: Chapter 18

I PLACE THE GIANT bouquet on Maria’s doorstep and leave it there. She was fast asleep with her hair sprayed out over the pillow when I left. The only thing ruining the angelic sight was the deep bruise which had developed through the night.

Fucking Todd.

I knew that asshole was trouble. I could tell by the way he looked at her. Couldn’t keep his fucking eyes to himself. Well, now he won’t have time to be looking anywhere, except maybe for a new job. One late-night, unwelcome phone call to his boss while Maria was in the shower last night, and our contract with their supply company was over. Like I would ever let him anywhere near her again. I was all set to race out of there and break his neck last night. But Maria? Seeing her like that… shaken, vulnerable. I’ve never seen her distressed before. There was no way I was leaving her alone.

I rest my palm against the closed door, drawing in a breath as I squeeze my eyes shut.

If that asshole had touched her…

I remove my hand and look at the flowers again. Then stalk off down the hallway.

I catch up with Reed and then head into the office. I spend the morning speaking to contacts about new suppliers and putting out some feelers. Then I log into The Songbird security system and bring up the footage for Friday night. I follow Todd from camera to camera, zooming in, witnessing the way his eyes drink in Maria’s body whenever she isn’t watching.

Asshole.

I bring up the camera for the hallway that leads down to the meeting room. Maria and I show up on it, heading into the room together, then around fifteen minutes later, Emily and Harley can be seen walking off together after our talk through the door. A little after, Maria exits, a deep flush over her cheeks. She turns and looks back at the closed door for a moment, before stalking off toward the women’s restroom.

She isn’t wearing the necklace.

I fast forward and Todd appears a minute after I leave, darting in through the door before it shuts behind me. A few minutes later the door opens, and he looks out, checking both ways before he walks out.

Son of a bitch. What the hell was he up to?

Further scrutiny of the night’s CCTV brings up nothing interesting, so I stop for the day and head over to check on Maria on my way back to my apartment.

When I get there, the flowers are gone.

“Maria?” I call as I knock on the door.

She opens it with a bright smile. Her face is free of make-up, so the true extent of last night’s bruising is clearly visible.

“Griffin. Come in. We need to talk.”

She turns, her long dark waves tumbling down her back as I follow her into the open plan space.

“Thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful. But you really didn’t need to.”

They’re in a vase on the coffee table and she smiles when I notice them, but quickly looks away as she sits on one of the kitchen stools and motions for me to join her.

I take a seat, and she pulls her laptop over the counter, placing it between us.

“I’ve found this company who can supply us. Well, Emily suggested I look them up. She called this morning to see how I was. Super early. She must not need sleep. Anyway, the guy in charge is one of her big donators. I was looking over their—”

“What are you doing?” I frown at her.

“What do you mean?” Her forehead wrinkles, but she keeps her eyes on the screen as she scrolls down the webpage.

“How long have you been up doing this? You should be resting, Maria.” Irritation bubbles in my stomach.

She’s ignored what I said.

“I’m not sick, Griffin.” She glances at me, then back at the screen. “This won’t sort itself. We need a new supply contract sorted ASAP.”

“Says who?”

She sighs. “You canceled our contract with Todd’s firm last night. I heard you on the phone when I got out of the shower. I knew you would do something like that.”

“You think I want to do business with a guy like Todd?”

She side-eyes me. “I knew you would fly off the handle.”

A fire erupts in my chest.

“You knew I would—Maria! The guy is a sexual assault waiting to happen.” I slam my palm down on the counter. “You think I want him around you?”

“I could have still worked with him, Griffin. You didn’t need to start making decisions about my contracts with my suppliers, for the spa that I run.” She turns and faces me head-on.

“For the spa in my hotel!”

She rolls her eyes. “And there it is.”

“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?” I glare at her.

“You know what? Maybe it’s better I go back to California now. Because I don’t know why you offered me this job if you can’t trust me to make any decisions by myself.”

I run my hands through my hair. What the hell is going on? Where is all of this coming from again?

“We’ve been through this, Maria,” I grit out, fighting to maintain composure. This woman tests my last nerve.

“Yeah.” She snorts, slamming the laptop closed. “Griffin-trusts-no-one-Parker. How great for the rest of us!”

I count to three.

“I came here to see if you were okay. How the hell did it turn into you attacking me?”

She looks at me for a long time.

“I don’t know,” she says, her shoulders dropping as all her fight leaves her.

I’ve been through the door all of five minutes and I’m already pissing her off. I thought we turned a corner this past couple of weeks, but maybe she does still hate me.

