Until he returned to the main room to see the disheveled Lea at the door, facing a wide-eyed Avery.
The desolation on her face stole his breath.
“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize you had company.”
Twirling, she raced from the room.
“Avery,” he breathed, looking down at his bathrobe, realizing exactly how this appeared.
He sprinted toward the door but Lea stepped into his path. “She’s gone,” she said. “Think about it. With her out of the picture, there’s nothing stopping us being together. We could go get those diamonds in person.” She round her arms around his neck. “And then I could thank you for them all night long.”
“Get out of my way,” he ordered, bodily moving her from his path. But when he ran into the hall, Avery was already gone.
…
Avery stumbled into the elevator, blindly slamming her hand against the floor buttons. Her breath came in fast gasps. Too fast. Her racing heart thundered in her ears as she tried to fight the hyperventilation. Pressing her back against the corner, she put her hands on her knees and tried to slow her breathing.
How the hell had she let this happen twice?
She’d come to this floor so happy and full of hope. Then Lea had answered Hayden’s door, partially dressed, hair mussed, her clothes tossed on his bed. At first her mind hadn’t been able to compute what was happening. But the coy smile that had curled the other woman’s lips brought everything into startling focus. It was the same expression she’d seen when the skank sleeping with her husband had laid out the extent of his infidelity.
The smile that said once again another woman was taking up the space she should be occupying.
Then Hayden had stepped from the bathroom in nothing but a robe.
It didn’t take a genius to understand what she’d interrupted.
The elevator doors opened on her floor, and she ran out, only one thought in her mind.
Escape.
She’d been here before, and she had no intention of living through yet another humiliating encounter where a man she loved explained in excruciating detail why she just wasn’t enough of him.
Especially when she had the feeling that this time, such a meeting would leave even deeper scars than the ones Jon had inflicted.
A bitter laugh escaped her as she thought of his phone call. Had he cursed her, predicting Hayden would leave her in the end? Or had his words been pure coincidence?
She hated that he’d been right.
Slamming into her room, she grabbed her clothes and tossed them into her suitcase, not bothering to fold anything. Like a whirlwind, she packed in less than five minutes, wanting to be far away before Hayden came looking for her.
If he’d even bother to offer her an explanation. Maybe this was simply his way of breaking up with her. The report was done. The job was over.
As if the clock had struck midnight, her time had run out.
Grabbing the handle of her suitcase, she left the room, her mind singularly focused. She’d nearly made it to the elevator when the soft chime informed her a car was arriving at her floor. Not willing to take the chance it was Hayden, she ducked into the stairwell and went to the next floor down before getting on the elevator there.
Maybe you should talk to him, the sweet, naive part of her mind whispered. Maybe you misunderstood.
Misunderstood Lea’s barely covered breasts and Hayden’s hair wet from a post-sex shower?
Unlikely.
Exiting on the ground level, she jogged down the hall to the lobby and made a beeline for the driveway.
“I need a car to the airport,” she told the waiting attendant.
“At once, Ms. Clarke,” he replied, hurrying off to arrange a taxi for her.
Avery fished out her phone as she waited, calling Karen. Her friend answered on the third ring.
“Hey,” Karen said. “What’s up?”
“I’m on my way to the airport,” she said. “I need the report emailed to me. I’ll finish it on the plane. Damn, the plane. Can you check flights? See if you can get me on something early? I should be at the airport in half an hour.”
“Whoa, whoa slow down. Why are you going to the airport? We’ve got a week left on our contract?”
Her throat constricted. “I need to leave. Now.”
“Is everything okay?”
“No.” Now that she wasn’t moving, her panic was ebbing away, leaving nothing to keep the soul-rending pain at bay.
“What’s wrong?”
The attendant jogged back over to her, a taxi slowly following him.
“This way, Ms. Clarke,” he said, taking her bag and loading it into the trunk.
Avery ducked into the backseat and closed the door before the attendant could help her.
“The airport,” she told her driver.
“Avery?” Karen’s voice rose from the phone.
The car rolled into motion, and she turned to watch the hotel’s entrance, seeing a familiar shape run down the marble pathway.
Hayden glanced around at the waiting cars. He’d thrown on a pair of jeans and a shirt that hung open to the waist. There was a wildness to his actions, and she knew he was looking for her.
His blue eyes turned toward her cab, and she wondered if he could see her inside or if she’d driven far enough away. The relief at her escape was tempered only by the despair that had driven her into this cab in the first place.
“The flight, Karen,” she said, watching Hayden’s figure grow smaller and smaller as she left him behind. “Can you get me on whatever is leaving soonest?”
“According to my phone, there’s one in an hour if you think you can make it,” she said. “I’ll go back to the room and get my laptop. You should be booked in by the time you get there.”
“Perfect.”
“Tell me what happened.”
She turned forward, slumping down in her seat. “Hayden slept with Lea.”
Karen’s gasp was gratifying.
“Are you sure? Did he say anything?”
“Lea answered his door, half dressed, with tousled hair. He was in a bathrobe.”
