Eleven

“It’s good to hear your voice, baby.”

The butterflies in Adelaide’s stomach launched into flight. It was hard to believe Michael was saying these words to her. Her dearest friend. Her forever crush. Her soul flushed with shy pleasure, then flooded with the sounds of the universal language of love—Puccini. One sleepy-voiced sentence was all it took.

Wait. Love?

There was no love. This wasn’t forever. She’d drawn a firm line between them. This would be over once the fashion show ended. She couldn’t let her relationship with Michael become the center of her world. Her grandmother was seeing the tip of her potential, but that was only the beginning. She had so much more in her. Adelaide couldn’t lose sight of that even for a little while. Her fling with Michael was just that—a fling. She couldn’t risk her future on a man who only had now to offer.

“Imagine how good it would be to see me in person,” she quipped with false bravado.

“You really want to put me through this first thing in the morning?”

She laughed, feeling a bit abashed for calling him the moment she had opened her eyes that morning. But she wasn’t trying to turn him on or anything. Well, maybe a little. “I just wanted to hear your voice, too. And to invite you to come with me to my meeting with the set designers. Your presence isn’t strictly necessary, but I miss you.”

The silence from his end of the line seemed to stretch on. “I...can’t. It seems my more impulsive clients need my attention today. I swear they’re giving me premature grays.”

“Oh, of course. You do have a company to run.” Adelaide did her best to hide the disappointment in her voice. “Will I see you tonight? Without Colin?”

“I would love to, but I have to see how my day goes.” Michael’s chuckle sounded stilted. “I’ll call you later.”

“Okay. Talk to you soon.”

“Bye.”

Adelaide moved like a robot through her morning routine to get herself ready for work. When she went down to the kitchen, her grandmother was already finishing her coffee and half a buttered bagel—her go-to weekday breakfast.

“Good morning, Hal-muh-nee.”

“Come and eat. You look thin.”

“I’m just tired. I had to work straight through the night a couple days ago, and I’m still recovering.”

“Ah, yes. The passion of youth.” She smiled with a faraway look.

Adelaide felt her face redden with guilt at her grandmother’s unintentional innuendo. The passion of youth, indeed. “What are your plans for the day?”

“I’m meeting with some board members for lunch. I need to see them in person to get an accurate read on their positions on the Hansol-Vivotex partnership. They praise Garrett to the heavens when I’m on the phone with them, but I need to make certain the board members aren’t just kissing my ass.” She snorted, sounding incredibly poised, even arrogant. I so want to be like you when I grow up. “It’ll be good for you to remember that, Adelaide. Never take what you hear at face value. You need to decipher the truth through your gut instinct.”

“I’ll remember it well,” she replied, her jaw gaping loose. This was the first time her grandmother had ever given her words of wisdom about running the company. The validation and genuine counsel made her dizzy with pride. And it reinforced her earlier resolve that her relationship with Michael couldn’t become a distraction. It would be a disaster if Grandmother ever found out about their fling. She had to make doubly sure that it was a very short and discreet affair.

The sense of acceptance and pride stayed with her as she drove to her meeting, but so did her phone call with Michael. She replayed their conversation in her mind. He was flirtatious and sexy until the moment she told him she missed him. It couldn’t be. Did those simple words convince him that she was becoming too attached? They’d had one night together. Did he think it’d been too much for little Adelaide? She couldn’t stop the insecurities flooding her mind.

After a few missed turns, she arrived at the loft to meet with the set designers so they could take the necessary measurements to create a runway suited for the space and theme. She compartmentalized her dizzying feelings and allowed her mind to focus fully on the business at hand.

Once she got back to her car, the dam she’d built around her worries crumbled to the ground. Adelaide reached for her phone but pulled her hand back. What would she say? Do you still want me? She was being ridiculous. Hadn’t she decided not to let their fling distract her? They shouldn’t spend every night together.

Besides, the way he’d made love to her couldn’t have been her imagination. He’d taken her as though they were the only two beings left on earth and he’d been looking a lifetime for her. Michael wanted her. Even if it was short-term—even if it was just sex—he wanted her desperately. And she was happy with that. That was all she wanted, as well. To burn through the magnetic chemistry between them. She needed to stop analyzing his every word and action.

Adelaide took a deep breath and let her anxiety go. She drove out of her spot on the street and headed back to the office. It was already late afternoon, but she had to put together a cohesive vision of the theme she wanted the set designers to execute, and have it to them in the next couple days.

