Dahlia Aldridge
Waking up Monday morning, I couldn’t help the smile that slipped onto my face. It was in part because of the night before, and the other was how peaceful and cozy I was. There was a bright streak of sunshine breaking across the floor, the chill from the AC making me curl further under my blankets and inhale King’s familiar scent. It still smelled like him from yesterday… you know… when he had pinned me to my bed.
I found myself eager to see him and my other guys today. After everything that had happened yesterday, it was almost impossible to not be in a good mood. Heck, I didn’t even care about that Instagram DM I’d gotten. I was in far too good of a mood. Despite the situation with Stratton, I had finally gotten an answer to the question that had buzzed through my brain for what felt like years.
What I felt was a shared experience for my boys.
I had been in love with these men since I knew what that was, and while I needed to hear it from the other three, hearing Kingston Ross tell me that he loved me had changed everything in a span of seconds. It felt like a daydream, all of it. What he had presented me with was my fantasy on a silver platter. Their feelings for me matching my own? Not having to choose between them? Someone needed to pinch me, becausecall me crazy, but it was hard to believe that after all this I would be so freakin’ lucky.
A sudden balmy breeze and the creaking of doors had my brow dipping as I turned my head to the other side of my bed. My balcony doors swung slightly, the wind pushing the curtains out onto the stone surface as peaks of pure blue sky broke through my vision. Standing slowly, I shrugged on my robe as I walked across the space to pull the doors open fully.
Stepping out onto the balcony, I tilted my head at a familiar pair of boot prints that were faint but matched the mud at the garden surface below my room. I couldn’t help but smile and shake my head.
I knew I had closed the doors… had Stratton come back? Because those tracks weren’t from the first time, I knew that. Stepping back into the room, my eyes trailed to the large armchair that was in the small living area of my room, taking in the blanket that was tossed haphazardly on the couch.
Had he slept here last night?
Picking up the soft blanket, I brought it to my nose, his familiar scent surrounding me.That would be a yes. I mean, it wouldn’t have been the first time, but it felt like he hadn’t done that in forever. When we were younger, he had appeared in my room a few times and fallen asleep on the couch, claiming he couldn’t sleep without me in the same room. It had always been a soft-spoken vulnerability, and I knew it had something to do with the time I’d spent with him following his parents’ death. I had absolutely never minded, and I’d been honestly really bummed when he had stopped doing it so often.
So why now? Why after telling me that he essentially couldn’t even risk our friendship, let alone anything else? He hadn’t even tried to hide that he was here. Confusing man.
That was okay, though. Poor thing was far more confused than I was. I had a plan to prove to Stratton that the solution to his problem wasn’t isolation. I was going to show him that I would always be there for him, and then he could make his decision on how to move forward. I didn’t want there to be a doubt in his mind that I’d be there no matter what. Money or not. Danger or not. He could count on me.
Was I possibly a sucker for trying so hard to keep a man by my side that kept pushing me away? Yeah. Yeah, I possibly was. I knew Stratton, though. I knew this was worth it. Until he told me he didn’t want me in his life, and not because of external reasons, I would continue to push.
That was what you did when you loved someone. You fought for them, even when they weren’t seeing things clearly. I didn’t care about looking like a fool. I didn’t care if this possibly ended in heartbreak. I wanted to be able to say that I had tried. I wanted to know I had done everything I could to keep him. To make him know that he was loved. Valued.
My alarm buzzed as I walked over to turn it off, making me realize that I needed to get a move on with my day if I planned on being on time for my new job.Yeah, I hadn’t forgotten about that.I realized briefly that it was a bit later in the day than I expected, but I was glad I’d actually slept. I had a feeling it was going to be a long day.
Mostly because I would be working at Mr. Carter’s legal office, and that meant spending time with Yates. Something I would normally complain about… but come on, after yesterday? No. I was very much excited to see him.
Unfortunately, our dinner party with everyone had gone far later into the night than expected, so I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to the twins, Yates, or even Dermot about anything. Luckily, that also meant they couldn’t ask me questions about the Stratton situation. I had, of course, apologized to the twins for missing the end of their game. It had been while in the sitting room with our parents, and I had nearly turned bright red when Sterling had leaned over and told me that I could ‘make it up to them.’ Let me tell you, I was eager to know what that entailed.
Extensively.
Walking over to my closet, I easily pulled off my oversized shirt and fitted my frame with a black lace pair of panties and bra that matched a dark skirt I’d been itching to wear. It was a stiff material with a lace overlay that went out from the waist and hit mid-thigh. Probably not completely appropriate for a legal office, but it’d serve Yates right. I hadn’t even asked to be there!
I slipped on a soft short sleeve blouse and tucked it in, the pale cream color complimenting the heels I slipped on. They were a special edition of cream Louboutins, the bright red bottoms matching the pair of earrings I chose. I didn’t get a chance to dress like this very often, so I was actually having a lot of fun, picking out ‘office attire.’ I adjusted my cleavage, wondering how much of an effect I actually had on Yates. I mean, I knew what King had said… but I guess I would just need to see for myself.
Once in the bathroom, I washed my face and applied some light makeup with red tinted lip gloss. I pulled back the top half of my hair with a clip before looking over myself, feeling good about how I looked. Something that concerned me because of the frequency in the past few days—I hadn’t had this many positive thoughts about myself in a long time—but it probably wouldn’t last. My eyes darted to the scale across the room.
I felt out of control for not weighing myself recently.
I had eaten a small amount of dinner last night, but not nearly enough to constitute my concern. Not that it was ever really valid…
Frowning, I felt myself waver slightly on the staircase as I made my way downstairs. Maybe I did need something to eat… Shaking my head, I got into my car, knowing my dad was at work and my mom was probably sleeping. Turning on some music, I considered picking up a smoothie. Almost as if knowing, my stomach cramped uncomfortably, and I sighed, knowing that I needed something to eat.
As I made my way through the gates and into town, I realized that it was far sunnier than I had expected. Grabbing my sunglasses, I turned into the driveway of a juice shop and ordered myself a protein smoothie before making my way towards the office. The line had been a bit longer than expected, but luckily, I made it to the office right on time. Despite only being halfway through the smoothie, I left it in the car, feeling a bit sick at how quickly I had downed it.Or maybe it was the consideration of how many calories were in it.
Shaking my head, I cleared my thoughts, not wanting to sour my good mood by thinking about food. Not today. As I stepped out of the car, my gaze ran over the Carter legal office. It was an elegant, single-story building surrounded by large trees, making the building look more cozy than one would assume from a prestigious law firm. I couldn’t help but smile at the late-blooming lilies that covered the front garden beds, clearly inspired by Mrs. Carter. That… that was actually very sweet. My lips pressed up, amused at the thought of Yates being that cute or romantic.
The bossy bastard would never.
I had been to the office several times over the years, but as I walked in today, I was struck again by how beautiful it was. The decor was tasteful, elegant, and warm, making you feel like you were in a house rather than a law firm. While I didn’t want this job, having some experience wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, especially from a place like this.
“Hi there,” I offered to the man at the front desk, his eyes moving from his computer to me. I saw him scan over me before he flashed a cheerful smile and stood.
“Hi, how can I help you, miss?” he asked curiously, my smile growing at the term ‘miss’ because it felt so formal. Unfortunately, the smile encouraged him, because he crossed his arms and leaned forward on the counter, offering me a smile that seemed to almost be attempting to be… sexy? Was that what he was trying to do? Oh. Man. If so, he was failing terribly. I almost felt bad.