Brooklyn, still in full on party mode, wants to stay in the casino with Jax and gamble. I’m spent and just want to go back to the penthouse suite and go to bed. Hopefully, tomorrow things will be better and Kayden will have had some time to let things cool off. I understand him being pissed about my actions at Vertigo. At the time I thought he’d slept with Nadia behind my back. But things that happen before I was with him have nothing to do with us now.
Saying goodnight to Brooklyn and Jax, I make my way out of the casino and head towards the hotel lobby. Kayden still hasn’t texted back and with every second that passes, I grow more enraged. He can’t even text back saying he needs more time to cool off?! Instead I get absolutely nothing.
I spot a group of guys leaving the casino, heading towards the night club and I quickly maneuver around them. They’re all laughing, hooting and hollering at one another. I can smell the alcohol seeping from them as I pass by.
I freeze momentarily when I recognize Kayden’s laugh. I knew he was here! He was with the group of guys huddled around the Black Jack table we walked past earlier. Anger boiling over inside of me, I pick up my pace and take fast strides towards the long hallway leading to the set of elevators. The sound of my heels slamming off of the marble floors echoes through my ears and over all the guys’ drunken laughter.
“Savannah?” Kayden yells behind me with confusion in his voice.
Ignoring him, I keep walking. I’m not in the mood to talk. I was earlier, but he was too busy hanging out with that stupid skank Trixie; then gambling with all of his friends five feet away from me. Who the hell names their kid Trixie, anyway? Seriously, you’re setting your child up to be a slut, stripper or porn star.
I flew all the way to Vegas to fix things, and all it did was blow up in my face. I should’ve just gone to Galveston and waited for him to come home.
“Savannah…Wait!” I can hear Kayden’s hard footsteps closing in behind me, and the group of guys he’s with yelling at him to come back and go to the club. I can’t stop from rolling my eyes.
“Leave me alone, Kayden. Don’t leave your friends waiting. Go drink and party with some more skanks. I’m tired, and just want to go to sleep.” I say, while holding my hand up in the air I making it known I don’t want to be bothered right now.
I finally spot the elevators ahead and let out a sigh of relief.
“I said to wait!” Kayden drawls, his words slightly slurred. Stepping beside me and gripping my arm; I immediately come to a halt, “Why the fuck are you pissed off at me? If anyone should be fuckin’ pissed off right now, it should be me!”
I can’t look at him. I’m so angry and upset that I feel like screaming and crying all at the same time. “You know what Kayden? I am pissed off! I’m pissed at myself, at Giselle, at Shayne…but I’m not pissed at you. Annoyed…but not pissed off.”
Yanking my arm out of his grip, I step towards the elevators and pound on the button. I stare at the numbers as the elevator descends towards me. I’m praying the elevator hurry’s the hell up, because the last thing I want right now is a scene in the middle of the frickin’ hotel. I’m completely and utterly fed up with everything and everyone.
“You can try to run all you want Savannah, but I’m just going to follow you.” Kayden’s breath is hot on my skin as he stands behind me, whispering into my ear. I can’t control the butterflies consuming my stomach as Kayden’s hands slide down my arms. Closing my eyes, I take in a few deep breaths as I try to keep myself from caving in. He needs to understand that I’m sorry he’s upset, but ignoring me is not acceptable.
“Where were you when I wanted to talk to you earlier? You couldn’t take two seconds out of your partying to text me back Kayden. So you know what, instead of chasing me; now that you’ve finally decided you want to, why you don’t go find Trixie?” I spit out, with anger laced in my voice.
I flinch when Kayden’s hand grips my arm and spins me around to face him. His eyes are glazed over from all the alcohol in his system and the muscles flexing in his jaw speaks volumes for the anger coursing through him. Kayden burrows his eyes into me, the intensity burning in them is too much to handle, and I have to shift my eyes to the floor.
“Savannah, this needs to stop!” He hisses down at me. “Trixie is nothing to me; I can’t fuckin’ stand the stupid whore! I only want one girl Savannah, and that’s you. I don’t have my phone. I left it in my room after I went up and changed earlier! If I had it baby, I would’ve fuckin’ texted you back in a heartbeat.”