Her cell phone dinged in her purse and her anxiety returned full force. Where had all her hard-won confidence and maturity gone? Was she back to craving constant affection so she could feel wanted? She wasn’t going back. She didn’t need any man—including Michael Reynolds—to feel valued.

Adelaide didn’t bother checking her text. It was most likely the designers she’d met asking her for some clarifications. Only when she returned to her desk did she pull out her phone. She was proud to have her self-confidence and control back. Unfortunately, the message she found didn’t please her.

She forced back the panicked thoughts crowding her mind. She was fine with not seeing Michael for one night. He wasn’t the center of her world.

The ellipses appeared on the screen as though Michael was typing a response, but soon it stopped without a text from him. Again. She refused to sweat it. He probably got pulled away.

Despite her determination to not fret over not seeing Michael, she didn’t want to head home for a quiet night. It had been forever since she’d danced the night away. In fact, she hadn’t been to her cousin’s club since that night Michael showed up to escort her home.

Suddenly she wanted to get out of the office. Letting go of the stress of the past few days by losing herself to music and dancing sounded like exactly what she needed. But she wanted some fun, uncomplicated company. She took a sweeping glance around the studio and found her favorite team members, Mona and Chris.

“Okay, team. I won’t take no for an answer. Let’s go dancing!”

Mona shot to her feet gratifyingly fast and whooped, “Let’s go par-tay.”

“Well, you don’t need to twist my arm,” Chris chimed in. “I’ll text Cindy to join us.”

“Good call, Chris.” Adelaide fist-bumped Chris. She sensed a blooming romance between them, and it was so sweet. She was their matchmaker in a way. “Hey, Mona. Let’s go raid the sample racks in the women’s department for some cocktail dresses. Chris, you wanna hit up the men’s department?”

“Heck, yeah.”

“Do you want to knock the socks off your girl and go with something other than flannel for our night out?” she teased.

“I don’t know about that.” He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his beard in contemplation.

“Well, why don’t you surprise us?” Mona said.

“Deal. Makeover time, ladies.” Chris was out the door faster than them.

Adelaide was in the mood for something festive and sparkly, so she chose a strapless midlength gold sequin dress that hugged her body without holding back. She chose crystal drop earrings that dangled just shy of her shoulders, and strappy crystal-studded shoes. She kind of looked like Lumière from Beauty and the Beast, and she loved it.

“Oh, my gosh, Mona.” The designer was stunning in a red off-the-shoulder A-line dress that accentuated her hourglass figure, and her four-inch stiletto heels made her look like an Amazonian badass. “You look hot. And I mean that in the most respectful and professional sense.”

“Oh, forget professionalism. I know you aren’t hitting on me,” she laughed delightedly. “You just can’t contain your awe at my eat-your-heart-out dress.”

“So true, girlfriend.”

Mona had the perfect universal bloodred lipstick that they both put on and went down to the lobby to meet up with Chris. They almost walked past a tall, fit man checking his cell phone, wearing a tight black dress shirt and charcoal leather pants with a bold silver-buckled belt. But the man lifted his head to reveal his bearded face just before they passed him.

“Chris?” Adelaide and Mona both asked at once.

“What? Do I look different or something?” He grinned broadly.

“Cindy is a lucky girl. That’s all I have to say,” Mona said with a low whistle.

Chris turned adorably red and volunteered to be the designated driver. When they got to the club, there was a good crowd, but it wasn’t suffocating since it was a weeknight. Clarence, Tucker’s apprentice, was helming the mixer tonight, and the music pumped through Adelaide’s veins with the perfect amount of power and spice.

“Hey, Adelaide,” Tucker met them near the entrance. “It’s been too long. Let me set you and your friends up. Colin isn’t here tonight. You knew that, right?”

“Yup. Why do you think I chose tonight to come?” Adelaide joked with a wink. “Guys, this is Tucker, the manager and the best DJ on Pendulum’s roster. Tucker, this is Chris and Mona. A beautiful young woman named Cindy will be joining us soon, so be on the lookout for her please.”

Once everyone had said their hellos, Tucker set them up at a great table with a bottle of blanco tequila and a mountain of limes.

“Is there anything else you need?” he asked.

