Fated to be Yours (32 page)

He places his finger over my lips, silencing me immediately. “Let’s not discuss that right now. It’s time to get you clean so we can spend the morning together.”

He grabs his body wash and lathers his hands, sliding them across my body, making sure nothing is left unclean. Andrew pays close attention to my more sensitive areas, knowing that I must be slightly sore after our ministrations this morning and last night. I follow his direction and lather up my own hands, running them up and down the defined muscles of his body. It proves difficult, trying not to start another round of passion as my fingers wrap around his still semi-erect cock. Although I wouldn’t object to a round three at this point. I’ll take whatever he can give me.

Soon enough, he shuts the water off and grabs a towel for the both of us, gently running it over my body for me. He wraps the towel around my naked body and pulls me closer to him. I reach up and run my lips over his as an expression of gratitude.

“You’re too good to me,” I tell him. He gives me that lopsided grin of his and I giggle.

“Never. I can never be too good to you.”

“Well if you keep this up I’m going to expect this sort of treatment every day and we both know that’s not going to happen.”

My heart twists in pain as I’m reminded yet again of my departure and his silence and avoidance of the subject or my verbal blunder of last night. Both make me sad but for two very different reasons.

He strokes my cheek, forcing me to tilt my head up slightly to his. “You know you make me so happy Tessa. There’s not a moment of this past week that I would change.”

His blue eyes sparkle and I fight the urge to break down and cry, mourning the loss of something that hasn’t even happened yet. For now I’m here and so is he. For now I’m in his arms. That should be enough. But it’s not. I’m addicted. I’m pulled to him on the cosmic level that I can’t even fathom my days or nights alone anymore. He makes me want to reach out and take life as it comes to me rather than hide in my hole, watching it pass me by.

He makes me want to be more than my past.

The annoying sound of his phone ringing on the counter has both our heads turning in unison to it. Hmm, I didn’t even notice him putting it there when he came in. Then again, I was distracted by his naked body. A three ring circus could have performed in here and I wouldn’t have noticed.

I glance over and see a female’s name before he quickly sends it to voicemail.

“Shouldn’t you get that?” I ask.

He shakes his head and twists his lips to the side. “It can wait until later.”

Until later. He means when I’m not here. It can’t be more than an hour after we woke up. No one calls this early in the morning without a reason. And with his quick brush off of the subject it has my suspicions running rampant.

“Andrew?”

He types out a quick message and places his phone back on the counter. “Yes, love?”

Should I voice my concern or just let it drop? Seeing as I’m leaving soon, there’s no point in causing a fight before I’m gone.

“Nothing.”

He presses a quick kiss to my forehead before grabbing his chirping phone again and walking back to his room.

He’s obviously busy this morning with whoever is messaging him. I watch him walk into his closet, pulling things out to wear for the day. My mind blanks out as I blatantly stare at him, watching as he slides his jeans over his perfect ass. I need to sit before I fall over.

Andrew looks over his shoulder and smirks at me. “Give me another few minutes and I’ll start on our breakfast.”

I nod and he walks back into the bathroom. I gather my clothes off the floor, thankful that they were not overly wrinkled in their haste to leave my body last night. The beep of his phone piques my curiosity again as I slide the shirt over my head.

I shouldn’t look. It’s none of my business. Besides I wouldn’t like someone looking at my messages. But my feet have a mind all of their own as I walk over to his dresser and look at the screen as it illuminates in front of me.

Andrew, it’s imperative that you call me. I’ll be over in an hour. It can’t wait any longer. I need to see you. Evie.

Evie? Who is Evie? I run through the list of members at the Foundation and none of them has that name. Did he lie when Kara asked him if he had a girlfriend? Or is this an ex who still lingers about? And what does she need to talk to him about?

My stomach twists as the past comes back to haunt me. He used me to get his way. That’s the reason he didn’t say anything back to me last night. He’s already got someone waiting for him for when I leave.

