise I knew I couldn’t keep.”

Man-heat’s second eye opens and a smiles forms. “A promise you couldn’t keep, huh? Are you saying you couldn’t have resisted me even of you tried?”

My sleep-swollen eyes kiss the heavens. “Jeez, when did you become so annoyingly conceited?”

“Ever since that first time you opened up for me and made me feel like a king.” His hand snakes over my hips and around to my bum, grabs, and then presses me closer, his Khal Drogo greeting my Daenerys with a breath-quickening flush.

As our lips meet, we hear a key turning in the lock and both jerk apart, having only enough time to cover ourselves before Gloriel bursts through the door.

Her bristling frame looms in the doorway, lips pressed tight. “Just what I thought.”

Cheeks flushing red, I bite my lip and bury my face into Noah’s neck, shifting slightly so I’m peeking from Noah’s neck with half an eye.

As his hand curls protectively around me, he addresses his mother. “Mom, I gave you spare keys for
emergencies
. Not for you to barge into rooms you’re locked out of
on purpose
.”

Gloriel’s hands settles on her hips. “You were
ignoring
me. Your mother!”

“I was
sleeping
.”

Her scowl shifts to me. “Charlotte, why are you doing this? Why are you wasting your life? Even with the hell you’re going through right now, you still think it’s sage to jump into things with another—
much older—
man instead of focusing on who you are and where you are going in life? You’re so young. Give yourself some time.”

Noah’s entire body goes rigid, and his arm falls from around me as he sits up. “Mom, get out.”

“She’s
nineteen
, Nate.”

“She turns twenty tomorrow, in fact. And how many times do I have to tell you? Noah. My name is
Noah
.”  

This time
I
go rigid. Reaching for my phone from the nightstand, I check the date.
Friday, 21 April
. A day before my birthday.

“I gave birth to you, goddammit! I named you Nate!
Nate Van Der Wells
. Don’t you dare force me to call you anything else. I won’t do it.” Her eyes come back to me, this time softened. “Charlotte, sweetheart, why didn’t you tell me your birthday was coming up?”

Because I didn’t remember
? Holy wow. This isn’t happening. I’m nineteen—well, twenty now—and it’s my birthday tomorrow and I didn’t remember? Doesn’t that happen to like old, senile people? I mean, how did I not remember my freaking birthday?!

After my prolonged silence, Gloriel waiting expectantly, Noah turns to me, his eyes warm and understanding. “You didn’t remember, did you?”

I just blink at him, and a tear sneaks out. Too shocked to form words.

Gloriel throws her hands up. “See? This is what I’m talking about. Nineteen and she didn’t even remember her own birthday. She has too much going on. Nate. She needs breathing space. She need to distance herself from—”

“Give us some privacy, Mom.” He lets out an impatient sigh. “
Please
.”

Gloriel glances from me to him, hesitant. Her concern for me is endearing. If only my mother had shown even a modicum of that concern for me when I used go home with black-eyes and busted lips…

Eventually, she, without another word, turns and leaves, closing the door behind her.

Noah’s gaze locks on mine, hand to the side of my face, thumb wiping the trace of my lone tear. “Hey…”

“Do you think something is wrong with me? Do you think I’m, like, sick or something? I…how is it possible that I didn’t…do you…” Words become impossible as tears spring and spill, my heart drumming, panicking.

“Hey. Lotty.” Noah pulls me closer, both hands coming up to cup my face, keeping it in place. He’s not being gentle. It sobers me. I blink at him. “Snap out of it. Nothing is wrong with you. You just got out of an abusive relationship, your mother died and you’ve yet to grieve her, you’re writing college papers, cleaning and cooking for me, training to protect yourself, all the while worrying when your degenerate ex is gonna strike. Dealing with all that, forgetting your birthday is understandable. It doesn’t mean something is wrong with you.

Chewing on his words like a morphine capsule, I nod, focusing on my breathing, cajoling my heart to calm down. “You think…you think Gloriel is right? You think maybe I need…space to breathe?”

Noah’s jaw works back and forth as he studies me, his thumb tapping against my cheekbone, unconsciously it appears. “Do
you
think you need space?”

“I…” I shake my head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I want. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t think I know what’s good for me right now. I’m just
doing
things.”

I see the hurt before he masks it. Noah is serious about me. He wants things with me. Long-term things. And here I am telling him “I’m just doing things.”

He leans in, presses his lips to mine, tastes me, parts, rests his forehead to mine, heaving out a sigh that reeks of defeat before drawing back from me and scrubbing his hands down his face. “If you need space, I’ll give it to you. But not until your ex is dealt with, all right? Once he’s no longer a threat, I’ll deposit a bonus into your account, and you can leave. Go wherever you want…d-do whatever you want.” He squeezes his eyes shut, as if those two lines were the hardest he’s ever verbalized.

I only nod; afraid some other thoughtless crap will tumble out and inadvertently hurt him further.

Eyes shifting past me to the bedside clock, he mumbles, “Guess our morning run is shot. I have to get to work and you have to pack, so…”

He hops out of bed and heads off to the bathroom bare-butted.

Pack? What does he mean? Is he kicking me out? He just said he’ll wait until Andrew is no longer a threat, so why do I have to pack
now
?

“Hey,” I call, sitting up straight, “what do you mean I have to pack?”

His beautiful dark head with arresting green eyes pops around the bathroom door. “Oh, I didn’t tell you? We’re traveling this evening. So, pack for the weekend.” The head disappears before I can get another question out.