“Nah, we’re set. Thanks.” She high-fived him, and the rest of the table nodded profusely, grinning ear to ear. “Okay. Two shots to get us started, then we hit the dance floor.”

“You got it, girl,” Mona shouted over the music.

As soon as Adelaide’s strappy heals hit the dance floor, Clarence filled the air with her favorite songs. It wasn’t long before the music formed a layer of invisible skin around her, and her movements felt as though she was floating in water. Her blood hummed with elation, and she closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the sensations. She and Mona shared Chris, who was an exceptionally good dancer, until Cindy joined them in the chicest, hottest pink jumpsuit, and then he was all hers.

The four of them finished the bottle of tequila and burned off all the alcohol on the dance floor. Mona shouted for another bottle, but Adelaide had to be the big, bad boss and put on the breaks.

“I’m calling it a night. We’ll have a flowing supply of tequila once the fashion show is finished, but it’s past one o’clock. I don’t want you missing class or half-assing on the fashion show prep tomorrow.”

“Boo,” Mona said. She was so cute all tipsy.

“Thank you, Adelaide,” Cindy and Chris said in chorus, their hands linked.

Adelaide stepped outside while the rest of the crew got their things together. The chill in the night air was welcome against her heated skin, and she inhaled a deep, cleansing breath. The breath caught in her throat when a hand grabbed her purse.

“Hey!” she said, holding on to the straps. “Let. Go.”

The purse snatcher bared his teeth, slammed his shoulder into her and knocked her to the ground. The pain and shock of being hit cut off her air supply, and Adelaide curled up into a ball on the ground. As she drew in a full breath, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and gently sat her up. She struggled against the hold for a brief moment until a voice broke through her whimpering.

“Adelaide, it’s me. It’s Chris. Don’t worry.” He held her tight and patted her back gently. “You’re safe now.”

The assailant had taken her purse, along with her phone. She had to pull herself together and make sure he didn’t get access to her texts with Michael. But she was frightened, and her body felt like a giant bruise.

“Oh, my God!” Cindy and Mona rushed to her side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Only a little shaken.” With the help of her friends, she got to her feet and dusted herself off. There was no time for her to be shaking with fear. She had to make sure the theft of her phone didn’t escalate into catastrophe. “I need to borrow one of your phones.”

Jealousy wasn’t an emotion familiar to him, but when Michael’s media alert chimed at four in the morning, he was filled with the toxic green fume. A picture of Adelaide dancing seductively a few inches from Chris. Another shot of her in Chris’s arms, clinging to the front of his shirt. He wasn’t fully awake, but he wanted to beat the hell out of the design student.

Then the headline caught his attention and brought him fully awake: Adelaide Song Involved in a Love Affair with her Student Employee.

What the hell was going on? He scrolled down to find additional pictures. Adelaide was in Chris’s arms, but she was sitting smack in the middle of the sidewalk. In the next picture, she was standing with Chris, Cindy and Mona. In the background of the picture, Tucker and some bouncers hovered around them with fierce expressions.

Had something happened to Adelaide? His world seemed to compress around him. Nothing else mattered but her. She had to be safe. Goddammit. None of this would’ve happened if he hadn’t canceled their date last night.

It was true he’d had fires to put out, but his canceling was partly motivated by his guilt and fear. When she’d told him she missed him, Michael thought his heart would burst from happiness. Then he recalled Colin’s warning. What if she believed she was falling in love with him? That meant he could break her heart by leaving her, and he would rather die than hurt her. But staying with her wasn’t an option. She deserved better.

His feelings for Adelaide had overwhelmed him. Michael had told himself they needed some space to get their emotions in check, but as soon as he told her he couldn’t see her, he regretted his cowardly move. She was the one who’d wanted the two-month affair. If she was falling in love with him, she would’ve told him she’d changed her mind. Right?

But now she could be hurt somewhere because he wasn’t there for her. If she was getting rest after an ordeal, Michael didn’t want to wake her. But there was no chance in hell he’d fall back asleep not knowing whether she was okay.

If Tucker and the bouncers were around, then she’d obviously been at Pendulum. He had no qualms about waking up Colin. Michael was going insane with worry.

“Colin.”

“What the hell, Mike? I got to bed an hour ago. Call me back tomorrow.”

“I’ll come pound on your door if you hang up on me. Where’s Adelaide? Is she okay?”

“How do you know about that? Hell, is it all over the media already?”

