“And it’s time for Bailey to walk away,” I quip, much to Corey’s amusement.
“Aw, let her have her fun. She’s only jealous. No one’s going to make her scream tonight like I will you.”
“Oh my God, stop it. Both of you.”
“Christ, I need a man and fast. Laters.” Bailey stalks from the room, a woman on a mission.
Corey chuckles behind me, the sound making my insides clench with desire. “Well…”
“Well what, baby?”
“What are you waiting for? That suite is ours, right?”
“Just waiting for you to say the words.”
He takes my hand and we’re out of there in a flash. Heat pools between my thighs as images of what’s to come fill my mind.
“Good morning,” Rylee sings when we finally make it out of the suite the next morning and down to the great hall to help sort everything else. “It was such an incredible night, Harlow. It’s almost a shame you missed it.” She winks and I silently groan.
So our absence was noticed, then.
“Yeah, so… sorry about that.”
“No need. Everything ran like clockwork. I’m just glad to see that smile on your face once again.”
I glance up at Corey, my cheeks heating, knowing that he’s listening to this.
He stands, silently smiling beside me. His eyes darken as he imagines all the ways he made me smile last night. I gently slap his chest.
“What?” he asks innocently.
“Nightmare,” I mutter.
“So, do we have a final figure yet?”
“No, but from what we worked out quickly last night, it was a huge success. Some of the bids were insane.”
“Tell me you didn’t,” Corey whispers in my ear, but I brush him off, much to his amusement.
“What needs doing?”
“Just tidying up and taking all this stuff out to the vans. My henchman has already taken the first boxes.”
“Henchm— oh,” I say when Colton comes walking back in the room, looking much more relaxed in his jeans and shirt compared to Corey, who’s back in his tux, albeit halfheartedly, much to my disappointment.
I, on the other hand, managed to lose my dress thanks to my best friend supplying me with a spare set of clothes that she had sent to the hotel.
“Morning, I trust you two had a good night.”
“Fucking hell,” I mutter, embarrassment racing through me.
“Things are good, if that’s what you mean,” Corey says stepping up to him and clapping his hand against Colton’s shoulder. “Thanks, man. I owe you one,” he whispers, but I catch it.
It wasn’t hard to figure that Colton had some involvement in Corey turning up last night. The fact that they arrived together was a big clue.
“For someone who claims not to do romance, he’s sure good at fixing people up,” Rylee says, an amused smile on her face.
“Sometimes a few words are all it takes.”
“You two are good together. I hope this is the end of the bumps in the road for you.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Me too,” I say, thinking about the bump we’re soon going to be dealing with.
“So, where to?” Corey asks as a car pulls up to take us away a couple of hours later. We ended up getting everything sorted and packed into the vans before the four of us sat down to have breakfast. I’d already thrown up the room service we’d ordered last night, and I was starved once again. It was nice. Normal, even. And, I didn’t even embarrass myself in front of Colton, so I take that as a win. Although, it may have something to do with the fact that I’m much less interested in him and far more captivated by the man who was sitting at my side and insisting on some kind of contact with me at all times. I sure wasn’t complaining.
“I really need to go home. But do you mind if we take a detour first? There’s somewhere I’d like to go.”
“For you, Harlow? Anywhere.”
I nod and rattle off the new address to the driver.
As we head through town, my heart starts to beat faster and my hands begin to tremble with anticipation.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry. I’m just a little nervous.”
“Why? Where are you taking me?” His brows pull together in mock concern.
“Nowhere weird. Just somewhere I’ve not been for a really long time.”
“Okaaay.”
Sitting back, I watch the busy city start to end and the countryside become more vast as we race toward our destination.
As the gates approach ahead, I fight to keep my breathing steady. I don’t want to freak out before we even get there.
“Whoa, what is this place?” Corey asks as we make our way up the long driveway before the house comes into view.
The second I see it, all my panic and anxiety vanishes.
I’m home.
A smile curls at my lips as I picture myself and my sister playing out on the grass. My mom sitting in her chair on the deck reading her book while my dad crashes about in his shed.
Emotion clogs my throat, but it’s not the devastating grief I was expecting to feel. It’s happiness. Contentment.
“This is my home. It’s where I grew up, before…”
“Harlow, it’s… incredible.”
“Do you want to see inside?”
“Of course. If you do.”
“I think it’s time.” My fingers wrap around the handle, and I go to push the door open.
“Wait, you’ve not been back here?”
“Not since I was taken away.”
“Wow. Okay.”
We climb out of the car, and, feeling confident, I tell the driver he can leave.
Walking over, Corey wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side.
“I know you said you had money, but I think I might have underestimated the amount.”
I chuckle at him, not wanting to go into specifics. “My dad and grandfather did a fantastic job with the business.”
“So I see.”
He releases me so I can pull the key from my purse. It’s always been with my other house keys, just in case the mood ever struck me and I found myself here. Much like today.
I suck in a deep
