She offered him a smile. “It’s all right, I’m tired. I’m gonna go. I’ll text you tomorrow.” Lifting up onto her tip toes she pressed a kiss to his coarse cheek. “Thank you for tonight.”
Reluctantly he released her. “At least let me walk you back.”
She considered, recalling the strange incident when she’d walked to his place. Too many odd events to ignore; what would it hurt to have a little protection? “Sure, thanks.”
He grinned then, a dazzling white smile that nearly stole her breath. As they started away toward her hotel, his hand slid into hers. His warmth and presence anchored her.
The walk was shorter and far less eventful than her trip to his apartment had been. Standing outside the entrance, Harlow smiled up at him.
“Thanks again.”
He moved forward, cupping her cheeks and slanting his mouth over hers. She got drunk off his kisses, feeling her body press against his. The fire reignited, but Harlow forced herself to break it.
He sighed, still holding her face. “Sure you don’t want me to come in?”
“Oh, I want you to come in,” she said a little breathlessly, “but I think it’s best if we say good night.”
Rex pressed another soft kiss to her lips, then stepped back. “As you wish.”
“Good night,” she said.
“Good night.”
Harlow entered the building, but she sensed without looking back that he lingered on the pavement, as if hoping she’d reconsider. To keep herself from doing just that, she hurried up to her room.
Harlow
Harlow swiped her keycard with a sigh. When the light flashed green and the lock beeped, she pushed the door open, stumbling into her dark hotel room. The sound of paper crinkling beneath her feet made her stop. She reached for the light switch, feeling along the wall for it until at last she flicked it on.
Looking down, she noticed a now-trampled crème envelope that had clearly been shoved under the door while she was out. Her name stared back at her in perfect scrawling script.
Harlow reached down to grab it, curiosity tugging at her. In one quick swipe she held it in her hands, feeling her brows rise at the weight of the small envelope. She slid a finger beneath the flap and tore it open. She knew without seeing through the thin paper what had made it so heavy.
Unfolding the letter, she saw the glint of the metal key taped to the bottom. Her brows drew tight together as she read the few elegantly written words.
Ms. Marks,
Please accept the key to your new home. It’s been well-tended should you ever return to New York.
I’m certain you’ll be more comfortable there.
12568 Hiner Road
Binghamton
Harlow blinked, dumbfounded at the letter and the key, hot in her palm. The address seemed familiar, having grown up in Binghamton. Hiner Road. Recognition sparked. Hiner Road was where she’d lived as a child. Was this the key to her childhood home?
She searched the back of the paper, looking for a signature or even a hint of who had written the letter.
Mysterious.
One thing was for sure: she wasn’t going to rush off to some place that someone claimed to be gifting her. And she didn’t particularly want to leave the city. The best art galleries were there, and Binghamton was three hours away.
Harlow tossed the letter and key onto the kitchen counter before kicking off her heels and heading into the bathroom, undoing her dress as she went. Her mind bounced back and forth from her night with Rex, to the creature that had seemingly followed her, and to the strange, anonymous letter. For a moment she wondered if Rex hadn’t been the one to write it. He was from Binghamton and seemed to know a fair bit about her family, but when would he have had the time? They’d been together all night.
She turned on the shower and stepped under the spray of water before it had warmed, making her shiver.
Her mind whirled and raced as the hot water beat down on her back. Behind her eyelids she replayed the sight of Rex’s shirtless form, the feel of his touch, and the heat of his body grinding against hers.
Harlow panted, breathless, and her fingers began to strum the once again throbbing nub at her core. Her head leaned back against the wall as she brought herself to the edge of another orgasm. But she wanted to feel him inside her.
Her eyes fell on the hairbrush on the edge of the sink. Before she could lose her nerve, she opened the shower door and grabbed the brush, running a finger over the ribbed handle. Her eyes fluttered closed again as she spread her legs and slid the brush handle inside her ready opening.
A soft moan left her lips and she pumped it in and out of herself while her other hand rubbed her clit. She tried to imagine Rex’s tongue on her nipples. His toned, naked chest. It didn’t take more than a few minutes before her orgasm had her crying out, tremors rocking her body.
When the water ran cold, she turned the shower off and stepped out, wrapping a bleached white hotel towel around herself. Out in the bedroom, her phone’s light slowly flashed, indicating a new text.
She picked it up and read the message from Rex.
Hey. I had a great time tonight. I hope you did too. How about we do it again tomorrow night? We can go out if you’d prefer?
Harlow smiled and set her phone down to squeeze the water from her dripping hair. Despite the fact that she’d blocked them from going all the way, Rex didn’t seem dissuaded. Well, in truth, the fire alarm was what had blocked them from going all the way, but she’d decided not to finish what they’d started.
And the fact that he was okay with going out to diminish temptation and giving her the option to go further made her warm to him even more.
Deciding she’d answer in the morning, Harlow plugged her phone in, changed into a long T-shirt, and climbed into bed, letting exhaustion pull her into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Rex
Rex had seen the hesitation in her eyes last night. But then he’d felt her lips against his and the way her body relaxed into his, and he had been confident she’d warmed up to him. If it hadn’t been for that damn fire alarm, she’d have been his.