“Dammit.”
Avery let out a watery laugh. “Yeah.”
“I’ll be on the next flight after you,” Karen said, her voice hard. “Do you want me to say anything to him?”
“No. If you could just wrap things up with the staff, I’ll give you double your fee.”
“Screw that. I’m not profiting from your heartbreak.”
A sob caught in her throat, and she pressed her shaking hand to her mouth. The adrenaline was draining away, leaving her cold and shaking.
“I can sure pick ’em, can’t I?” she said. Two men, same ending. This was exactly what she’d feared would happen. This was why she’d avoided Hayden after the gala. But she’d ended up here anyway.
Not again. Never again. Love is not worth this heartache.
It was better to be alone than to face this agony a third time.
“This isn’t your fault,” Karen said. “If anything, it’s mine for pushing you toward him so hard. I thought he was a better man than this.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. That was the thing. He was a better man. She’d seen that for herself, and yet he’d still been able to do this to her. Jon hadn’t started out a bastard, either. The only common denominator was her.
What was it about her that made the men she loved cheat? Why was she so hard to love?
“No more Wexton contracts, okay?” she said.
“Hell, no,” Karen agreed. “We’ve got enough clients we can lose this one. We’ll make it work somehow.”
She nodded, trying to hold herself together. She wasn’t going to break down. Not in public, at least. She’d finish the damn report and give it to Wyatt to protect her professional reputation. After that, she’d sever all contact with Wexton Hotels.
Then cry her heart out alone in her apartment.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, b
ut can you delay Hayden if he tries to follow me?” she asked. “I wouldn’t put it past him to buy a ticket just so he can get through the gates.”
“Already on it,” Karen said. “I’ve got you covered. I’ll meet you at your place tomorrow. With ice cream.”
She closed her eyes, knowing there was no amount of comfort food in the world that would heal the hole inside her.
She’d finally learned her lesson. Jon hadn’t finished the job, but Hayden had. He’d been right all along. Love was dangerous. It wasn’t worth the pain. It was far better to wall off her heart and focus on what she could control—her business. Hayden had made billions off his heartbreak; she’d try to follow in his footsteps. Maybe she even needed to adopt his views on pleasure. She would never allow herself to be misled again. Superficial relationships and temporary flings sounded like exactly the attitude she needed to embrace. Perhaps someday she’d be able to look back on this and see that Hayden had done her a favor, showing her the truth about love.
Right now, though, all she wanted to do was curl up and bleed in peace. She’d known better and been burned anyway.
It’s my fault. I have no one to blame but myself.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said into the phone. “Thanks for the support.”
“Have a safe flight.”
Avery disconnected the call and stared, unblinking, out the window. The same stunning mountain vista stretched out toward the horizon, sugar cane fields blowing gently in the breeze. Her little slice of paradise.
It seemed uniquely unfair that she should be in the midst of such breathtaking beauty while her heart burned to ash in her chest.
Finally she understood why Hayden had hated to come here. She never wanted to see this island ever again.
Chapter Eighteen
“Did I or did I not predict you would screw this up for us?” Wyatt asked, walking into Hayden’s office.
“To be fair, it wasn’t just me who ruined everything this time,” Hayden said, pushing away from his desk to lean back in his chair.
“What the hell happened? Karen dropped the report off on my desk and informed me Clarke Associates would no longer be available for hire. The look she gave me made it pretty clear she was tarring me with the same brush as you. How did you manage to piss them off so badly?”
Hayden ran a hand over his jaw. “It’s a gift.”
Wyatt dropped into the chair opposite him. “What do I need to be filled in on?”
“I convinced Avery to be with me,” he said.
Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Not even she could hold out, hmm? Color me surprised.”
“Then she convinced me to give this relationship a real chance.”
The half-smile dropped from Wyatt’s mouth. “You don’t use that word. Ever.”
“Tell me about it.”
“This was real, you and her?”
All he could do was nod. Yes, it’d been real. Real enough that he’d run through his own hotel half-dressed, not even bothering to put on his shoes, only to see her driving away from him.
Then her damned assistant had ensured he couldn’t chase after her. Karen might not have believed his insistence of innocence, but he’d believed her when she’d told him Avery needed space. His lover liked puzzles. No doubt she’d review the day over and over in her head and realize he’d never cheat on her the way her idiot ex had.
It had taken till he was back in this very chair to realize one important flaw in his reasoning.
He’d never told her he loved her. And without that assurance, Avery’s demons would never let her see the truth.
“What happened?” Wyatt asked.
“She showed up at my door to be greeted by a half-dressed employee.”
Wyatt winced.
“And I’d just stepped out of the shower.”
A snort escaped his friend before the other man hid his smile behind a hand. “Don’t suppose that was your proudest moment.”
“Let me tell you, Avery is fast when she wants to be. I didn’t catch her before she boarded a plane home.”
“Have you spoken to her?”
“She’s not exactly picking up my calls.”
Wyatt shrugged. “So go explain.”
