Page 46 of LA Reign

It is almost two in the morning, and Kelsey and I have been talking nonstop since I arrived. My stomach growls noisily as she tells me about her latest dating mishap, then she bursts out laughing. I hold my tummy, embarrassed.

“Shit! I completely forgot to feed you,” she says with a snort.

“You don’t have to feed me. I’m not your house pet,” I giggle.

“I know that, but you must be starving. I have literally no food in the place. Let’s order a pizza.”

“It’s 2am!”

“It’s New York, baby. How quickly you forget.”

“Of course. Tony’s on the corner.”

“I’ll order now. Shall we go ham and pineapple?”

“Yes,” I groan, almost salivating at the taste memory. “And a massive side of fries. And maybe some cheesecake…”

Kelsey laughs as she calls in our order. “This is like old times.”

It is, I think, and it’s been good for me. Kelsey found me a pair of her PJs, and I make the most of the break to go down the hall into her bedroom and get changed. I arrived here with nothing but the clothes on my back, and it feels good to get out of the outfit I’ve been wearing for the entirety of this horrible day.

I stare at myself in the mirror and laugh at what I see. Fleecy pants and a long-sleeved top with a cute cartoon dinosaur on it. My hair is loose, my makeup has evaporated, and I look about twelve years old.

Tomorrow, I know I need to go back to LA and talk to my husband. The man I love. I need to at least give him the chance to tell me his side of the story. Assuming he wants to, and assuming he doesn’t kill me on sight. He is not a man who likes things, specifically me, being outside his control, and I know this has been torture for him. I didn’t really think it through, I just reacted. Being with Kelsey has allowed me to decompress and blow off some steam. Tomorrow, I tell myself, I will see him tomorrow.

Tonight, though…well, I am going to wear my dinosaur PJs with pride and try not to worry too much. Besides, the wine might be gone, but the pizza is on the way. And even quicker than I expected, I think, as a knock comes on the door. I hear Kelsey scurrying around and peer through to see her grabbing some cash from her wallet and heading down the hallway.

I clap my hands together and do a little happy dance at the thought of reacquainting myself with Tony’s delicious slices. I really am starving, and can’t actually remember the last time I ate—possibly over twenty-four hours ago, because I was too nervous before we saw Dr. Kelly and have been too upset ever since. It really has been a crappy day, and I’m glad it’s at least ending with some comfort.

I smile as I hear Kelsey come back in, but as she pops her head through the open bedroom door, I know something is wrong immediately. There’s no pizza, for a start. She pulls an apologetic face and slips inside. “Okay. So, I might be jumping to conclusions here, but I have a suspicion your husband might be outside.”

“What?” I mutter in shock. I don’t know why. Did I really think Alejandro would let me go this easily, even for a few days? “Why do you think that?”

“Well, there are three very serious and very stacked men in suits standing out there asking to see you.”

I gulp, and my heart feels like it leaps all the way up into my throat. “Did one of them look like he had steam coming from his ears?”

“Yup,” she nods.

“Then it’s him,” I say with a groan.

“I kinda got the impression he’s not gonna leave till he talks to you, honey, but just say the word and I’ll lock that door. We’ll barricade ourselves in with the bookshelves.”

I appreciate her fighting spirit, but Kelsey doesn’t have a clue who she’s dealing with here. You don’t say no to the boss of the Spanish Mafia, and you don’t say no to my husband. Both sides of him are equally determined.

No, I’ll have to speak to him. There’s no way in hell Alejandro will leave without seeing me…and possibly throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me away. Despite everything, a little throb between my legs reminds me that I wouldn’t mind that at all, at least physically. My body always does have a mind of its own when it comes to Alejandro.

“No. It’s okay. Let them in,” I say with a sigh.

“It will be okay, I’m here,” Kelsey says with a reassuring smile. “I won’t let anything bad happen.”

She has no idea who we’re dealing with here.

I stand up from the bed, wondering if I should change out of the PJs. No, I think, why should I? I can’t imagine I’ll be having my sleepover as planned, but maybe if I look like crap he’ll be less tempted to whisk me right away.

Yeah, right.

I walk down to the living room, standing tall, shoulders back, trying to find some pride despite the circumstances. The small space is now full of man flesh. So much man it’s hard to know where to look, the air oozing with testosterone. It’s Hugo and Jax, doing their jobs and checking the place out. Just in case Kelsey has a machete hidden in her closet. The big guns are here, all for little old me. A runaway bride in a dinosaur top.