My heart skips a beat when I hear him call me baby; momentarily causing me to lose the little strength I have left to stand my ground. Snapping my eyes up at him I try to hold back the tears threatening to escape. “I should’ve never come here Kayden. It was a mistake. I love you, but I just can’t deal with all of this right now. I just want to go to bed and pretend today never happened.” My voice, that started out strong and determined, slowly deflates and comes out soft and defeated.
The elevator dings and the doors slide open. Pressing my hand against the wall, I force the doors to stay open. “I don’t understand why you didn’t try to find me after you cooled off. I gave you your space, and you chose to party instead. And the whore Trixie, she looked pretty comfortable hanging all over you. So tell me this, is she just a friend Kayden? Or an ex fuck buddy?” Kayden drops his arms to his sides and just stares down at me with sadness consuming his gorgeous green eyes.
“Seriously, Savannah? You want to do this here?” Sliding his hands over his face, he closes his eyes momentarily taking in a sharp breath before focusing back on me. “My past, like yours, should stay there. Learning about you and Shayne has fucked with my head. I can’t stop picturing you and him together. Its fuckin’ killing me! I don’t want that for you. I wanted to find you, but I didn’t. I fucked up, Savannah. I got trashed instead, just trying to numb the pain.”
“So; from what you’ve just said, I’m assuming you fucked Trixie. That’s why she was a nasty little bitch who took low blows at me tonight. As a way for punishing me…all because I’m with you.” A tear falls from my eye and I quickly swipe it away.
“Trixie got what she deserved for saying the shit she said to you. I love you, and will never allow anyone to talk to you that way.”
We stand there in silence for a few moments. I feel like I have a tug-of-war going on inside of me. I want to jump in his arms right now, but another part of me wants to have some space.
Kayden finally breaks the silence letting out an aggravated growl, “Shit, baby. I hate this. I’ve hated every day being away from you and now that you’re here, I’ve done nothing but fuck it all up.”
Reaching my hand out to Kayden, he takes it into his and gives me a questioning glance. Walking backwards, I step into the elevator pulling him with me.
“We both made mistakes tonight Kayden, but we’re both too drunk to try and hash this out right now. I’ve had a long twenty-four hours and my brain just can’t deal with anymore shit right now. I’m going to bed. If you want to join me you can, but if you want to go back down to the club…”
Kayden presses his index finger to my lips quieting me. “Baby, there’s no place I’d rather be than here with you.” Kayden pulls me against his chest, and kisses the top of my head keeping his lips pressed against it for a few moments. Finally, we separate and Kayden slides his keycard into the elevator then presses the button for the Penthouse floor.
We remain silent for the entire ride up to our suite. Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar On Me playing in the elevator is the only sound I hear besides my heart, which is beating fast against my ribcage. Today has been full of up’s and down’s; I just hope things will keep going up from here on out.
Chapter Four
Rolling over, I pull the comforter over my head as I try to shield my eyes from the sun shining onto the bed through the wall of glass windows. Why are the blinds not blocking the damn sunlight!
After tossing and turning under the sheets for a few mor
e minutes, I give up on the idea of falling back to sleep. Flinging the blankets off of my head, I turn onto my side and glance at the clock seeing it’s already after ten. Kayden is not in bed, so I decide to drag my hung-over ass out of bed.
Sitting up I rub my hands over my face as I try to wake up. I feel like I’ve not slept a single second last night, when in reality I got about five hours of sleep. Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I slide down onto the floor, and make my way into the bathroom.
After going to the bathroom, I take my birth control pill and quickly brush my teeth. With all the crap that happened yesterday, I forgot to take my pill before bed, so now I’ll have to take Mondays tonight before bed. I hate doubling up my pills, it always makes me queasy.
Walking over to the windows, I notice the shades haven’t been fully pulled closed, which solves the mystery as to why I was awoken by a blinding ray of sunshine. I gaze down at the Vegas Strip; the streets are packed with tourist. This city, like New York, never sleeps.