“I feel like no matter how hard I try, nothing will ever please you. Not unless you do it yourself. I wanted to come here and create something special.”

“You are.”

Even in the short time she’s been here, the spa has soared. Bookings are up, it’s being talked about everywhere. We’ve got journalists queuing up to come and write pieces on the new treatment menu Maria created. She’s completely transforming it.

“I’m not.” She exhales, sweeping her hair over her shoulder. “You don’t trust me to make decisions. You don’t trust anyone.’

I clench my jaw as sourness creeps over my tongue. She raises an eyebrow at me, the one above her good eye. The other eye looks smaller where her cheek is swollen underneath.

“You don’t understand. I want to,” I confess, my words heavy with meaning.

For you, Sweetheart… I want to.

“I do understand, Griffin. I’ve been let down by people I thought I could trust.”

I exhale slowly. She’s right. She knows how it feels to be screwed over by someone you thought you could rely on. But what she doesn’t understand is how it feels to be looking around you at work, with some people you have worked alongside for years, and wonder, was it them? Was it them who fucked you over? Is it them who laugh about it now? Stupid, idiot Parker. Can’t even trust his own staff. And knowing that even though it’s been months, you’re no fucking closer to uncovering the truth?

“Fine.” I rest my elbows on the counter and drag my hands down my face. “You sort the new supplier contracts. Choose whoever you want. Just tell Harley when you decide so she can do the paperwork.”

Maria presses her lips together. “Thank you.”

I nod, my jaw set as I stand.

“Griffin?” Maria catches my hand and stands with me.

“Yes?”

“I appreciate what you did last night.”

I nod again, not sure how to respond. I would have done anything to help her last night. My primal urge was to take care of her. To protect her.

“It was nothing.”

“Not to me.” She looks down at our hands, where I’ve subconsciously entwined my fingers with hers. “You were there when I needed someone.”

“I would do it again in a heartbeat.” I pause and clear my throat. “Why did you run out last night?”

Now is not the time to ask. She may think she’s okay. But she’s throwing herself into work and setting up new contracts so she doesn’t have to think about last night and how that scumbag made her feel.

But I still ask.

I have to know.

“Last night?” She drops my hand and crosses her arms over her chest.

“From the meeting room.”

Her pulse flutters in her neck and she swallows.

“You’re my boss. We work together,” she says, as though that’s all the explanation that’s required.

“And?” I fire back.

“And haven’t you heard the saying, don’t mix business and pleasure?” She fixes her gaze to the side, away from me.

I cup her chin and turn her face back to me. “It’s my hotel. I make the rules.”

She looks at my lips, then away again. I will get nowhere today, trying to explain to her that I don’t care about fucking sayings or rules. Not when all I think about is her. Her energy, her spirit… her taste. And after last night and Todd… today is not the day to think with my dick. I’m not a jerk, despite what she may think.

She turns her face out of my grip. “I’m going to keep working on this.” She gestures to her laptop. “I’ll see you at work.”

My eyes roam over her purple cheek one final time. “You will.”

She parts her lips as though she’s going to say something else, then she gives me a small smile and walks over to open the door.

“Bye, Griffin.”

“See you Monday,” I reply.

I walk out the door and don’t look back.

“Harley, hold my calls. I’m heading down to the spa before it opens.”

“Okay, Mr. Parker.”

I wait impatiently in the elevator as the floor numbers change on the display. Since when was the thing so fucking slow? It stops on the finance floor and Will joins me.

“Good morning, Mr. Parker,” he says in a singsong voice.

“Morning, Will.”

“How was your weekend? The gala was an enormous success, as usual. I swear Emily is a witch.” He looks at me, his eyes widening. “No! I mean, in a good way. Like a white one, or a magic genie or something… Each one is better than the last.”

“She knows what she’s doing.” My lips twitch as he pulls at his collar with one hand. “How is your friend, by the way?”

“Friend?” Will asks, looking confused.

“The one who lent you the jewelry.”

His neck flushes and he clutches the files he’s carrying close to his chest. “Oh, yes. He’s fine. Thank you for asking.”

The doors open and I step out into the lobby. “Good thing nothing went missing.”

“No… of course. Absolutely.” Will’s words tumble out. “Very lucky. Blessed.”

“Will?”

He straightens. “Yes, Mr. Parker?”

My lips curl into a small smile. “Leave his details with Harley, please. He might be able to assist me with something.”

“Yes, sir.” Will grins at me as I stride off toward the spa.

My fingers twitch the moment I round the corner of the corridor where the main spa doors are.

