6. Nolan

CHAPTER 6

Nolan

I groan. Why the fuck is my alarm going off right now? Isn’t it, like, Saturday or something? Hell, it doesn’t even matter what day it is. I never have to wake up early. It’s one of the many perks of running a bar instead of working a typical nine-to-five.

The fundraiser and ensuing night flash through my mind like a dirty reel of every fantasy I’ve had come to life.

I reach my hand out across the cool sheets and frown at the empty bed. “Little dove?” I force my eyes open to confirm she’s not beside me. The bathroom door is open, and the light is off. A glance at the floor provides further proof of her absence. The red dress that made me lose my mind is no longer crumpled on the floor.

She left in the middle of the night. Without even saying goodbye.

My alarm is still blaring, but I barely acknowledge it over the gut punch of disappointment I’m trying to swallow down.

I never should’ve let my hopes get as high as they did. I’d thought her coming back to my room would mean we could finally explore the chemistry between us. Well, I guess we still did that; I just expected to have more time with her than the few hours she gave me.

I shouldn’t have. We never discussed what sleeping together meant. There was no communication of expectations for the night. I shouldn’t have assumed she’d understand what I wanted since I didn’t give her my typical ‘this is only sex’ spiel. But she never said what this meant to her either, so I’m not the only one who miscommunicated here.

My alarm finally penetrates my thoughts. I find my phone in my suit pants on the floor. I’m a little surprised the battery didn’t die overnight. It’s a good thing, though. Otherwise, I’d have missed our checkout time. Not that my siblings would’ve left without me. Adam would’ve knocked down my door to get me up and ready.

After a quick shower, I’m feeling much better, despite the copious amounts of alcohol we drank. I pack up my duffle bag and see I’m ready early for our planned meet-up time. I’ve got just enough time to grab a coffee from the little café right next to the hotel, maybe even a pastry if they’ve still got anything left at ten in the morning.

A little flirting and the promise of a treat make the front desk clerk willing to watch my bag. I’d have carried it with me if I had to, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try.

The cool morning air smacks me in the face when I walk outside. The café isn’t too busy. The tables are almost full, but there isn’t a line to order. Most people have probably already gotten their morning treats.

I order a coffee for all of my siblings and their partners, along with a box of donuts. It’s the least I can do since Adam and Matthew paid for everything else this weekend. I’m also pretending like I’m doing this to be nice when really, I wanted to get Katie something but knew it would be weird if I only bought a coffee for her.

Her disappearing act tells me she doesn’t want anyone to know what happened between the two of us last night, even if I want to shout it from the rooftops.

The baristas put my purchases into brown paper bags with thick handles to balance the weight. I may not have to go far, but ten coffees and a box of donuts is a lot to carry on my own.

When I make it back to the hotel lobby, my siblings are standing in a group off to the side.

“Good morning, party people.” I grin when half of them turn to scowl in my direction. Apparently, hangovers are aplenty around here. “Now, now. No grumpy faces this morning. I brought treats.” I set the bags down and pull out one of the trays of coffee.

Ellie holds her arms out in a gimme gesture. I hand her a coffee first and then give one to Tilly. Adam helps me pass out the rest of the drinks while I grab the cream and sugar packets I had the barista add to the bag.

I’m ignoring the fact that Katie still isn’t downstairs yet. My desperation to connect with her is making it difficult not to ask where she is.

When I get the donuts passed around—and the promised treat delivered to the front desk—I can’t hold it in any longer. “Where’s Katie?”

“She’s on her way down. She just texted that she lost track of time while doing her morning yoga.”

“Ah.” I nod and then bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep from saying anything else. Ellie narrows her eyes at me, and I just blink at her. And then she gasps, her hands coming up like she wants to slap them over her mouth, but because she’s holding her coffee and a donut, she can’t.

“Oh, my god! You totally?—”

“Shhhhh!” I press a finger to her mouth to stop her from saying anything. “No. Not a word,” I say forcefully.

Ellie’s eyes are wide with shock, but there’s a sparkle of mirth in them .

“What are you doing to my wife right now?” Adam’s deep voice has me snatching my hand back as if Ellie burned me.

“Nothing.”

There is so much happening in Ellie’s stare that I can’t keep up with it all. You slept with Katie! Are you dating? What does this mean?

I just shake my head because whether those questions are truly what she’s asking with those sharp blue eyes or not, I can’t answer any of them. I have no fucking idea what’s going to happen next. Nor do I believe Katie would want Ellie shouting it from the rooftops.

“Hey, guys, sorry I’m late.” The sound of Katie’s voice sends a shiver down my spine.

I turn to take her in. Her navy blue leggings are hugging every curve I spent last night getting aquatinted with, and the V-neck T-shirt cups her tits in a way that makes me regret not working over those beauties as much as I should’ve.

Goddamn, she’s a vision.

“It’s all good. Nolan bought coffee for everyone, so help yourself. The limo should be here in a minute.” Adam uses his coffee to point to the bags.

I narrow my eyes at him for taking the one moment I could’ve used as a reason to talk to Katie away from me. He makes a face at me as if to say, ‘ What the fuck’s wrong with you ?’ and I quickly fix my expression.