He’d already tried twice. The first thing he’d done upon returning to the office was thumb through her contract to find her address. Then he’d raced from the building intent on finding her.
And both times he’d stopped before he got anywhere near her.
“There is a very real possibility she won’t believe me.”
“Because of Jon?” Wyatt said. “Or because of your past reputation?”
He scowled. “Both. I thought you didn’t have details on her breakup?”
Wyatt shrugged. “I didn’t think it was fair to share her confidences. I told you she wouldn’t be like your other conquests.”
“You were right, there.” He pushed out of his chair, pacing to his wide windows and looking out over the sweeping city.
“What are you waiting for?” Wyatt asked.
What indeed? When it came to business he didn’t hesitate. When it came to pleasure he happily leaped without thinking.
But chasing Avery could end only one of two ways. Either he’d win her back…
Or he wouldn’t.
His heart thumped in his chest. He’d spent years holding himself apart, and then she’d smashed into his life and torn away his safety net. Now the idea of going through the days without any hope of seeing her ripped at his newly healed heart. He couldn’t imagine finding joy in his world again if he lost her. Where would that leave him? Facing years of his life with only his hotel to keep him company.
Sophia had broken him in a way that had taken all his adult life to repair.
But losing Avery would destroy what was left of his heart with no chance of healing.
If he showed up on her doorstep and she refused to believe him, then the hope he’d been nursing since his return would be extinguished.
He’d be well and truly alone.
“You have to talk to her,” Wyatt said. “It’s been, what, five days since you’ve been back? She’s going to think the worst.”
Hayden turned, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the window. “Why would she believe me, Wyatt? After the past I’ve led. After the hurt she suffered. Without Lea confessing the truth, how will Avery ever believe anything I say?”
His friend sighed. “I guess it comes down to trust. I can’t give you any answers, Hayden. You’re the only one who knows whether your relationship is solid enough to survive this.” Wyatt stood, buttoning his suit. “Before you go running off, though, assume for a moment your relationship does survive. What’s the end game here? Because nothing about Avery Clarke has ever led me to believe she’d be content with casual.”
A slow smile spread over his lips. “When it comes to her, neither am I.” He didn’t want to date. To see her occasionally. He wanted her with him always. Five, ten years down the line, he wanted to wake up beside her.
And it was time to tell her exactly that.
“Can I leave things to you?” he asked. “I have some where to be.”
“What else is new,” Wyatt said, heading for the door. “Say hi to Avery for me.”
His pulse leaped as he followed Wyatt out of the office. No matter how seeing Avery played out, for the first time since he was a damaged boy, he’d found a love worth fighting for.
He wasn’t about to lose her now.
…
Avery wiped a hand across her brow, inspecting her spotless apartment. Every surface gleamed, from her newly waxed floors to her spotless steel-top stove. Who would have thought there could be so much to clean in her small apartment? Since she’d come home she’d been focused on that one purpose. Get rid of the dust. Create a space that was hers. It was time to stop running around the globe trying to forget her problems.
Hell, maybe she’d even put down roots. Stay in the city long enough to start up Sunday
dinners with her parents. Adopt a guinea pig or something. She had choices again. A life to live.
One that would have to be without Hayden.
Pain shot through her.
He’d called twice that first day she’d been home, but she’d had nothing but peace the last four.
He tried really hard to mend things with you, didn’t he? her inner voice taunted. What else did you expect from someone like him?
More, she realized. He might not have loved her, but she’d thought he cared. His silence, however, truly told the tale.
Somewhere out there, she had no doubt, was a woman who’d match him. Someone sophisticated and gorgeous who would make him smile. A woman who would win his heart. Spend life by his side.
But it clearly wasn’t her.
That’s fine. I’m better off.
She didn’t need love or a partner. The only person she could depend on was herself, and she would never again make the mistake of wanting more. After all, she had a lot to be thankful for. She had a family and good friends, a successful business and a spotless apartment.
She was done wishing for hopeless, impossible dreams.
Opening the balcony door, she inhaled the cool air. It wasn’t anywhere near as fragrant as the island breeze, but it would do.
A knock sounded behind her. Stripping off her scrubbing gloves, she tossed them on the counter and pulled open the front door.
“Hi, love,” Hayden said.
Ice spread through her veins. She could tell herself all the live long day that she was fine, but seeing him turned those words into a lie. Her heart raced, even as it pumped nothing but pain through her body. Maybe someday she’d be able to handle seeing Hayden again, but today was not that day.
He was as impeccable as always in a jet-black suit that no doubt sported designer tags. Gone were the more causal jeans and T-shirts of the island. Instead he was back to being her untouchable boss, a man who moved through circles far above her own.
A man who would never settle for a woman like me.
“Hayden,” she said, gripping the door. Lifting her chin, she was proud her voice didn’t quiver. He must be looking for some closure. If so, she’d get through this. Somehow. And once his was gone, she had a brand-new bed to cry herself to sleep in.
The Billionaire's Paradise (Sexy Billionaires) Page 16