His virgin.
Fuck.
His dick leapt to attention at the idea. He recalled her slender, perfect body. Full, creamy breasts and the prettiest pink nipples he’d ever seen. The way she eagerly arched into him and her cries as she orgasmed on his finger. Her greedy little cunt squeezing him so hard he nearly nutted his trousers just imagining it squeezing his cock instead.
Rex sighed in the elevator, massaging the crease that marred his forehead. He pulled his phone out to send another text but paused when the elevator door dinged open. She still hadn’t answered him, but it was only seven in the morning. He didn’t know why he felt so desperate to claim her. To have her beneath him, crying his name as he took her over and over.
Get a fucking grip, you’re not going to die without pussy, he chided himself. So why did he feel so…panicked?
Sweat beaded his brow when he stepped out into the lobby and met…chaos. Staff flurried about with anxious expressions, along with curious tenants standing around a bulletin near the front doors.
Several front desk workers glanced up at Rex, one of them with a phone glued to the side of his head. Their gazes darted away just as quickly. Sure, the fire had probably freaked people out and there would be a bit of repairs needed, but this…this was something more.
“What in the blazes…” Rex strode over to the congregation, peering easily over their heads at the sign posted.
Property under new management: Effective immediately.
All tenants will be issued a two-week eviction notice due to health hazards found that could prove fatal.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Kalvar Management Inc.
Rex blinked as a surge of heat shot through him. They were all being…evicted?
“Mr. Almstad,” a man greeted from behind him. Rex turne
d, noting Jeffery Hollis, the now former owner of the apartment building. Rex had seen him around from time to time and even served the guy in his pub once or twice. His usually crisp suit looked wrinkled, his tie crooked. The rotund man’s head was bald on top with dark hair on the sides that looked as though he’d been running his fingers through it incessantly. A fine sheen of sweat coated his wrinkled forehead. And in his sausage-like hand, an envelope, extended for Rex.
“What health hazards could there possibly be that would force everyone out in such a hurry? Surely the fire wasn’t that bad,” Rex said, not bothering to take the letter that no doubt detailed the terms of his eviction.
Mr. Hollis pulled a kerchief from his coat pocket and dabbed at the beading perspiration. Rex could smell it, but he forced himself not to wrinkle his nose.
“I’m afraid I was not made aware of the details, Mr. Almstad. The fire damage was fairly extensive but nothing a bit of work wouldn’t fix.” The man’s thick grey eyebrows were stitched together, resembling a large caterpillar. “I received an offer on the building only last night, and this morning the sale was finalized, as was an order of eviction issued on the entire building. It’s being condemned as I understand.”
Rex’s brows dipped in confusion. “I hadn’t realized the building was for sale.”
Mr. Hollis shook his head as he dropped the hand that still clutched Rex’s letter. With the other hand he stowed his damp handkerchief back into his jacket pocket. “It wasn’t, but as it goes in business, everything is for sale for the right price. And after the fire, I suppose it’s best to allow someone else to take over the damage.”
Rex’s jaw tightened. “Not everyone will have somewhere to go so quickly.”
The man bobbed his head in understanding, though he had the good sense to look uncomfortable. Behind them, shouts and angry voices rose. Rex glanced to the front desk. People pushed up against it, holding their torn open letters with varied levels of outrage, one woman cried as she clutched a boy no older than three in her arms. The sight made Rex’s teeth grind together.
“I didn’t know the building would be knocked down when I sold it,” Mr. Hollis confessed, his eyes assessing the uproar with mild concern. “What’s more,” he added, thrusting Rex’s letter back so he had no choice but to take it, “we had an inspection only a few weeks ago and the entire building was up to code. Yet the fire department claims there was a faulty wire that started the fire.” With that, the old man sighed and strode away. It was no longer his building, no longer his staff, therefore there was nothing he could do but get out of everyone’s way.
Rex’s skin felt tight as he unlocked the back door to the pub and pushed it open. Hayley met him at the entrance, clutching a piece of paper tightly, her face flushed. When he looked at it, he realized it was an envelope. His nostrils flared.
“Where have you been, I’ve tried calling your cell like ten times!”
Rex blinked. “I’m only ten minutes late. What’s the problem?”
A few blond strands that had come loose from her bun brushed her pinked cheeks as she pressed the crinkled envelope to Rex’s chest. “This was nailed to the door when I got here.”
Rex turned it over, noting that it was addressed to him, but that wasn’t strange. What was strange was the stationery the letter inside was posted on.
Watermarked in the top left corner, it read Kalvar Management Inc.
Another surge of heat rushed through his veins, and his fingertips felt as though they might shoot flames at any moment. His hands trembled as he read the letter twice. An offer of purchase. For eighteen million dollars.
His breaths came faster.
Eighteen million dollars.
That far exceeded what the property was worth.
Yet it did seem odd that his apartment building was purchased, and now, an offer had been made on the pub.
“What does it say?” Hayley asked, wringing her hands.
