“YousureIcan’t tempt you to come back with me?”
Demitri’s boyish charm was working overtime this morning, dimples showing off, smile crooked and dashing as his hands clung to the dips of my waist.
“I don’t think we’d have any problem escaping Mr. Law and Order over there. Guy looks like he spent the night drinking away a bar instead of sleeping.”
I hadn’t looked in James’ direction yet, but I was sure Demitri was right.
James never came back inside the room after he stormed out. I knew he wouldn’t risk going far and that his car was parked right outside the room, so that’s probably where he stayed all night.
It made sense that he didn’t sleep, but it was his own fault.
“Always trying to be the hero,” I mumbled to Demitri. The urge was in my cheeks to smile up at him. Even a small one.
It didn’t work.
He didn’t seem to mind, grinning enough for the both of us. “Just for you, Red.”
Too good. God, he was too good for me. For anyone on this bleak planet, really.
“How’re you gonna get back?” I tucked my arms against my chest, holding myself tight and small.
Above me, Demitri forgot—or just flat out refused—to cover up the disappointment lingering like smoke in his expressive eyes as I changed the subject on him.
Maybe another day, I would have felt a pang of guilt for not at least entertaining his romantic efforts.
Today, I couldn’t feel guilt.
Today, I couldn’t feel anything.
“Alec grabbed a flight home yesterday since he knew I wasn’t leaving, so the jet’s still stashed.” Affectionate warmth squeezed either side of my waist. “I’ve got an Uber on the way to get me there.”
I nodded up at him, folding my bottom lip between my teeth.
Out of curiosity, I bit down a little harder than someone normal would have. Just to see.
Like a subdued gasp, relief trilled up my ribcage as pain erupted deep beneath the sensitive flesh. A moan stuck in my esophagus as I chewed the burning skin over, stitching the feeling of something in as hard as I could.
“Red?”
My neck craned back as Demitri called for me; I hadn’t realized I’d zoned out on him.
“Hmm?”
Inhaling through his nose, he reeled me in closer, sealing his chest flush over mine.
“When am I gonna get to see you again?”
My bruising bottom lip slowly slipped from between my teeth.
This was usually the part where I’d feel some sort of aching sadness for him, for the worried way he was looking at me and had been for months now.
For the way he wanted more of my heart than even existed.
Today, there was no ache.
In its sorry place was just a fistful of air in my chest.
Hollow.