Chapter Eighteen

Courtney rolled over and saw it was three in the morning. When she looked at the other side of the bed, her heart sank. Was he so mad he couldn’t even sleep in the same bed as her? God, the pain she felt at that moment took her breath. She also decided this was a clear indication of how their relationship would be, and she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

She quickly slid out of bed, dressed, and gathered her things. Before leaving the room, she wrote him a short note because it would hurt so much to see him now.

When she walked out of the bedroom and saw Ronin asleep on the sofa, she couldn’t hold back the tears. He would rather be uncomfortable than sleep in a bed with her.

She made her way out of the hotel and stood looking around for ideas on where to go or how to get there.

“Miss?”

She turned to see the hotel’s concierge. The older man’s eyes looked so gentle. “Hi.”

“Can I help you with anything? You look lost,” he said.

“Maybe. I can’t call my friend because it’s too early, but I don’t know where to go until then.”

“You had a room here?” he asked.

“Yes…” She blinked several times to keep the tears at bay. She didn’t want to think about what and who she’d left behind.

“And from the look on your face, you’d rather not go back to it.”

Courtney shook her head. “No, sir, I don’t.”

“Come with me. We’ll get you into a small cheap room, and you can rest until you get in touch with your friend. How’s that?”

She thought about it a moment and then nodded. “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”

“No problem. I didn’t like the thought of you on the street this late at night.” He led her over to the hotel desk where a woman sat. She hadn’t seen her before.

“Amanda, this young lady needs a room for the rest of the night. I thought she could use one of the small rooms on this floor until she could get in touch with her friend.”

“We can do that,” Amanda said and smiled.

They had her checked in within minutes, and they led her to it to make sure she got inside safely.

She turned before she shut the door. “Thank you so much. I didn’t know what I would do. I’ll never forget you.”

The older man blushed and smiled. “It was my pleasure, dear. Get some rest. Things will look better in the morning.”

“I hope so,” she said and waved. She closed and locked the door.

Courtney looked around the small room. It held a queen-size bed, nightstand, andsmall dresser with a TV on it. There was a bathroom, but it only had a stand-up shower, sink, and toilet crammed into the room.

She didn’t care how small or plain the room was. She just wanted to lay down and rest, and maybe she’d be lucky and fall asleep again. That way, she wouldn’t have to think about anything.

Courtney didn’t even undress. She just lay on top of the bed, rolled to her side, and stared at the wall. She tried everything she could think of, but her mind refused to shut down.

The minutes ticked by at a turtle’s pace, and every hour was excruciating. She knew she needed to cry to ease the tightness in her chest, but to shut downlike she’d done when her mother had been especially difficult.

She made herself wait until nine to call Larkin.

“Hello.”

“Larkin, it’s me, Courtney.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ronin and I are not together anymore. I’m not the woman he needs.”

“Did he say that?”

Courtney wiped a stray tear that slid down her cheek. “Not with words.” She explained what happened the night before and how angry Ronin had been. “He was so upset he couldn’t even make himself sleep with me.”

“Oh, God. I’m so sorry. Are you sure that’s what he wants?” Larkin asked.

“Yes.”

“Where are you now?” Larkin asked.

“I’m at the hotel still. I just got another room for the rest of the night.”

“I’m at Sienna’s house. Her driver was planning on taking a few of us back to my house. How about if we pick you up and take you with us?”

Courtney exhaled in relief. “Thank you. I don’t know where else to go.”

“You are always welcome at my house, and I can guarantee the others feel the same way. It will take about an hour.”

“That’s fine,” Courtney said.

“I’ll call you when we get there.”

“I’m on the hotel phone. I haven’t had a chance to get my own.”

“That’s okay. The clock here says twenty minutes after nine. Meet us in front at twenty minutes after ten. Will that work?”

“Yes. That’s perfect. I’ll watch for you.”

“See you soon,” Larkin said.

Courtney sat on the bed and watched the minutes tick by as she stared at the bedside clock. Each minute seemed to take forever, and by the time she met Larkin in front, her nerves were strung tight.