“Screw the media. How is Adelaide? Tell me, goddammit.”

“Calm down. She’s okay. She has some scrapes and bruises, but she’s strong. She handled herself like a soldier during the police interview. You couldn’t have guessed she’d been assaulted half an hour before that.”

“Assaulted? Police interview?” Michael had been pacing his room, but he sat back on his bed when his knees nearly gave out. “Start from the beginning. All I saw was a picture of her sitting on the sidewalk clinging to Chris like she was terrified.”

“Right.” Colin sighed, and seemed to shake the sleep off of himself. “I think she put together a night out for some of her designers. According to Tucker, they were a fun group and seemed to have a great time until Adelaide put the brakes on them around one o’clock. She was lecturing them about having to work the next day. Responsibility is making her boring.”

Michael huffed a tense laugh at Colin’s attempt to lighten his anxiety. “So boring.”

“Yeah, I know. Well, she went out of the club before the rest of her group, and some bastard tried to snatch her purse. And of course, our Adelaide fought him off, playing tug-of-war with her purse with her much bigger assailant. Finally, he slammed his shoulder into her and knocked her to the ground, and took off with her purse.” Colin didn’t wait for Michael to respond. “At any rate, it seems he’d been hanging around outside the club for easy targets. He grabbed Adelaide before anyone else came out, but Chris heard her scream and the other designers got Tucker and our men.”

Michael’s vision blurred and the room glowed faintly red as fury trembled inside him like a volcano about to erupt. “What happened to the assailant?”

“Long gone. Adelaide didn’t get a good look at him. He wore a cap lowered over his eyes.”

“Hell.” He rubbed his face wearily. “What about Adelaide? Has she been seen by a doctor? Is she home now?”

“Yes, the paramedics checked her out. They said she’s pretty bruised up on her ribs from the hit, and her arms, legs and hip from the fall. Thankfully, she didn’t hit her head on the sidewalk. I want to kill the bastard.”

Michael couldn’t speak for a moment as he envisioned Adelaide’s injuries. Angry dark bruises and scrapes all over her body. And bruised ribs? He flung his pillow across the room and knocked down a lamp.

“Mike!” Colin seemed startled by the crash. “I need you to calm down. You have to focus on the fact that she is safe and sound.”

“Having bruised ribs because someone hit her is not safe and sound,” he gritted through his teeth.

“God, you’re acting crazier than Garrett. Maybe he was toning things down not to freak out his pregnant wife and toddler, but come on, Mike. You’re going to give yourself a stroke.”

“You already told Garrett?” He knew it wasn’t Colin’s fault, but his anger was surging out of his pores. “Were you ever planning on telling me?”

“I understand you’re in shock, but you need to back the hell up. She’s my cousin. And because she’s my dear cousin, I kept my promise to her that I’d let her tell you.”

The pressure building up inside of him seemed to fizzle and deflate. “Adelaide told you not to tell me.”

“She wanted to tell you when she felt more herself. Give her some time to rest, and I’m sure she’ll call you in the morning. When the sun’s up. Like normal people do.”

“Hell. I’m sorry, man. I lost it for a second.” Michael wiped his hand down his face. “Thank you for taking care of her.”

“I’m just sorry I wasn’t there when it happened. I was at another club but got there as soon as I could.”

“You did your best. Thanks, again.”

“Of course. Try to get some rest.”

“I will. I hope you can go back to sleep.”

“Ha! You’re not getting off that easily. You owe me a drink, Reynolds.”

“Definitely. Good night.”

He hung up his phone and headed for the shower. There was no chance he was getting another wink of sleep until he saw for himself that Adelaide was okay. After a hot shower to restore his equilibrium, he was going to find the media outlet that had published the incendiary article and shut them down.

Michael waited all day for Adelaide’s call, but there was only radio silence. When he spoke with Liliana in the morning, she said Adelaide had gone into work after speaking with Mrs. Song. He wished she’d taken a day off to recuperate, but maybe she needed to lose herself in work to forget about her ordeal.

In the early morning, he had extinguished the tabloid article before it could spread wide. Chris had been helping her after a mobbing as reported to the police. The tabloid’s claim of a relationship between Chris and Adelaide was libelous, pure and simple. He used the existence of a police report, and the clout of his firm and Hansol Corporation to force the tabloid trash to make nice and withdraw the article immediately. They were to respond to any inquiries by saying it was an unsubstantiated story and had therefore been withdrawn. He just hoped he got it done before Mrs. Song got wind of it. A scandal like this could impact the respect and trust that Adelaide had built up between them.

