Jacked (57 page)

ERIN SAT UP
on the bed when I came through the door to our suite. Melissa Werner went all out reserving this place. I didn’t know what a room like this cost but it couldn’t have been cheap. I had no doubt that she had an ulterior motive but after that meeting fiasco, I expected to get the bill.

Erin was wrapped head to toe in white towels, relaxing with her computer tablet. She never left home without it, always studying something.

“You’re back early. You okay?”

I set the room key card and my wallet on the desk and pulled my coat off. I thought the walk back to the hotel would clear my head, but seeing her all washed and clean made me feel even dirtier. My choices were simple: either I give into their demands and turn my life into a joke or tell them to fuck off while destroying the career of the woman who held my heart.

Fuck
.

Erin softly padded across the floor and hugged my waist. “I didn’t expect you to be back so soon.”

I studied the wood grain in the desk, unable to meet her eyes.

She started to slip away. “I’ll go get ready.”

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, needing her arms around me. I had to find a way to tell her that didn’t ruin us both, but for the moment it was easier to ignore it.

“Adam?”

Her cheek was tucked in the curve of my spine, making the strength I was trying to muster up even that more difficult.

“What happened?”

Two words. Two words that would lead to so many others I wasn’t ready to say. I didn’t want her to worry. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel bad about the decisions I was left to make, because there was no way in hell I was going to ruin her life while I was making a mess out of mine.

“Nothing, babe. It’s just a lot to take in.”

Her arms tightened. “Liar.”

My woman saw right through my bullshit.

“I need a minute.” The bathroom seemed like the safest place for me to hide while coming up with a plan. I untangled her and gave her a quick kiss. I knew she was disappointed and probably confused but I didn’t want to lie to her.

I hoped spending a few quiet moments locked behind a door would help, but the messages on my cell were nothing more than another irritating distraction. Several texts from the same unknown number littered my screen.

I stared at the texts, trying to determine if Nikki sent them, but something didn’t fit. I thought about replying—telling the sender to fuck off—but instead, I just deleted them. Knowing my luck, Erin would accidentally see this stupid shit, which would undoubtedly cause unnecessary problems.

I washed my hands, my face; even brushed my damn teeth.

Staring at my reflection just made everything worse.

I switched the bathroom light off. Erin was sitting on the edge of the bed, legs crossed, one foot bobbing while her focus was absorbed by the wrinkled page in her hand. Several papers lay next to her on the bed.

My chest felt heavy.

She was engrossed in whatever she was reading until her eyes met mine. “I think I understand.”

Each breath was like dragging dirty air into my lungs.

“Did you sign this?”

She’d found the contract. My head swayed, giving my answer.

“Good. This…,” she exhaled, nodding, “this is a lot. Is this what you want?”

I’d rather have a punch in the face. It would be easier. “No.”

“I presume you already have a contract with them, or is this it?”

I should have sat down and talked this out but my legs weren’t cooperating. “That’s a contract amendment.”

“Amendment?” Her brow tipped. “Seems heavily in their favor.”

“I thought so, too.”

“Like here, in paragraph… what is it, fourteen B, they retain the right to withhold compensation for episodes that you fail to appear in due to your negligence. I suppose this is in case you’re injured again, but I’d have a contract lawyer look this over because, dayum. That’s pretty vague.”

My shoulders ached. I must have misread that paragraph. Apparently Melissa Werner was into fucking me any way she could.

“They are not required to compensate you for regular wages lost during public appearances. My God. This is a train wreck. Don’t sign this, Adam.”

“I have to.”

She slapped the papers down on her lap. “Why?”

“I don’t have a choice.” My admission burned right up my throat because they were words I had no intention to ever say out loud. Self-loathing and regret made my skin feel like it was on fire. I knew I couldn’t stop bullets, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t take one for her.

I wanted to shred the paper into tiny bits until nothing existed but a pile of dust, because no matter how I tried to protect her I was going to be the source of her hurt.

Erin turned indignant. “Of course you do.”

The knock on the door caught both of our attentions. Erin gripped the front of her fluffy robe. I watched her run around the room. “Shoot. Let me get dressed.”

I really preferred knowing she was naked under that thing. Whoever was on the other side had bad fucking timing. Or good timing.

No, it was definitely bad.

I peered though the peep hole, taking in the uniformed figure of a hotel staffer. Male, approximately twenty-two to twenty-four years old, didn’t look nervous. He seemed mostly bored than anything.

“Did you order room service?” I asked, unlocking the door.

He greeted me with a smile. “Mr. Trent? I have a bottle of wine for you.” He pushed the cart right past me, stopping a few feet inside.

Great.
Just what a recovering alcoholic needed. “Whoa. Hold up.”

Erin was tying her hair back while I shifted into a new level of pissed, already settling on the fact that this would be over right then and there if this is the way she wanted to be around me. “You order this?”

Her eyes narrowed. “What?”

I pointed at the dark bottle sitting in a silver bucket. “Did you order this?”

Erin’s mouth popped open. “No. I… I didn’t order anything.” She scanned the cart. “Where did it come from?”

“Doesn’t matter. I don’t want it.”

“There’s no charge,” the guy said.

Erin slipped past me, drifting her hand down my back in her wake. “Thank you for the offer but we’re fine. Please take it back.”

