Finally Heaven (Room 103 Book 4) (7 page)

He smiled at me, a lopsided grin that did something to my insides. I refused to allow it to develop. “I can fix your hair for you, Zo. You always looked stunning with it wrapped around my hand when your lips were wrapped around my cock.”

“Fuck!” I couldn’t help the breathy word from slipping out, my anger heightening alongside my lust. I lifted my eyes to him as I pulled off his boots and yanked his jeans off from around his ankles, leaving him completely bare. “Don’t do this, Daniel. We just need to get you cleaned up and sober. Today is Bulk and Spirit’s day, don’t spoil it for them.”

He didn’t respond as I guided him into the shower. He fell backwards and I cursed under my breath, knowing I would have to get in there with him if I didn’t want him to drown.

He stood staring at me, his agonised gaze fixed on my face as I steered him under the flow of cool water. “Shit!” he hissed when the torrent sliced through his concentration on me, a cold shiver vibrating through his body as goosebumps erupted over his skin, bringing his ink to life under the ripple of his body hair.

I grabbed the bottle of shower gel, squeezing it onto my hands to quickly wash him. I kept my face trained on his chest as my hands moved over him, cleaning away the remnants of his vomit.

We were quiet, me not daring to speak, just needing to get this done as quickly as I could. The hairs on the back of neck jolted upright when he whispered. “I miss you.”

I swallowed, ignoring the way my hard nipples showed through the wet silk of my bra.

I didn’t reply, I couldn’t. My heart pulsed violently though, my blood surging through me and making me lightheaded.

My teeth sank into my lip when he lifted his hand and dragged a finger down between my breasts, dipping into my cleavage. “Fuck Zo, why are you hell bent on making my cock hurt? Every time my eyes find you, my damn dick wants you.”

I snapped my eyes to his, not daring to breathe. His chest heaved as he looked straight into the core of me. “I wanted so much with you, baby. I wanted to give you so much.” He shook his head, pain taking over again, pushing the softness away as anger took control. “But I couldn’t, I can’t.”

He wasn’t making sense but I continued to just stare at him, the water cascading over both of us, water dripping down my face, most likely ruining my hair and my make-up. “

“You hurt me, Ink. So fucking much.”

“Daniel…”

“Fucking hell!” Boss’s voice boomed through the bathroom. I stiffened as Daniel grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath, a glimpse of regret forcing a blank look to seep into his gaze. “Go get ready, Zo,” Boss ordered as he slid his face round the glass partition. “I’ll sort this twat.”

Daniel held my eyes for a moment longer before slowly moving them to Boss. “I can fucking wash myself, what the hell is wrong with you people?” His temper rose, his eyes now narrowing on me. “Who are you, my mother?”

I blinked at him, feeling the bite as though he had physically slapped me, shocked by his disgust.

“Don’t take it out on Zoe, you prick,” Boss growled, taking my hand and leading me out of the shower and handing me a towel. “Go on,” he gestured to me with a tilt of his head towards the door. “Go.”

I nodded, pulling the towel around my shoulders. “Boss,” I said quietly as I pulled open the door and turned back to him. He swung his gaze to me and cocked his head. “Something’s wrong.” He frowned at me. “With Daniel,” I explained, “Something has happened. He hasn’t done this on purpose.”

“Has he said something?”

I shook my head and sighed, “He doesn’t need to. I know him, I can read it in his eyes.”

He stared at me curiously for a moment before he nodded. “Okay.”

I nodded in return, urging him to help the broken man that was stood still, shoulders low, face lower under the river of cold water, his devastation as loud as the batter of deluge on the tiled floor.

Sneaking a quick glance through the glass, Daniel’s hands palmed the wall and the silhouette of his forehead pressing against the wall broke my heart. I turned and pulled the door closed, hoping the privacy would allow Daniel to divulge to his friend what was tormenting him.

My soul wept when I heard Daniel’s choked cry before frantic sobs sounded from behind the door. Each of the women in the room turned to look, seeing me standing there, water dripping from me, my soaked hair glued to my wet face, my underwear hiding nothing.

“Zo?” E questioned. “What’s happened?”

“I have no idea,” I replied. “He never opened up to me and I don’t expect him to now.” My insides twisted at that thought, knowing my words to be true, their truth hurtful.

My brow furrowed harder as Jen reached out and took the towel from me, proceeding to dry me off when she noticed my helplessness. “Give him time,” she whispered.

“I always did,” I replied truthfully and painfully. “And that never got me anywhere either.”

I STARED AT Mr and Mrs Donnelly as they twirled around the dance floor, some random soppy song blasting from the orchestra in one corner of the room. Who the hell had an orchestra play at the wedding party? The music was getting on my nerves, its incessant screech reverberating around my head, worsening the dull thump that had developed an hour ago.

The room was heaving, bodies squashed everywhere. I sat in the dark corner, shifting between episodes of sleep, squinted observation and hunting for Zo. She looked so beautiful, in her pretty blue dress, the colour matching the deep blue of her eyes. The full pink pout of her lips calling out to me, the cascade of blonde hair down her back heightening her perfection. I had attempted to release her hair from the knot she’d had it in. I loved her hair loose, the way it framed her face and teasingly covered her tits when we’d made love.

I blinked. Made love? It had never been that. Sex, fucking, an amazing shag, but never love. That was something I didn’t do, and she wouldn’t do when she found out about my penchant for men.

