It was a stretch. Donald was at least fifteen years older than Carmen, but age never seemed to stop these kinds of things from happening. Nothing directly tied them together, but she was working for the company at the time. The trouble with his theory was that, according to her profile on networking sites, she remained at the company for another year. If she was one of the accusers, he doubted she’d have stuck around. Plus she said the man who’d hurt her was in prison now.
All this was creating more questions than answers. Carmen’s parents didn’t have social media pages. One of her sisters did. Nora looked to be a few years younger than Carmen and kept her page mostly set to private. Besides a few profile pictures and some articles she’d shared, there was nothing there to go on either. A further search for Nora Munson turned up only some artwork of hers being shown at a local studio. Clicking on the photos, Brian was impressed. He didn’t know much about art, but he knew the work was beautiful.
Carmen stirred suddenly as though she’d been startled awake. Her words were muffled and incoherent and Brian could tell she was waking from a dream. By the sound of it, a bad one.
“Hey,” he whispered as he stood and moved toward her. “You’re just dreaming.”
She yelped and flung her arm at him, the back of her hand whacking him square in the nose.
“Damn,” he shouted as the metallic taste of blood hit the back of his throat. “My nose.”
“What?” she stuttered, sitting up quickly and pulling the blanket up higher on her. “What’s the matter?”
“You whacked me in the nose.” He could feel blood start to gather, and he knew it would drip down soon. “Hang on.”
Brian flipped on a light and hurried to the bathroom.
“Are you all right?” Carmen’s voice was still full of sleep. “I was having a dream and didn’t know it was you and I just started swinging. Did I give you a bloody nose?”
“You did,” he called back. “But you can’t take all the credit for it. My nose has been broken so many times it doesn’t take much.”
“I’m so sorry. What do you need?”
“Tampons.”
“What?” Her voice rose a few octaves, and it made him smile.
“Seriously. They work. It’s an old boxing and wrestling trick.”
“I don’t have any. Let me check where the closest store is.” Carmen was out of bed and sounding worried. It warmed his heart to know his pain concerned her. Even if she was the one to inflict it.
“It’s too soon for me to make any abuse jokes right? This would not be an appropriate time to kid about you hitting me?”
“There’s never an appropriate time,” she sang lightheartedly.
“Noted.”
“What’s this?” Her tone changed so dramatically his blood ran cold.
“What?”
She stepped into the bathroom just as he wadded up some tissue paper and tried to stop the bleeding.
“I was using your phone to look up the closest store. Mine is dead.” She turned the screen toward him and he knew instantly how bad it was. Her little sister’s name was there along with pictures of her art. “You’ve been pretty damn busy looking me up haven’t you? Wow you dug really deep.” She pointed to his search history. “So much for trust.”
Brian tipped his head back to try to keep the blood contained. This situation was going to be messy enough; he didn’t need to add to it. “Let me explain. Tray called me yesterday. It freaked me out.”
“About what?”
“I was worried about what you might have in your past that could come back and hurt you. This is all really serious shit. I get that you don’t want to relive it and I thought maybe if I could find out on my own you wouldn’t have to.”
“I told you it wasn’t an issue anymore. Why wasn’t that enough?” Her eyes were filling with tears and he couldn’t stand to see the damage he’d done.
“Tray sounded worried. He feels a personal responsibility for you and your well-being. And now, so do I. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“You meant to pry.” She waved his phone at him. “You didn’t slip and type in my name.” She paused and narrowed her eyes. “How did you even get my middle name?”
“Your passport.” He pinched the bridge of his nose as the blood covered the toilet paper. He grabbed a fresh piece.
“You need to go.” Her voice was level and cold. Whatever emotion was welling in her had been suppressed. “I need you to not be here right now.”
“Carmen, I fucked up. You’re right. I just wanted to know. I’m not judging you for the whole false accusation thing on campus. There must be more to that story.”
She took a step backward as though he’d physically swiped at her. It was clear that bringing up this part of her history had wounded her deeply. “Go. Call me later. But I need you not to be here.”
“Okay,” he said, grabbing a facecloth and wetting it. He plugged it under his nose and gathered up his wallet and keys. She tossed his phone to him like she was getting rid of trash. “I’ll be back when you want me back.”
Carmen didn’t say another word. She stood stoically in the corner of the room as he made his way out. In spite of all the ways Brian had wanted to protect Carmen, he’d just hurt her deeply. Now he’d walk through the lobby with a bloody nose and his phone clutched tightly in his hand, just waiting for her to call him.
He wasn’t sure she ever would.
Chapter Seventeen
Carmen
It didn’t matter how many times she’d prepared herself for disappointment, it still always stung. This one did more than sting. It cut deep. Brian had said all the right things and acted completely genuine. But she should have known the draw to know more about the broken parts of her would be too strong. Of course he’d try to figure it out. She could hardly blame him, but she still didn’t want to see him right now.
Instead she spun the knob on the shower as hot as the water would go and tried to melt away the anger. The exotic scent of the fancy hotel body wash and the exfoliating scrubs didn’t do nearly enough to help with the ache in her heart.