The guy stammered. “But it’s paid for.”

I wanted to toss him and the bottle out into the hall, but Erin blocked me.

“Then please feel free to enjoy it.” She gave the cart a tentative push toward the door. “Just remove it, okay?”

“That’s a hundred and forty dollar bottle. Are you sure?”

Erin was watching me out of the corner of her eye. “We’re sure.”

If he thought he was getting a tip, he had another thing coming.

She shut the door behind him, leaning on it for a second. “Are you okay?”

“This day is testing my patience.”

“I can see that. Well, as your doctor, I’m prescribing a hot shower and some dinner.”

My mind blanked, stalling all over visions of wet doctor and things my cock could do to her. Hands, too. My hands definitely wanted in on the action. My tongue felt thick, demanding to participate. She was fantastic with diversions. “If you think it would help.”

She crossed her arms. “I do.”

Her stance was propping her boobs up nicely. The entire package leached the anger from my bones. “Well, you are a professional.”

“I didn’t order the wine.”

I know. I’m an asshole.
“I know.”

“You thought I did.”

She had me there.

“I wouldn’t do something like that to you, Adam. Not now; not ever.”

I could easily see she was telling the truth.

“It hurts that you’d think that of me.”

I’m a very big asshole
. Dad always told us to man up when we were wrong. “I’m sorry.”

“I would never disrespect you like that. Never.” She huffed. “Promise me that this is the last time you’ll doubt me on that.”

Her knocking my ass in line was sort of a turn on. “I promise.”

Erin nodded, still holding her ground. Her focus shifted to the mess of papers she left on the corner of the bed. Just when I was sure she’d want to talk about that fucking contract, she motioned toward the bathroom. “Time for an attitude adjustment. How about a hot shower and then we go find a place to eat?”

I crossed the distance and squared off with her. “Is that your final order, Doc?”

She put up her best front. “Your swagger isn’t going to save you on this one.”

“My swagger?”

Her chin jutted out, and for a second I could see her taking the same stance reprimanding our children one day. The boy would be a spitting image of me, no doubt earning her starch on a daily basis. A daughter would be just as much of a hard-ass, but she’d have me wrapped around her finger just like her mom.

“I’m not used to people doubting me.”

I pulled her in, breaking her feeble wall with effortless ease. “I’m not used to people giving a shit.”

Her hands slid up my arms. “Well, I do. Very much.”

Her words were like a shock to the heart, but for some reason they didn’t scare the hell out of me. The only thing I was concerned about was making that crinkle of pity disappear from her face.

“Very much?” I didn’t need to ask, but I did anyway. The way she was staring me down, drilling her meaning into me with just a look, left zero doubt.

“Yes,” she said.

“Then let me apologize.” One lift up and her feet left the ground, my tongue was much better with words than I was. A few more steps and I had her flat on her back on our hotel bed, showing her instead of talking myself into another corner.

The entire world ceased to exist whenever I was between her legs. She was a safe haven, a place I could weather any storm. After Nikki, I was convinced love was for saps. It was the last thing I wanted and sure as hell didn’t need it clogging up my life. I was sorely wrong.

Erin moaned in my mouth. “I like the way you apologize.”

My hand squeezed harder, blocking out the ping of another incoming text. I wondered if her hard nipple would taste as good as it felt. “Protect, serve, admit when I’m wrong. All in a day’s work.”

She giggled when I slid her shirt up.

I was moving her bra out of my way when Erin startled underneath me, peering over my shoulder in the direction of the noise.

Renewed frustration made me borderline homicidal. “Somebody has a death wish.”

I glared at the door, willing the interruption to go away. It didn’t take long for that second knock to sound.

Erin combed her fingers through my hair, groaning when I lifted off her. “You have my permission to shoot them.”

I pulled my shirt down over my aching cock, feeling it deflate after looking through the peephole.
Fuck
. How was I going to explain this one to Erin?

The pain in my ass knocked again.

“You going to answer it?” she murmured, straightening her shirt.

“Do I have to?”

Erin frowned and rolled up off the bed, curious.

I gripped the doorknob, stopping Erin in her tracks.

Melissa Werner’s instant sultry smile made my stomach roil. She eyed me up and down as if I were a feast or something. I should have just closed the door.

“You going to invite me in?” she purred.

I blocked the doorway. “I didn’t look at the contract yet.”

She focused on my hair for some reason, then down to my crotch. “You look a bit frustrated. Anything I can do to help?”

My grip on the doorframe tightened. “No. I’m good.”

She wet her lip. “A man of few words. Did you get my gift?”

“Gift?”

She tried to look past me. “I ordered a bottle of wine for us. Thought we could have a drink, discuss things. Whatever concerns you may have. I hate that you left my office so angry.”

“I don’t respond well to strong-armed tactics. And I sent the bottle back.”

“You what?”

I hated having to explain myself. “I’m a little busy right now.”

Erin put her hand on my ass. How other guys could juggle more than one woman at a time was beyond me. It’d be more of a pain in the ass than it was worth.

“You’re busy,” Melissa repeated, as if she didn’t believe me. “Too busy to have a drink and go to dinner with me? I know a great place. The food is fantastic.”

Erin’s hand shifted just enough to be a reminder that she was standing right behind me.

I opened the door wide enough for Melissa to see in. It was time to shut down her unwanted attention.