My stomach surged. I blew out a breath to dampen the nausea, wiping my eyes when tears welled again. Fuck this shit! I couldn’t sit here partying when… when Penny was… gone. The tightness in my chest returned, making it difficult to breathe but increasing the need to vomit.

Pushing past the dancers, I dashed through the doors, my eyes scanning furiously for the toilets. Figuring it was too late, I bent into a huge pot plant and released the torrent of pain and grief with the vomit. A wave of agony blasted across my head with each retch, making me grab it and moan.

A hand started to rub my back as I continued spewing violently. I couldn’t turn to look who it was, my eyes watering with the viciousness that overtook, my stomach pulling with each heave.

I knew it was Zoe. I had caught her frequent worried glimpses across the room all night, the question in her eyes whether she should approach or not. But she’d been carried away each time by one of the girls, desperate for her company. Not as desperate as I had been.

I pulled my shirt out of my trousers and lifted it to wipe my mouth.

“You okay?” my aide asked.

I frowned at the male tone, my eyes snapping up. “What the fuck?” I half hissed, half groaned when speech brought another wave of nausea. “What the hell are you doing here?”

He removed his hand from my back when he felt me tense and shrug him off.

“Bulk and Spirit invited me.”

My eyebrows shot up with a snort of disbelief. “I very much doubt that. Do they know what you do?”

He lowered his eyes with my accusing tone but nodded. “Yes, that’s the reason they asked me to come. I have an exclusive for my newspaper.”

“Another exclusive, eh?” I sneered. “You must be so popular at the moment.”

“Romeo, I didn’t… I wouldn’t do that. However, I did need to talk to you.”

“Really?” I leaned over the plant again, ignoring the disgusted look from the three receptionists as they glared at me from behind the huge smoked glass counter.

Nick’s hand pressed between my shoulders again, rubbing up and down gently. Shrugging him off once again I turned to glare at him, “I’m not a damn child. I don’t need a mummy.”

Anger suddenly twisted his features, his eyes narrowing with his fury. “Will you quit! I need to talk to you. Help you.”

“Help me?” I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief before heaving again. Fuck, I hated being ill. I wanted him to continue rubbing my back, it was soothing to my distress but I wouldn’t let him know that.

“I know you didn’t kill Penny McIntyre, Romeo.”

My eyes widened on him, my spine snapping straight as I narrowed my eyes on him. “What do you know about Penny?”

He shook his head, sighing. “Not much. But there’s something not right. I need to talk to you.”

Regretting myself, I nodded. If he knew something about Penny’s death, then I needed him to tell me. Although I didn’t trust him, he was the only lead I had about what had happened.

“Not here.” He glanced around the room, a slight anguish tightening his face. “It’s not safe. Will you meet me later?”

“I’m in room 417. Top floor. Meet me there after the party. I’ll make sure security give you clearance.”

He smiled gratefully, nodding his head once. “Thank you.” He turned to walk away, but paused and turned back to me, his brow furrowed and his teeth chewing on his lower lip. “You…” he sucked air through his teeth. “Just be careful.”

I frowned at him but he turned and walked back into the party, saying nothing else.

I SAW HER the moment I stepped foot back into the party. She was laughing, her head tipped back, her gorgeous blonde hair spilling down her back. She had the cutest smile, the most amazing body, the prettiest blue eyes and the greatest temper; a temper that made my dick hard.

Since I’d met her in the car park last night I hadn’t been able to push her out of my mind. I’d sat for hours, staring at the fiver with her phone number on knowing it was too soon to call her but not even sure she would even have answered, never mind talk to me.

There was something about her that enlivened something inside me, called to me, and woke the dormant part of me. I’d always preferred men, although I still had the occasional fling with females. However, Zoe was something else. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but she held every single part of me hostage, attentive to every single part of her.

A random guy smiled widely at her, his eyes fixed on her face. I could read the want in him, the arrogant expectation that he had pulled. Not tonight, mate.

I stalked the room, my strides wide to reach her. Her eyes widened when she noticed me, my swift movement into her catching her breath as I grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor without a word.

She was too shocked to react at first, allowed me to control her. I pulled her tight against me, my body hardening instantly at the feel of her soft curves against me, her large firm breasts pushed against the muscles of my chest as my arms snaked around her, embracing her closely.

She started to struggle, pull away but I tutted in her ear. “I think a dance is the least you owe me, honey.”

She reared back, her blazing blue eyes turning me on even more. I needed to witnesses the deep rawness in her eyes when I made her body bow to me, to the pleasure I could give her, to the pain I wanted to guide her temper through.

“I don’t owe you anything,” she snapped, still writhing beneath me.

Fuck, my dick was so hard. Not giving a damn, I thrust my hips against hers, her eyes widening further when she felt what her fight was doing to me. “I beg to differ. You owe me, by my calculations, around two thousand pounds for the damage to my car.”

“What?” she gasped, her jaw dropping. “That’s… Wow.”

Guilt flooded me when the worry on her face dimmed the light in her eyes. Her eyes scanned my face before dropping to my chest, her body now completely viable beneath me as she fretted how she could find that much money.

“Maybe we can come to some sort of arrangement,” I offered.

I blinked, a slight gasp rendering me motionless when her palm shot across my cheek. “I’m not a fucking prostitute,” she spat.

“What the fuck!” I growled, my jaw tightening with anger. “I didn’t mean that. Jesus! I was thinking about an agreeable weekly amount!”