By the time six o’clock rolled around, he couldn’t stay away a second longer, so he marched into her studio. He froze midstride when he spotted Adelaide sketching at her desk.

“Adelaide.” His voice broke over her name.

Her head shot up and her mask of serenity cracked. Her trembling hand rose to her mouth as tears filled her eyes, and he ran to her and enveloped her in his arms. The studio was thankfully empty.

“Shh, baby. You’re okay.” He wiped away the tears trailing down her face and pressed featherlight kisses on her lips. Again and again. Telling her as well as himself that she was okay. “I’m here.”

Slowly the tremors eased from her body, and she melted against him, limp and spent. “Take me home.”

She didn’t need to ask him twice or explain to him that she meant his house, not hers. Once they were out of the studio, Michael replaced his tight grip around her shoulders with a light touch at her lower back. Adelaide walked, her face a picture of calm confidence. She even remembered to sling her laptop bag over her shoulder. The Song family control was legendary for a reason.

Once she was ensconced in the front seat of his sedan, Adelaide dropped her mask, leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Michael backed his car out carefully, putting his arm around her to hold her steady.

The traffic was relatively light, and he was soon pulling the car into his driveway. Holding her against his body, he walked her into the house. Adelaide’s hands were cold and the pallor of her lips matched the creamy skin of her face, which held no hint of color. She hadn’t said a word during the drive, and he didn’t ask a single question. She would talk when she was ready.

“Come here.” He led her to his bed and laid her down over the covers, adjusting the pillows around her. “Let me draw you a bath. You need to get warm.”

Her lashes fluttered shut as though she was exhausted. When Colin spoke of Adelaide’s strength last night, Michael knew she had held her own with iron will, but he also knew that she was compartmentalizing all her fear and emotions in order to present an unshakable front. She needed a release to process everything she had bottled up inside. He intended to hold her through it all.

Michael never had women over at his house and regretted not having any fragrant bubbles for her bath. The best he could do for her was fill the deep tub with warm water and light some candles he’d gotten as a Christmas present last year. He was pleasantly surprised to find the scent of jasmine filling his bathroom. It was Adelaide’s favorite.

When it was ready, he sat her up on his bed and began to undress her. She wore a dress shirt buttoned up to her neck and a beige pencil skirt. Too toned down for her usual style. As he undid the buttons of her shirt, his gut wrenched painfully. Angry dark blue bruises spanned her chest and ribs, and helpless fury shook him from head to toe.

“Hush,” Adelaide said, smoothing his hair from his forehead and kissing him sweetly. “I’m okay, Michael.”

“I know.” He couldn’t fall apart right now. She needed him to be strong for her.

After he finished undressing her, he gathered her in his arms and eased her into the bathtub. She didn’t say another word, but her eyes didn’t leave his as he washed her like a child. She looked as though she was assuring herself that he was real.

“I’m here. You’re safe now.”

He washed every inch of her with reverence, silently telling her how much he cherished her. Then he gently dried her off and pulled one of his T-shirts over her head before tucking her under the covers. He lay down beside her over the covers and slid his arm around her so her head rested on his chest.

“Rest now, baby.” The first heart-wrenching sob escaped her then. He wrapped his other arm around her and crushed her flush against his body. “Let it all out.”

He held her tight and rode out the storm until her tears soaked through his shirt. After long minutes, her sobs subsided. Then her tears dried up, and the painful knot in Michael’s stomach eased. He kissed the top of her head and drew circles on her back until she fell asleep. He hoped she’d found her peace and was ready to take the first step toward putting the nightmare behind her.

He studied her sleeping face and noticed how angelic and vulnerable she looked. The asshole had hit her and knocked her to the ground. Michael felt the growl build in his chest, a raw, feral sound. He wanted to tear the bastard apart with his bare hands. Adelaide stirred in his arms, and Michael bit back the anger spilling over him. His anger was his to deal with, and not what Adelaide needed right now.

He inhaled deep breaths through his nose and steadied his heartbeat. He would be whoever she wanted him to be when she woke up. The person who could help her process the events of the night before. Someone who could make her smile. And if she wanted, someone who could make love to her until she forgot everything.