I wrap my arms around my middle, forcing the tears away. I won’t cry about this. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for all the text messages and phone calls he’s had since we woke up. Right? I mean, women always text early in the day, especially to guys they don’t have any interest in. That’s a blatant lie and I know it. There’s only one reason a woman texts first thing in the morning and it isn’t to say hey let’s be friends.

I hear him fumbling around in the bathroom and I decide to alleviate his obligation to me. With a new sadness in my heart, I exit the room to gather up my things. I should just go. It would be easier on everyone involved if I just disappeared. He can meet with Evie without having to worry about getting rid of me and I can go back to Minnesota to live out my existence alone, as it should be.

I give his apartment one last look as I sling my purse over my shoulder and quietly close the front door behind me. I’m guessing it’ll take him a few minutes to figure out that I’ve left so I decide to start walking until I can find a taxi to drive me back to my hotel. Luckily I didn’t have to walk too far as one passes me and I flag it down, asking them to drive me there as quick as possible. The cab driver nods his head and I’m thankful that he’s also not in a talkative mood. I don’t think I would be good company at this moment as my heart splinters inside my chest.

Slipping the driver a few pounds to cover the fare and a tip, I run to the front doors and climb the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator. Images of my rides with Andrew come crashing into my brain and I stumble slightly on the stairs, catching myself against the railing.

My phone rings again for the third time and I ignore it. I need to hurry and pack my things and get to the airport before he comes to find me. Another wave of pain hits me as I open my door, finding my room in exactly the same condition that I left it in the morning before.

We kept the Do Not Disturb sign up so my bed is still unmade. His duffle bag sits right at the end where he left it before whisking me away to our adventure around London. I close my eyes and tears threaten to fall as I can still smell his cologne in the air. But I remind myself that he was never mine and that it truly was a vacation fling after all.

I quickly throw my things together, pulling out every drawer to make sure I don’t leave anything behind. His duffle still sits there and I stare at it, wondering what I should do with it. He still has his hotel key so he could come and get it when he’s done seeing Evie.

Even the sound of her name in my head makes my stomach turn. I picture her as some tall model-type woman with cascading blonde hair and looks that would make any man leave his spouse on the spot. They probably have had a love affair for years and were the perfect photo ready couple. Perhaps an on again/off again relationship. Maybe she’s trying to rekindle something. Why else would she have been corresponding with him all morning?

I write a quick note, thanking Andrew for my time here and that I won’t forget him but also asking him not to contact me because it’ll be too hard. I tuck the note safely between the handles of his duffle and swipe my hand across the top.

A lone tear falls from my eyes as I turn and leave the room, sparing myself a final glance to cause me more pain. My door slams louder than I intend as I walk down the hall, brushing away the tears that are now falling freely.

“Tessa?” I hear Kara call down the hall to me, her voice soft and confused. I turn my head but keep it cast down so she can’t see my red-rimmed eyes. “What are you doing here? I thought you were with Andrew.”

I sniff once. “I was. And then he was getting messages and phone calls all morning from an Evie. The last one I looked at without him knowing it and she said she was coming over within the hour. I wanted to spare him the embarrassment of having to explain me to her so I left.”

Her face drops as I brush away another tear. “There must be some misunderstanding. He said he didn’t have a girlfriend.”

I shrug my shoulders. “Yeah, well, he could have said that so he could pursue me this week. It’s not like he’d be the first guy in history to omit the full truth to get a girl into bed.”

Her eyes fall onto my suitcase by my side. “Where are you going?”

“The airport. I’m just going to wait there so he can’t find me and make it more awkward than it already is.”

“Has he called you yet?” she asks.

Just then her phone starts ringing and I hear Chris calling out to her from their room, saying that it’s Andrew. My eyes grow wide and I start shaking my head from side to side.

“Please, Kara. Please don’t say anything. I just need to get out of here.”

She grabs me by my shoulders and holds me at arm’s length. “I don’t want you traveling around London by yourself. Stay right here. Let me grab my purse and I’ll come with you. Just please don’t leave yet.”