Brian had betrayed her trust. He’d snooped through her things and dug into the past she wanted to keep buried. All for what? Some voyeuristic pleasure? Some peek at her trauma that would make him pity her? As Carmen spun her wet hair up in a towel and wrapped herself in the plush cotton robe hanging behind the door, she answered her own question. That wasn’t Brian. She’d come to know his heart, and nothing could convince her those were his motives. More likely what he said was true. He wanted to know what skeletons were in her closet so he could protect her from them. There was no better way to fortify her present than guarding against the past.
Her phone was plugged in now, and she had turned it back on before retreating to the shower. Brian wouldn’t have gone far. It was obvious he felt terrible and he’d give her space, but she knew that he would not desert her. Drafting a potential text over and over in her mind, she considered her options. She could let him sweat for what he’d done. Or she could call him to come back and they could talk it out. Part of her was angry, even if she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on his intentions.
She put her phone down by the nightstand and went back in the bathroom. Rushing to text him wasn’t a good idea. She’d give it all more thought while she got dressed.
She was still going round and round in her mind, mentally composing the text she’d send when she got back to her phone. All her thoughts stopped suddenly when she heard a key card slip into the door.
That was brazen of him.
Of all the things she expected Brian to do, marching back in with some righteous indignation thirty minutes later was not one of them.
“Carmen,” a voice called from the other side of the closed bathroom door. She yanked her robe tighter. It was not Brian.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Curtis. Can we please talk?”
“How—?” She looked around the bathr
oom for a weapon. “You need to step outside. You can’t be in here.”
“Okay,” he said in a gentle voice. “I just didn’t think you would see me unless I came right to you.”
Carmen thought about what coming right to her meant. How much had he paid the front desk to have a room key made for him?
“Step into the hallway, Curtis. I’m just getting out of the shower. Give me a few minutes.”
“Of course.” She heard the hotel room door squeak open and then close with a thud. There was no way to know if he’d actually stepped out or if this was some kind of game. Her phone was still plugged in by the bed. Grabbing her hairbrush, she held it like a hammer. It wouldn’t be that effective, but it was better than nothing.
When she slid the bathroom door open, she heard him in the hallway. He’d done as she asked and stepped outside. But he still had a key to her room. If she really wanted to keep him out she’d have to flip the metal door lock to the side. Instead she came to terms with what message she needed to send him if this was going to work.
“Give me a minute, Curtis.”
“I’m still here.” His voice was normal, as if he was trying to reassure her he wouldn’t go. As quickly as she could, she put on her clothes and grabbed her phone. Texting Brian was paramount but what she wrote would be important. Anything too alarming and he’d be back here ready to fight. If she kept it too vague he may not be around to help if things went bad.
Carmen: Turn the camera feed on.
That was the best she could do. Not waiting for him to reply Carmen clicked on the camera on her phone and the one on the pin she’d worn the other night.
“Carmen, I really just want to talk.” Curtis sounded impatient, but she took the time to hide anything of Brian’s that might give away a man having been in her room.
Spinning her hair up into a quick ponytail she drew in a deep breath. Moving toward the door, she stopped abruptly. Her purse. She dug around quickly for the mace and the Taser and put them under her pillow.
“Curtis,” she said tentatively. “I don’t know if we should really talk right now.”
“I understand,” Curtis said gently. “I couldn’t sleep at all last night. I just need a chance to talk to you.”
Carmen opened the door and stood firmly in the doorway. She needed to look as though she had some boundaries he could break. “You got a room key? How did you manage that?”
“I’m persistent.” He made a gesture with his chin, asking without words to come in. “I was feeling just sick about last night. I knew I had to come make things right.”
“Maybe you can’t.” She folded her arms across her chest.
“Please don’t make me grovel in the hallway. I will but I’d really rather not.” He made some pathetic version of puppy dog eyes at her.
This was it. The moment that defined the control. No way in hell should she let a man who treated her so poorly yesterday come in. No way should she let anyone who would get a key and let themselves in her hotel room come anywhere near her. But that was the whole point. He needed to know she would.
“You can come in for a few minutes,” she murmured, reluctantly stepping to the side. “But there’s nothing you can say to make up for yesterday.”
He took a few steps inside, but that wouldn’t be enough to see him on camera. She stepped toward the far wall knowing he’d follow. She’d give an inch and he’d take a mile. “I really need to explain last night. You understand how hard it is to operate at this level. I’m at a breaking point at work, and I should have canceled with you. I didn’t have the bandwidth to get through the day I had and make it out at night. I should have known better. I just felt like canceling on you would have been a real douche move.”
“I’m sure your job is stressful, but that isn’t an excuse.” She folded her arms across her chest.
“You are absolutely right. But I can’t be the first guy you’ve had that kind of impact on. Let’s be honest.”
“Impact?”
“You can play coy all you want, but you know what you are.”
“What’s that?” She raised an eyebrow and dared him to say “tease.”
“You’re the whole package, Carmen. You’re hard-working, bright, well-traveled and gorgeous. Being around you throws men off their axis. I’m not going to believe you if you say I’m the first man to tell you that.”