I’m in desperate need of some aspirin and coffee. I pad down the hallway towards the kitchen where I smell the wonderful aroma of coffee. The entire suite is quiet and the living room is totally empty. Looking around, I spot Brooklyn’s heels and clutch by the door. I wonder what time she finally got in this morning.
Following the smell of coffee and donuts, I make my way into the kitchen. Stepping into the room, my eyes land on the gorgeous view before me, and it isn’t the Vegas skyline. Kayden is leaning against the wall, gazing down to the Strip and sipping on a cup of coffee. He’s wearing nothing but a pair of black pajama pants that are hanging perfectly off of his hips, showing off his back dimples.
He was so drunk last night that as soon as he hit the bed he passed out. He stumbled into our suite, kicked off his boots and slid half-way out of his jeans before falling onto the bed. Thankfully; I was drunk, but not as drunk as he was, so I was able to help him undress.
I slid into bed beside Kayden, neither of us saying a word. Rolling onto his side, he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me against him. I couldn’t help but feel my entire body react to the feeling of Kayden’s scorching hot skin on mine. The sparks between us were undeniable. We fight hard, but love harder and the pull we have to each other is all consuming. The moment I was in his arms it was as if all the anger I had instantly evaporated away.
Kayden’s knuckles were battered and bruised, along with his left cheek. Being all banged up actually made him that much more desirable. He looked like a sexy, bad boy lying beside me.
I gently kissed his bruised knuckles and cheek. I got one short sweet kiss in before his eyes were closed tightly, and Kayden was sound asleep. I ended up passing out right beside him, still wearing my sequin dress.
Smoothing my hands over my hair one more time, I finish walking into the kitchen, “Mornin’.” I whisper, wrapping my arms around Kayden’s waist and resting my cheek against his back. I can’t help but inhale deeply as I take in his scent…his body wash mixed with his intoxicating cologne.
Kayden stiffens under my embrace and sucks in a sharp breath. Resting his left hand over mine, he slides it a few inches lower and keeps his hand over mine, “My ribs hurt like a bitch this morning.” His voice is husky from sleep. He must’ve just woken up, too.
I gently rest my lips against his back giving him a kiss before speaking, “Maybe you should go to the hospital?”
He lets out a low chuckle, “I don’t need to see a doctor; they’re just bruised. Shayne took a pretty good shot at my ribs last night, but I imagine he’s hurtin’ a lot more than I am this mornin’.” Kayden takes a long sip of his coffee before continuing. I dread this conversation because I don’t want to start our day off on a bad foot talking about Shayne. “He’s fuckin’ lucky that he isn’t sitting in a hospital right now. If those bouncers hadn’t pulled me off him, I don’t think I would’ve stopped until he was knocked the fuck out.”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I try to find my voice. I don’t know what to say. All I know is I don’t want to spend my morning rehashing last night. Deciding to change the subject, I slide my hands from his stomach to his sides, slowly dragging my fingers over my name tattooed along his ribs.
“Mmmm, the donuts and muffins smell delicious. My stomach is screaming at me to feed it.” I say, walking over to the kitchen island where there’s an assortment for breakfast. “Did you have room service bring these up?” I ask, taking a blueberry muffin from the platter and breaking a chunk off. I pop it into my mouth and a small moan escapes as I chew the crumbly goodness.
Turning around and leaning against the glass, Kayden flashes me his mega-watt smile. I momentarily become lost in it, and for a few seconds block out the bruise on his cheek. “Yea, I just had them brought up. I also have aspirin by the coffee if you want some.”
I can’t help but feel a disconnection between us. Right now, we’re so close to one another physically, but so far away emotionally. It feels like the entire room is buzzing with nervous energy. With everything that’s happened with Nadia selling her false story, to the blow up with Shayne last night, I feel as if we’ve been on a constant course over choppy waters and we desperately need this storm to pass so we can have smooth sailing once again.
Spinning on my heels, I grab a cup, quickly pour myself some coffee and add my vanilla creamer and sugar. Opening the aspirin bottle I pour two into the palm of my hand, washing them down with a bottle of water from the fridge.