Nothing. Nothing is wrong with me, except for the fact that I finally slept with the woman of my dreams, and she hasn’t even acknowledged my existence. Fuck!

I run my fingers through my hair. I can’t decide if I’m frustrated or just disappointed in myself for getting into this mess. This is why I always discuss expectations before sleeping with a woman. I never want to make someone feel shitty because I wasn’t open about what I’m willing to give them—or not give them, in most cases .

I’m going to have to get Katie alone to make sure we’re on the same page. What if she left because she thought I only wanted a one-night stand?

I’d hate myself if she thought I didn’t want her for more. Especially if she was willing to give it to me.

Katie takes the coffee I grab out for her, and I take note of how she doesn’t use any cream or sugar. I also make sure she gets a donut before they’re all gone. My siblings can be savage when it comes to sugary treats.

Okay, maybe it’s just me and Matthew, but still… I want to make sure Katie has everything she could need this morning since I didn’t get to pamper her when we woke up. I could’ve used my mouth first and then given her a massage in the shower afterward. Aaaaand now I’m hard. Nicely done, brain. Thanks for that.

“What did you get up to last night? I’m sorry I wasn’t paying more attention to you. I hope you had fun.” Ellie eyes her best friend with a mischievousness Katie won’t be able to miss.

She tilts her head at Ellie. “I did have fun. You didn’t need to babysit me or anything.” Katie’s eyes dart to mine for a fraction of a second before coming back to Ellie.

“Nah, I didn’t mean it that way. I knew you were in good hands.” Ellie grins.

I want to pinch the little devil girl. She’s digging, and if she presses too hard, Katie is going to shut down even more than she already has.

“I think the limo is here,” I practically shout. I’m not even looking at the front door, so I don’t have a clue if that’s true. It gets everyone to look out the doors, and much to my shock, the limo actually pulls up in front of the hotel.

Everyone grabs their stuff, and we head outside. I step up next to Ellie, taking advantage of Adam and Katie being up ahead of us .

I jab her in the ribs with my fingers. “If you don’t drop this, I’m going to hurt you.”

Ellie grins, batting her eyelashes at me. “You’d never hurt Kitten.”

I scrunch up my face. “Dammit. No, I wouldn’t. But please, let this go. At the very least for today.”

She sighs as if I’m asking her to carry the biggest burden of her life. “Fine. But I swear to God, Nolan Ellis, if you hurt my best friend, I will castrate you.”

My eyes widen. “Jesus, you’re scary. I swear I won’t hurt her, okay? I want to do the exact opposite, actually.”

“Good.” She nods her head and goes to the back door of the limo, where Tilly and Katie are standing.

I walk past Adam to stuff my bag into the trunk of the limo. “Your wife is mean.”

“What did you do?”

I gasp. “I didn’t do anything! I tell you she’s mean and you blame me. Where’s the sibling loyalty we used to have?”

“It dropped down a peg after I met Ellie,” Adam deadpans.

“Psh. Whatever,” I grumble. Jealousy of my siblings’ relationships has become an emotion I’ve gotten very used to experiencing. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I am so happy for the four of my siblings. They found the one person in the world they wanted to spend their lives with. But every now and then, a swift kick of longing hits me straight in the gut, and I get a little jealous of how easily it seems to have come to them.

Which isn’t even close to fair. I know how much effort they’ve all put into making their relationships work. I’m not a total idiot when it comes to dating. I just wish it would happen to me one day.

As the thought passes through my head, I glance at Katie, who’s looking out the window in the back of the limo. The scenery passes by in a blur while we cruise back to Westlake. We’re headed to Adam’s house since everyone’s cars are there.

She looks so fucking beautiful. Her dark hair is up in one of those messy buns that makes me want to yank it down to watch all her silky hair fall around her shoulders. She doesn’t have an ounce of makeup on her oval face, or if she does, it’s subtle. I am utterly bewitched by her.

The ride goes by quickly, with little conversations to pass the time. The mood is much different than it was last night, even though it’s still comfortable. This is why I love spending time with my siblings. It doesn’t seem to matter if we’re partying or having a chill day; we’ll have a good time, regardless.

When we pull up to Adam’s house, we pile out of the car and say our goodbyes. Hugs are given out, and promises to get together again soon are made. I keep my eyes on my siblings to make sure they’re no longer paying attention as I follow Katie to her car.

“Little dove.”

She freezes at the nickname I never planned to call her until she was standing in my hotel room looking so breathtakingly beautiful. She spins to look at me, her eyes wide with nerves.

“I’m not sure where our wires got crossed last night, and that’s on me for not communicating my feelings clearly, but what happened between us was not a onetime thing. I’m not even close to being done with you yet, and I plan on doing whatever it takes to woo you until you’re ready for more.”

I step back away from Katie, knowing if I give myself any more time to stand there, I’ll kiss the hell out of her, my siblings be damned.

Her shocked face is everything I wanted to see, and when I wink at her, her cheeks flush.

Look out, Katie Cole. I’m going to make you mine.