I argued and told him it wasn’t his fault, but he wouldn’t listen.As we left the room, two uniformed officers waited outside, ready to take Dad’s statement despite thelatehour.
I paused in the hallway.“I don’t know how much he’ll be able totellyou.”
The young officer shrugged.“Any little bit helps.We want to get out there and find whoever did this.Do you want ustowait?”
“No, now’s fine.It’ll be a while before they move him to a room,” Heath said to the officer.When I opened my mouth to volunteer to stay again, he shot a pointed look at me.“Go get some sleep, Ari.Igotthis.”
That was how I found myself back in Hennessy’s Jeep at four o’clock in the morning, heading back to my place.I’d sent Carver home earlier, knowing it would be a long wait and there was no reason tokeephim.
When we pulled up to the gate, Rhett punched in the code that he clearly remembered.After he parked the Jeep in the driveway, I shared mydecision.
“I told my dad I would stay as long as he wanted, and Imeantit.”
Rhett turned slowly to look at me.“You can run your businessfromhere?”
I nodded.“I can run it from anywhere, provided I can travel on occasion for in-person meetings.”I hesitated beforecontinuing.
“What?”Rhett asked, reading me tooeffectively.
“How long are you staying?Are you going back to whereveryouwere?”
His gaze left mine for a moment before returning.“I’m not going anywhere until I find out the truth about what happened with my dad.I owehimthat.”
“Andthen?”
“And then we need to figure out if you’re gonna give me a reason to stay longerthanthat.”
“Wait,youmean—”
“You figure into this decision, Red.I’m not gonna lie and pretend youdon’t.”
30
Rhett
You would have thoughtI told her I had the nuclear codes.That’s how dumbstruck Ari looked when I told her she played a role in mydecision.
I knew she wasn’t dense.She was a goddamned genius, after all, but sometimes she missed the simple things right in front of her face.I probably should have been insulted that she didn’t think I realized just how amazing she was and wanted to see where this could go.I’d have to be a moron to miss thisopportunity.
Which, apparently, I was foryears.
But nolonger.
Maybe there was some truth to the idea that things happen when and how they’re supposed to.I never would have believed any good could come out of the fucked-up events of this week, but I was willing to admit when I waswrong.
Figure out what you want and goafterit.
That’s exactly what I was doing.My life was in ashes, so this was the time to rebuild.Something new.Something good.WithAri.
And right now, I needed some ofthatgood.
I cupped her jaw and lowered my lips to hers.What surprised me the most was how fast and how hard she threw herself into the kiss.It had to be crazy spikes in adrenaline that we’d been running on throughout this roller coaster of anight.
Ari slid to the edge of the seat so quickly, I wondered if she might climb right onto my lap, which for the record, I wouldn’t have had a problem with at all.One hand went behind my neck and the other dived into my hair.I groaned against her mouth, adjusting my grip to pull hercloser.
Fuck it.I dragged her over the center console of the Jeep.She straddled me, leaning up higher andpressingdown.
My dick, which I would have sworn would be dormant for days after tonight, wentrockhard.