I nod my head but keep staring at my feet. I feel defeated and almost numb like the world is moving around me in slow motion. Kara runs back into her room and I can vaguely hear her talking to Chris. I wrap my arms around my middle as she asks him to bring their stuff to the airport behind us. Within minutes, she’s in the hallway again, carry-on and purse in tow.

“Kara, you don’t have to cut your morning short due to me. Really, I’ll be okay. Spend your time with Chris. I don’t need a babysitter. I am capable of taking care of myself. I’ve been doing it for years.”

The familiar sad look in her eyes has me turning my head away. I don’t want pity or sadness and I know she can’t help it right now. She feels sorry for what I’m going through, even though there’s a good possibility that I’m probably making this all up in my head. But then that text message appears before me and I close my eyes, hoping to keep myself in check so I don’t break down in the middle of the hallway.

Kara places her hand on my shoulder and helps me to the elevator. “I know you’ll be okay, but I won’t be if I know you’re out there wandering around by yourself. And let’s face it; you’re not exactly in the best frame of mind right now.”

I can’t argue with her statement as she guides me through the hotel and into a waiting town car. How she got one ready for us, I don’t know but I’m sure it was when she and Chris were talking in her room. We pull away from the curb and I press my head against the cool glass of the window. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a familiar vehicle pull up. I know who that is without having to verify that the tall, dark haired man exiting the vehicle is indeed the man that I’m running away from. Just knowing that he’s there is enough to make the floodgates open and the tears begin streaming down my face.

Kara pulls me into her side, rocking me gently as she rests her cheek against the top of my head. I cry silently, not wanting to draw more attention to myself, even though it’s just us and the driver. The city that I’ve come to love over the past few days passes by me in a blur, a fitting end to my week here. I’ve experienced so much over this week and actually grown a little too. I’ve become slightly less scared, except my fleeing right now. I’ve learned that it’s okay to put myself out there because even though I don’t know the outcome I will never try new things if I don’t. And if I fall, I can pick myself back up.

We pass through the airport, following the crowd like sheep in a flock. I respond to simple commands, giving people my ID when asked, responding to questions appropriately, doing my best to keep myself together when they ask me if I enjoyed my trip. And I did enjoy it, every second of it. I wouldn’t regret a single minute of my time here, even though I’m leaving in heartache.

Once we get past security and into a zone where only ticket holders can be, I finally relax with the thought that I’ll be home soon. Kara, bless her heart, keeps trying to engage me in a conversation as we sit in the first class lounge. Only I’m just not up to talking yet. It’s still too fresh in my mind.

My phone beeps in my purse and I ignore it, just like I’ve ignored the numerous phone calls since we left the hotel. I’m sure he’s going out of his mind, but I don’t understand why. He’s got Evie. Why would he keep wasting his time with me when there’s someone here that he can see every day?

“Aren’t you going to at least acknowledge that text message? You can’t avoid him forever Tess,” Kara says, placing her hand on my knee.

I sigh. “I know. But for now I don’t want to. Maybe later. He’ll stop eventually. I asked him to stop with the letter I left him in my room.”

She tilts her head to the side and gives me her disappointed look. “You left him a letter? That’s it? No advanced warning that you were just going to run away from his apartment, no ‘hey I’ll call you every day until we see each other again’ message. You took the chicken way out and left him a Dear John letter saying to leave you alone?”

I chew on my lower lip as I think about what she just said. “Okay, so it’s kind of a dick move on my part.”

“Kind of?” she asks incredulously.

“Okay fine, a massive dick move. But let’s face it. He’s here, I’m there. And this Evie, she’s here and can give him what he needs. I was just getting in the way. Besides, why else would a woman be messaging a guy early in the morning if it isn’t about a bootie call or she’s not hung up on him?”

“Common courtesy would be to let him give his side of the story.”

“I know.”

She shakes her head. “And you, my friend, are drawing assumptions, and you know what they say when you make assumptions.”

I half-heartedly laugh. “Yeah, I know. But I’m not prepared for this right now. Let me get back to the States and clear my head. We both knew this was coming, that I was leaving today. So I’m making it easier on everyone without the awkward goodbye.”