Chapter 231

Later, Neil holds me just inside the front door of my penthouse. And, well, I might be holding onto him just as hard.

After the night we shared, I’m not ready to let him go yet. If I had my way, we would still be in bed, tangled up in each other and lost to the rest of the world. We’d stay there forever.

Although, granted, in the light of the new day, things are a bit… tender down there. It’s a pleasant kind of soreness though. A good memory of all the things we’ve done together.

Neil cups my face with one hand. He brings my face toward his and his plants soft kisses along my hairline, then down the bridge of my nose, and finally to my lips. His kisses are soft. They aren’t leading to anything like they had been last night and this morning.

Instead, they are gentler. An affirmation of what we have done and what we mean to do again.

Neil already said that though he would need to be careful, he has no intention of holding us back from each other anymore.

Still, those promises are easily said before the lovemaking, much harder to keep in the light of the morning after.

I wrap my fingers through his belt loops and stubbornly tug him closer.

He smiles against my lips. “This isn’t the last time,” he says.

“The next time isn’t soon enough,” I say. I suppose some part of me should be embarrassed for how wanton the brothers have made me. But I just can’t muster up shame inside of me. Everything feels so good, and we both enjoy it. If I catch unreciprocated feelings, well, that’s on me.

“True,” he says, and his smile begins to fade. It does funny things inside of my chest. I instantly want that smile back, and I want to be the one who returns it and keeps it there.

He looks down.

“Neil?”

“It might be a while before the next time,” he says. “I think my father is catching wise of some of our plans. He doesn’t like that we won’t fall in line. It might be too dangerous for us to be together too often right now.”

“It’s always been dangerous,” I say.

He nods. “Just give me some time, okay? Once we take down the Alpha King –”

“You are saying that like you can do it so easily. Like you’ll have it done tomorrow.” Even I know going against the Alpha King will be a long and arduous process, one they might not even survive.

“It will take time.”

“Neil, you can’t mean to stay away from me that long…” What about all that he said last night? About not wanting to keep us apart anymore? “Was everything you said to me bullshit?”

His gaze snaps back to mine and I can see the fight waging war behind his eyes. “Absolutely not. It was all true.”

“Then what is this...?”

“I can’t make promises,” Neil says. “Not yet. That’s all I’m saying.”

It feels like he’s backtracking, or like he’s told me too much and now he’s pulling back into himself. Whatever is happening, I’m not a big fan of it.

But Neil is the most stubborn of all the Hayes brothers, and that’s saying something. I know from experience that arguing will get me absolutely nowhere.

The only thing I can hope on is that the brothers bond to me is so strong they won’t be able to ignore me for long. It’s worked in my favor so far.

Even if that bond is confusing as all hell for everyone, I can’t deny it’s benefited me.

Neil kisses me again. The kiss is soft but it lingers, a press of lips to lips.

It’s a soft, sweet bookend to the night of pleasure and passion we’ve shared.

Then, when it’s done, he turns away and leaves without a goodbye. I wonder if he had to make himself go. Was he like me, and wanted the moment to go on forever?

I watch him get on the elevator, and then I close and lock the door behind me.

It’s morning now. I have a full day ahead of me.

I hate myself a little for it, but I already miss Neil.

But I am no frail waif who waits around for her prince charming all day and night, so I force myself to change into my day clothes. Back in the kitchen, I make breakfast.

While I eat, I open my textbook to sneak a peek at what today’s lecture will be about. My eyes glaze over after two minutes in. Gods, so boring.

I send a quick text to Debbie, lamenting how lame class is going to be today. She sends one back near-instantly with no less than ten sleeping emoticons.

Still, boring feels kind of good right now. After the excitement of… well, the past three months, maybe it’s time for things to move into the slow lane for a while. As long as I can keep seeing the brothers now and then, I can’t exactly complain.

Maybe they’ll let me see Mia too. I might be able to convince Neil. He has such a softspot for me.

After breakfast, I put my textbooks in my backpack and then head out the door toward the lecture. Other students are milling about on campus. It’s later in the morning now, so some of the students are even lazing about in the quad.

As I continue down the sidewalk, a car comes to a rolling stop beside me. My adrenaline instantly spikes. For someone to stop like that, keeping pace with my walking, they must want to speak to me.

I need to be on alert for danger. I’d been warned from the start about people who would want to do me harm.

I brace myself and glance at the car.

It’s Carrie behind the wheel. I glance back through the car. No one else is inside of it.

She has the passenger side window rolled down.

“Chloe!” she calls. There’s a bit of desperation in her voice. Her eyes are round and her face pale. She looks scared. “Thank Gods I found you.”

“Carrie? What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“I have to talk to you privately,” Carrie says. “Please, Chloe. Get in so we can talk.”

My mind reels with what could be happening. Is someone giving her trouble? Has the Alpha King finally tracked her down? Is something happening with Mia?

None of these are questions I want to ask through a car window.

I take hold of the car handle, pull it open, and slip inside.

Carrie puts up the windows as I do so. I don’t think much of it. After all, she wants to have a private conversation. We can’t very well do that with the windows down.

But then, as soon as the door is closed behind me, she hits the locks.

I blink, surprised and confused. “Carrie?”

I try to open the door, but she’s fixed it so the door can’t be opened from the inside now that she’s locked it.

“Carrie? What is this?”

Carrie’s panic subsides somewhat, revealing her regret.

Her voice is flat when she says, “Didn’t I warn you to be careful who you trust?”