“You are the first,” she said, smiling then swallowing it up and frowning. He needed to believe he was chipping away at her defenses.
“That’s just because they’re cowards who don’t know how to tell it like it is. Listen, Carmen, neither one of us was perfect yesterday. You were throwing up some signals, and I acted on them. Like I said, I was exhausted and frustrated from work. Pair that with how amazing and sexy you are, throw in some wine, and it was destined to be an epic fail.” Curtis had inched his way closer as he spoke, and it didn’t go unnoticed.
He was truly spectacular at this. Simple semantics could change the whole shape of what had happened. Calling it an epic fail as though it had been an awkwardly bad date. Putting the blame equally on them both. It was actually impressive.
“Thanks for coming to explain.” She offered him a smile. “If I was giving you any signals yesterday, I’m sorry.”
“Well, let’s not go that far.” His brows came together and he waved a hand dismissively. “You don’t have to apologize for what we were feeling. I think that was the one thing we could actually salvage. And today is different. I haven’t gone into work yet.”
“Slacking?” A lighthearted joke would soften the moment the way he needed her to.
“I needed to talk to you first or I wouldn’t be able to concentrate. You’re a really remarkable woman and to think you were mad at me was eating me up. I don’t want to ruin something good.” Curtis closed the gap between them to less than a foot. The smell of coffee and cologne filled her space. “I say we try again.”
“Another night out?” she asked, adverting her eyes.
“Or we can stay in. I don’t have to be at work until my meeting at two.” Curtis reached a hand to Carmen’s cheek and she tipped her head away.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m glad you came but—”
“Do you see?” he snapped. “You can’t keep giving these mixed messages. You’re glad I came. You invite me into your hotel room. But you don’t want anything else. Does that seem nice?”
“I guess I’m just confused.” Carmen put the back of her hand to her forehead in true damsel in distress style. “I’m not trying to play games or anything.”
“I know you’re not.” Curtis’s voice was gentle again as he tried to console her. “Just relax. There are no rules. Don’t overthink it.”
“I overthink everything.” A nervous laugh escaped her lips. “That’s kind of my thing.”
He swallowed up her words with a kiss. It was aggressive, too much tongue. The way his hands closed in around her waist felt instantly claustrophobic. Her stomach turned as he continued to push closer to her.
“Wait,” she said, pulling her mouth free. She planted her hands on his chest but he’d backed her to the wall. She had nowhere to go. If this were going to stop it would be because he would back off. “I don’t want to do this. You should leave.”
“This can’t happen again,” he said through pursed lips. “You can’t keep doing this. You’re overthinking again.”
“I’m not,” she said, wiggling out of his grip on her hips. Instead his hands wrapped tightly around her wrists and he pulled her from the wall with a jerk. “You don’t know what’s best for you. That’s your problem. You don’t understand how good this is.”
“Curtis, stop.” She kept her voice level as she struggled to pull her hands free. “You need to let me go.”
“You need to be quiet.” A shadow fell across his eyes. It was an expression she was sorry she was familiar with. A metamorphosis that ended badly every time.
He crushed his lips to hers ag
ain as he tightened his grip on her arms. Carmen moved her head to the side but it didn’t deter him, as he continued kissing her neck.
“Get off me,” she demanded, lifting her knee to his groin. As if he’d been expecting the move he shifted quickly, and she made contact with his thigh.
“Don’t do that.” He shook her. “I’m fucking serious. Don’t do that.” Tossing her backward she landed on the bed. She thought about making a move for the Taser under her pillow, but he was on top of her a second later.
“Stop,” she demanded, scratching at his face. She wouldn’t leave him without a mark or two. He deserved far more. “What are you going to do?” Carmen lay still while his eyes flashed with fire. He needed to answer. Intent would matter when it came to the cameras.
“I’m going to show you a very good time. If you stop fighting me.” He laughed a villainous chuckle. “Well, even if you don’t stop.” He loosened his grip on her hands and propped himself up on top of her, his face hovering above like an angry ghost.
“Get off of me.” She pushed her body up higher, closer to her pillow and the things she could use to stop him.
“Where are you going?” he asked, through his teeth. Grabbing a handful of her hair he yanked her back. Carmen yelped in pain, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. She was back where he wanted her, one of his clammy hands around her neck. He squeezed and smiled as she began to fight again. It wasn’t enough to keep her from breathing but just enough to show her he could.
That was enough for her. Raising her arm, she used her elbow to sweep across his arm. He hadn’t expected the move or her ability to roll away from him as he lost his balance for a moment. He was on the bed as she got to her feet, and he laughed. “Oh you have some fight in you. Who taught you that little move? It’s cute.”
“Cute?” She rubbed her hand across her neck. “You need to leave.” Before she could say anything else he swiped his arm at her, grabbing a handful of her shirt and ripping the fabric. Again Carmen used her body and all the training she’d received at Verde Lago to get free of his grip.
Perfect Homecoming (Barrington Billionaires Book 10) Page 13