Traveling? Where?

Leaping out of bed, barely contained excitement has me skipping to the bathroom. Back to me, he’s tweaking the complicated switches for the rain shower to get the perfect temperature.

“Travel where?” I ask.

He turns to me, sees me nude and quickly turns away.

Whoa. What the hell was
that
all about? We had long, passionate sex last night and suddenly he can’t look at me naked?

“Ah, San Francisco.” 

That’s where my brother, Graham, and Dad’s first wife, Sarah, lives. “San Francisco?
Why
?”

“Because it’s your birthday. We’re celebrating all weekend.”

“Just you and me?”

“And Kiera and Q and Muscles. Also extra bodyguards, just as a precaution.”

A grin overtakes my face and I begin moving to him, through the steam that’s swiftly filling the room, fogging the mirrors, and circle my arms around his middle. “Can I give you an early thank you? I haven’t traveled in years.”

At my touch, he jerks and twists away from me, backing up and holding a hand out to keep me at arm’s length. “Lotty, stop.”

“What?” I stop. Frown. “Why?”

One hand rakes back through his hair. “Why? I don’t know, maybe because you just admitted that I’m just a phase? That you ‘don’t know what you’re doing, you’re just doing things.’ In essence, you don’t know what you’re doing with
me
. I don’t want to be some phase to you, Lotty. I want to be your rock, your solid, your constant. The one who makes it all better each time you slip, fear, or hurt. I want to be your goddamn
hero
.”

He takes a step toward me, then takes two back, putting his hands on his hips. “Look, Mom’s right. I knew she was right, but I was just being selfish. Wanting to take too much from you too soon. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pressured you. You
do
need the space to be you, and you’ll get it. I can’t let you go out there while your ex is still a threat, so I’ll keep you here still. But I also can’t let you use me anymore. Money? Material bullshit? Take advantage of those all you want, babe. But, emotionally, I have only so much left to give, and I can’t let you sap it all up in some I-don’t-know-what-I’m-doing-or-what-I-want phase.” His stare digs into mine, solid and true, and he shakes his head once. “I just can’t.”

‘
Whoa
,’ Reckless Lotty breathes, pushing her sunglasses up on her head.

Rational Lotty urges, ‘
Just tell the man the truth. Tell him we’re in love with him and put him out of his misery
.’

‘
Uh…
’ Reckless Lotty’s hand shoots up. ‘
I
do not
agree. We’re not even sure what we feel is love. I say take the space first, or at least see how this trip goes, and then, based on how you feel, tell him
.’

Rational Lotty’s eyebrows shoot up. ‘
Look at you, sounding all sensible and stuff
.’

Reckless Lotty flips her off.

“The trip…” My words come out so hoarse, I have to clear my throat. “How’s the trip gonna work if you feel this way?”

“Feel what way?” Although I can barely see him through the steam that has grown hot and nebulous, I make out the slight raise of his brows. “I’m just not having
sex
with you, Lotty. Will your enjoyment of this trip depend on whether or not you get to use my body and rape my emotions?”

“Maybe. I like having sex…with you.”

Giving me his back, he climbs into the shower. “You’re you, Lotty. As long as you be yourself, you’ll find someone else to fill that void in a second.” He slides the shower door shut, his fingerprints left behind quickly disappearing under a new layer of fog.

“You can be an ass sometimes,” I tell the room of steam, “but I love you.”

His head is already under the shower, so I know he doesn’t hear it.

The truth. 

T
WENTY-
F
IVE

W
E’RE STAYING AT
the Ritz, of course.

Muscles and Kiera are sharing a Club One suite, Mike gets a Deluxe Guest Room, Qwesie and Noah are sharing a Ritz-Carlton suite, and I’m sharing the San Francisco suite with
no one
. 

Like,
what the hell
, right? Which is exactly what I fire at him at check-in.

“What the hell, Noah?” My hand waving the key in his face. “Why are you sharing a room with Q and not me?”

He looks at me, his mouth remaining shut as his eyes do the talking, “
We talked about this this morning
.”

“I tried to tell you that afternoon in his office but you didn’t listen, did you?” Qwesie buts in, winking at me. “He loves it when I do dirty, filthy things to him.” Turning to Noah, he brushes his knuckles along his friend’s unshaved cheek. “Isn’t that right, luv?”

Noah glares at him, but Qwesie’s already sauntering off to the elevator.

Kiera glances quizzically between Noah and me. I haven’t filled her in on our “kinda” breakup, so the room arrangement baffles her, too.

Shooting her a quick glance, I mouth, “Tell you later”, and then fire another round of bullets at Noah via my glower, before turning and flouncing off to the elevator.

My suite is breathtaking. Nothing less than what one would expect for an esteemed luxury hotel like Ritz. Plus there’s a reason this suite is dubbed the San Francisco suite: the panoramic view of San Francisco is spectacularly splendid.

It’s just after midnight, and I didn’t get much sleep on the jet as Qwesie dominated the entire ride with his antics. Christ, that sexy sonuvabitch has
energy
.

When I told him that I needed some of whatever it was he took to have all that energy, he’d grinned at me and said, “Golden showers, luv.” To that, I’d made a gagging noise, and that just made him grin wider.

Things only got raunchier from there.

Now, as I explore my suite, stopping and staring at the humongous bed, all I can think of is sleep. And, of course, hot sex. With Noah. Who isn’t here but sharing a suite with Qwesie to eschew giving in to having hot sex with me.