Taking my coffee, I climb on the bar stool at the island and take a sip while picking at my muffin.
“Thanks for the creamer.” I say, almost in a whisper. I feel my mood swiftly changing from what it was a few minutes ago.
Setting his cup down in the sink, Kayden walks over, stopping behind me. I instantly feel my breathing hitch and my pulse race. I can’t help but crave his touch; we haven’t gone this long without being intimate since I left the hospital after the car accident.
Gently running his fingers through my hair, I instantly tilt my head into his hand. I love when he plays with my hair. It immediately helps me relax, no matter how stressed I am. “You don’t have to thank me Savannah.” He murmurs, as he presses his lips into my hair.
My entire body tingles from his close proximity. I yearn to be caressed and teased by his strong magical fingers. Before I can speak, Kayden’s pulling away from me, and moving back around the island towards the living area. The flames of desire I felt igniting between us instantly burn out, causing my heart to sink into my stomach.
“I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll be back down in a bit. I’ve got a phone interview set up with People magazine at noon about the whole Nadia ordeal.”
Well I just lost my appetite. I forgot, with everything going on last night, that Nadia is supposed to retract her story today and reveal the truth; letting the world know Giselle and Logan concocted the entire scheme to make it appear Kayden had cheated on me, so that they could break us up.
Pushing my muffin aside, I force a smile on my face, but it’s a weak one, and Kayden see’s right through it. “I pray Nadia keeps her word, and sets the story straight today.” I say, dragging my eyes from Kayden’s and stare into my coffee. “I just want all of this to be over with, and for Logan and Giselle to be exposed as the lying, manipulative assholes that they are.”
Raking his hand through his hair Kayden clears his throat. “Well, whether she stays true to her word or not, I’m going through with the story. My attorney is already drawing up Lawsuits as we speak for Nadia, Giselle, Logan and my assistant, Allison.”
My mouth falls open. I can’t believe he’s suing them. The thought never once crossed my mind, but then again, I was so blinded by my anger, I wasn’t really thinking that far ahead. The only thing on my mind was getting to Kayden. And that hasn’t even come close to turning out like I’d imagined it would.
“Good. They deserve a lot more than a lawsuit. They intentionally set out to destroy our lives for their own selfi
sh gains. I didn’t think it was possible to hate someone as badly as I hate those two.”
Nodding his head, Kayden’s face is expressionless, “I’ve sadly learned that there’s some people who no matter what happens, will show no remorse for the destruction that they cause. Their selfish wants and needs cloud their judgment, making it easy for them to hurt others to get what they set out to have.” My stomach instantly does somersaults, I feel like he’s talking about his father and Luanne, and not just Giselle and Logan.
Kayden has been let down by the people he trusted, including myself. I hate myself for allowing my stupid actions to be the reason that I now fall in the category of people who’ve hurt Kayden.
As I sit on the bar stool staring at him like an idiot, I know I should say something, but I just don’t know the right words to say to ease his pain.
“If you want anything else to eat, just call room service. The guys and I are going to a poker tournament after my interview so we’re going to eat somewhere on our way.” He says with little emotion in his voice, before turning and disappearing into the living room.
I hate seeing him like this. It’s as if he’s slowly shutting down and pushing me away. I don’t know what to do. Do I give him space and allow him to deal with everything he’s got going on in his head? Or do I push past the walls he’s putting up and force him to open up to me. I feel like we’re broken thanks to all the crap that’s been thrown our way, and that we somehow have to figure out how to glue ourselves back together.
Not fixing our shattered relationship is simply not an option. I just need to figure out what to do to get us back together again.
~~~
Kayden, Dixon, Jax and Braxton all left almost an hour ago, so Brooklyn and I have decided to eat lunch down in the restaurant here in hotel, and then hang out by the pool. After lounging by the pool for a few hours we’re going to go watch a Vegas show at Planet Hollywood.
Savannah Series Boxed Set: Four Full Novels and One Novella Page 64