Rex balled the paper in his fist, tamping down on the rising flood inside him. He released a long, slow breath before flashing Hayley a reassuring smile.
“Just an offer placed on the property. I get them all the time.” Which wasn’t exactly true. He’d received a handful of modest offers in the eight years he’d managed the pub. None compared to this one, however.
He brushed past Hayley, ignoring her suspicious expression as he tossed the letter into the trash.
“And Hayley,” he said, turning back to face the girl. Her arms were crossed over her ample chest, the tattoos on her biceps on full display. “I’ll be visiting my mother tomorrow, so you’ll have the place to yourself.”
She nodded, mustering a smile that Rex returned, even though he felt as though something had burrowed beneath his skin and was racing through him. He clenched and released his palms several times, pushing all thoughts of Kalvar Management from his mind.
At least for now.
Harlow
Harlow worried her bottom lip as she twirled the key between her fingers. She stared out the window of her hotel, watching the cars passing and the people shuffling to and fro.
It was relaxing to watch the bustling city below, but her mind never strayed from the key still moving between her deft fingers.
Who had sent her the key and why? She couldn’t shake the feeling that the address given was indeed her childhood home.
At last she pushed away from the window and crawled onto the bed, pulling her laptop into her lap.
She googled the address, and the photograph listed made her blood turn to ice.
It was the house her parents had lived in.
Her childhood home.
Harlow had slung her bag straps over her shoulder and was out the door before she could talk herself out of it.
A taxi took her to the bus station, and from there, she rode to Binghamton. Being eight grand richer made it possible for her to throw an obscenely large tip at the taxi driver to keep him from acting like the asshat she’d first encountered in the city. She kept the key clenched in her sweaty palm, fearful that if she loosened her grip even slightly, it would disappear.
That this chance would disappear.
In the back of her mind was the faint, gnawing worry that whoever now owned her parents’ house clearly knew she was in New York and where she was staying.
Her stomach flipped as she wondered who would be there, if anyone. She knew she shouldn’t be rushing there by herself. She wondered that if she messaged Rex he’d meet her in Binghamton…
But no. He was likely at work, and she didn’t want to disturb him. She’d responded to his earlier text after receiving two more—a not-so-subtle nudge for her to reply. In the end she’d taken a rain check on a second date, with the excuse that she wanted an early night. But now, at least two hours out of the city, her thumb hovered over the phone screen, wanting to tell him where she was heading.
In the end, she shoved her phone back into her pocket, thinking better of it.
Even if she begged him to come and he did, it would take Rex three hours to make it there.
She’d have to face whatever it was on her own.
Anticipation—but also excitement—thrummed through her. The old man that reeked of tobacco sitting beside her finally got off when they made a stop just before Binghamton.
And when the bus drove through roads with buildings and houses, she began to feel a tug of familiarity. Her chest ached with it. At last they rolled to a stop by the curb, the driver announcing they’d arrived in Binghamton.
Harlow leapt to her feet and ambled up the narrow walkway. Her heart sprinted wildly as she descended the steps and breathed in the town of Binghamton.
The station was miniscule by comparison, and she searched for a taxi that could take her to the other side of town. Parked on the curb was a handful of cabs. Harlow groaned internally at the prospect of shelling out another ridiculous amount of cash, but she climbed into one and gave the address.
The salt-and-pepper-haired man behind the wheel nodded with only the slightest hesitation before pulling out into the street. The buildings were admittedly beautiful, crafted with well-tended brick that had centuries-old charm. Like a photograph from a postcard or something out of the Hallmark Channel.
Tepid jazz slinked through the vehicle. Harlow held her breath as they turned onto her road. Heart pounding, she watched the numbers crawl, until at last the car halted at the end of the lane.
“Want me to drop you here, or take you up?”
Harlow glanced at the fee counter and tried to keep her eyes inside their sockets. “Here is fine.” She tossed a hundred-dollar bill to the man and climbed out. The driver was still speaking, but Harlow didn’t hear anything as she shut the door and stared through the thick trees and shrubbery. The driveway looked freshly paved. She didn’t remember it ever being paved.
A cool breeze rattled the branches that had just begun to leaf, pulling strands of hair over her shoulder. Behind her, more trees rustled, and Harlow felt as though someone watched. Or maybe it was just paranoia over the whole situation.
With a deep breath, hse started up the driveway. The trees closer to the house looked well-pruned, and the garden wrapping around the two-story brick house was immaculate. Her breath hitched as she took it all in in its full splendor. She recalled playing card games with her sister out on the wooden porch in the summers and climbing the trees.
The memories bombarded her, making her eyes sting as they filled with tears. The swing was new, but Harlow could still picture her mother and father sitting on it, smiling as she and her sister played tag in the yard. The way her mother would rest her head on her father’s chest, and he’d press a kiss to her hair. Soaking up the sunshine and love.
Harlow had paused once or twice to watch them. The way they were content to just be near each other. As if nothing in the world could have prevented their love. She’d told herself that one day she’d have that. But so far, she could barely go out with a guy a few times before they blew her off. Deep down, she hoped Rex would be different.
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