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“I’m taking you to my hotel,” he said. I melted into his arms and closed my eyes. This had to be a bad dream. I’d fallen asleep while I was getting ready at my hotel, and I would wake up and everything would be okay.
But as the car started moving, I knew it wasn’t a dream. I inhaled into Carter’s chest, smelling his scent and trying to stop my hands from shaking. Finally, I pulled myself away and looked at his face.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
The concern was etched all over his face. He cupped my cheek in his hand and kissed me tenderly.
“I told you, Veronica, you’re my woman now,” he said. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”
My eyes filled with tears and I nodded. “Thank you.”
“Was that you ex?”
I nodded as my throat closed with emotion. I didn’t want to think about Seth, or think about what had just happened, or think about what would happen if anyone got a photo or a video of Carter knocking him off me. I just leaned against Carter’s broad chest and took a deep breath.
“It’ll be okay,” Carter said. “You’re safe now.” And his arms squeezed around me until I stopped shaking and I believed him. I was safe.
Chapter 16 - Carter
The white-hot anger that I felt when I saw that maggot touching Vee practically blinded me. My heart was still thumping, even though she was in my arms now, on the way to my hotel.
“What was your ex doing here?” I finally managed to ask. My voice still had an edge to it, but it didn’t betray the blind rage that had consumed me at the hotel.
“I’m not sure. I think he followed me.” Vee shifted against me, pushing herself up and staring out the window. “I kept thinking I was seeing him wherever I was. I thought I was going crazy.”
“Yesterday,” I breathed. “Before you went home.”
Vee finally looked at me, her eyes full of surprise. She nodded.
“I saw you tense when you looked over my shoulder.”
“Ah,” she said. Sadness filled her eyes and I pulled her into me again.
“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“Thanks.”
Selfishly, her reply stung. I thought she’d want to talk to me. I wanted to be the one to comfort her, to save her from whatever was going on. But she just sighed against my chest, and I squeezed my arms around her.
It wasn’t about me. It was about her, and that creep that had been following her around.
“I’ll call my lawyer,” I said. “He’s a divorce lawyer, but we can see about getting a restraining order.”
“Do those actually do anything? I mean, he flew across the fucking country to get to me. He followed me to the airport, to my hotel!”
“Well, if you have a restraining order and he does it again, he’ll be arrested.”
“Right,” she said. She looked up at me, stretching her lips into a tight smile. “Thank you.”
I could feel her pain, but I was powerless to do anything about it. The car pulled in to the Ritz and I helped her to the elevators, taking her up to the top floor. Garrett, Maddox and I were sharing the top floor, each with our own suites. I opened the door to mine and led Veronica in.
She straightened up against me, opening her eyes wide and looking around the room. Finally, she looked at me, shaking her head.
“This place is insane!”
“I know,” I laughed.
“My hotel is an absolute dump!