Blond curls.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I yell, zoning in on Todd, who is standing at the main desk like he has the right to be there. Like he has the right to be wherever the fuck he pleases.

Not in my hotel.

“He was just leaving,” Maria’s cool tone clips from the other side of the desk.

I look straight at her cheek. She must have covered it with make-up because all trace of the bruise is gone, like nothing happened.

“I came to talk to Maria.” Todd turns back to her, dropping his voice. “I could lose my job. Do you think that’s fair? All over a misunderstanding.”

Red overtakes my vision as my pulse beats so loud in my ears my head might be at risk of exploding. I cross the room in three purposeful strides and grab the front of Todd’s shirt, twisting it in my fist. A button flies off and skitters across the stone floor.

“You have the audacity to come in here and insinuate Maria misunderstood your fucking leery, pathetic ass?” I spit.

He tries to pull away from me, but I’ve got a tight hold on him, and he can’t move anywhere.

“Consider yourself lucky it’s only your career you’re going to lose.” I glare at him, our noses an inch apart.

His mouth twists into a grimace, and I drag in a rough breath, counting to three.

“Get the fuck out.” I shove him away from me and he slams into the wall. “While you still can.”

He recovers himself, glaring at me. “I’m telling you, that’s all it was. A misunderstanding. I never touched her. And if she told you otherwise, then she’s a liar as well as a cock tease.”

Wham!

Pain courses across my knuckles as they connect with soft tissue and bone. Todd slumps to the floor, grabbing his face. I don’t know how I got to him so fast, only that the feeling of my fist connecting with his face is the best release I’ve had in a long time.

“Get. Out,” I growl.

He staggers to his feet, blood pouring from his nose. Someone must have called security, because two of my guys come running in and each grabs an arm. Todd snorts when he sees them.

“I’ll get you for this, Parker!”

“No, Todd. You won’t. Unless you want to be explaining sexual harassment and intimidation charges to the police, and adding criminal to your resume.”

I stretch out my fingers by my side as my hand throbs.

“Now I get it.” He looks from me to Maria, who is standing pale-faced, staring at me. “She’s fucking you.” He laughs, looking at Maria. “It makes sense now. That’s what you were doing in that room Saturday night. Fucking your boss on the meeting table. Real classy.”

“Get him out of here before I kill him!”

My heart’s hammering in my chest as security escorts him away.

What the hell was he doing, thinking he could come here like that? Cause a scene, try to talk to Maria. To…

“Maria?” I rush over to her. “Are you okay, did he—”

“What the hell?” she hisses at me, shoving me in the chest. “You’re lucky none of the team are in yet. They’d have seen you hit him. What were you thinking?” She glares at me.

I suck in air through my nose, my eyes bugging out. “You heard what he said about you. Jesus Christ! He can’t speak about you like that.”

“Of course he shouldn’t. But you don’t need to almost knock him out.” Her gaze drops to the small droplets of blood on the floor. “I need to clean this up before anyone comes in.”

“Maria.” I grab her chin, forcing her eyes to meet mine. “I will never let anyone speak about you like that. Ever. And if they try, they’d better pray to God for a painless crossover when I kill them.”

“But—”

Heat fires across my chest. “No! No fucking buts. Get used to it because I will not apologize for it.”

“Why?” She glares, her head tilting back to look at me.

I take another step forward so our chests press together. Mine is rising and falling fast as I struggle to rein my anger back in. I’m about ready to explode from the way Todd spoke to her. If security hadn’t arrived, it would have been paramedics taking him out.

How can she not see why? How can she not understand that the idea of anyone laying a finger on her makes me want to burn down the world if I had to, to hunt them down?

I stare deep into her eyes, daring her to look away as I catch my breath.

She doesn’t.

She holds my eyes in defiance, her strong will glittering out in them.

I lift my throbbing hand and dust the backs of my fingers over the concealed bruise on her cheek. Her eyes pinch at the corners. It must still be tender, and that makes my anger ebb away, making way for concern as I lower my lips until they’re hovering over hers.

“Because, Sweetheart, as much as you fight it, we both know… there’s only one outcome between us.”

Her eyelashes flutter as she blinks and looks up at me. The soft pink of her lips glistens where she darts her tongue out and wets them.

“Which is?” she whispers.

She looks so beautiful standing here, gazing up at me, her signature fire now subtle in her hazel eyes.

But I know it’s there. I see it. I feel it. I crave it.

Her pupils widen as I stroke her cheek again. A smile spreads over my lips.

“The one where… You. Are. Mine.”

Then I lower my lips down onto hers.