Delayed Call
Page 104
But he didn’t move. Instead, he found himself whispering, “Promise?”
“Huh? What?”
“That you aren’t going anywhere.”
Her shoulders fell as her face filled with compassion. “Yes, Vaughn, I’m not. Promise. It’s Vaughn and Brie official, remember? I, I love—” She paused and then smiled. “I love that title, and I won’t ruin that.”
She was about to say it. He knew she was, so he kissed her. He kissed her firmly as he held her close. Pulling back, he smacked her ass, hard, as she yelped and a grin burst on her face. “Goodnight, Brie.”
Rolling off him, she pressed her ass into his hip as she cuddled into the pillow. “Night, JoHo.”
Reaching over, he took ahold of her butt and closed his eyes as she shook with laughter. “What?”
“Is this how we’re sleeping, your hand on my ass?”
“Hey, it’s my ass to hold, and you’re in my bed, so shut it.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
“Good.”
“Great.”
Shaking her head, she cuddled into the bed and said, “’Night.”
“’Night, baby.”
As his eyes closed, his heart slowed in his chest because he wanted this.
He wanted her.
All of her.
“Vaughn, answer your phone.”
“It’s not my phone. It’s yours.”
“No, it’s yours.”
“Babe, I don’t have Ed Sheeran as my damn ringtone.”
“Oh,” Brie muttered before reaching for her phone off the nightstand in the apartment where she had been living for the last three days. Since the night she stayed, she hadn’t left. Well, except to take Rodney home and to go to work, but other than that, she was in bed with Vaughn. All the time. It was normal, even, at least for her. She was worried he was still a little nervous, but he wouldn’t let her leave. He actually asked for her to stay the last two nights, and man, what a feeling that was. Things were going well, really well, and she was happy as a clam.
Feeling all sexy and sore, she looked at the screen to see that it was Elli.
Why was she calling?
Sitting up, she answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, did I wake you?”
“Yeah, I was sleeping in, but you’re fine.”
“Oh, good, because I need to see you today, at noon.”
Brie paused. “Oh? Is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I need to see you.”
“Oh, okay, I’ll be there.”
“Great, see you then.”
Then the line went dead. “What the fuck?”
Vaughn placed his hand on her back as Tricksie wiggled up the bed to her, licking her hand. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Elli wants to see me,” Brie said, her heart picking up in speed at the uncertainty, and it made her uneasy. She usually didn’t get called in to Elli’s office. It was usually Russell’s office, but since Rodney had been better, she had been on her game. Kicking ass at work. The special that she and Vaughn had done aired, and everyone loved it. They’d even trended on Twitter, so she wasn’t sure what could be wrong. But before she could say anything more, Vaughn’s phone rang. She looked back as he reached for it, answering it. “Hey, yeah. No, I’ve been awake, just being lazy. Oh. Am I in trouble? Okay, we have an issue. That’s not good, boss lady. No, I hear you. Yeah, I’ll be there. Okay, bye.”
Meeting Brie’s gaze, he said, “Elli wants to see me at noon.”
Her heart dropped. “Me too.”
He looked away and muttered, “Fuck.”
She could only nod. “Yeah, fuck.”
“What do you think?” he asked, and she shrugged.
“I was gonna ask you that.”
“Fuck,” he groaned as he got out of bed, naked as the day was long, before he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Her heart just dropped. If he was nervous, then that wasn’t good at all. Looking over at her, he said, “I put toothpaste on your toothbrush.”
“My hero.”
He laughed at that, but all she could do was sit there as she racked her brain for what Elli would want to see them both about. Maybe she had found out about them. But would that require a meeting? Why would she care but to be happy for them? Elli did not sound happy on the phone. Shit, things had been going so damn great.
Rodney was doing awesome. He was home, he was happy, and damn it, so was Brie. The Assassins had won their game her first night back. They had a game tomorrow that Vaughn was confident they would win, and she was excited. Their Stanley Cup run was going well, and they were battling the Hawks for the number one spot. Above all that, they were happy.
The last three days had been almost a fairy tale. They’d spent every waking moment together. Since he was letting her sleep with him after she basically forced herself into his bed, they never left. Tricksie was there, and it was nice. Just them…and Jensen, who bitched a lot about how loud they were. Not that Brie cared. Nor did Vaughn. If anything, he got louder just to piss Jensen off. But even that couldn’t make her smile as she got up and went to the bathroom.
As she reached for her toothbrush, Vaughn covered her hand with his. “I don’t know what’s going on, but don’t worry about it.”
She held his gaze in the mirror. “Hard not to.”
“Yeah, but we’re good. So it doesn’t matter.” Leaning over, he kissed her lips but then pulled away quickly, scrunching up his face. “Brush your teeth.”
Grinning up at him as he passed by, she watched while he went to his closet. He was right, they were good.
Really damn good.
But were they good enough to handle whatever Elli had to say?
“Mrs. Adler, Vaughn Johansson and Brianna Soledad are here for your noon meeting.”
“Okay, go to lunch, and lock up behind you.”
Brie looked to Vaughn, and he sucked in a deep breath.
That wasn’t good.
“Have a seat,” Elli’s assistant said.
They did as they were told, and when they sat, Brie’s leg started bouncing like crazy as he played on his phone. Cool as a cucumber, no cares in the world. “Why did she send the assistant to lunch? Because of us?”
“Huh? What?”
“That you aren’t going anywhere.”
Her shoulders fell as her face filled with compassion. “Yes, Vaughn, I’m not. Promise. It’s Vaughn and Brie official, remember? I, I love—” She paused and then smiled. “I love that title, and I won’t ruin that.”
She was about to say it. He knew she was, so he kissed her. He kissed her firmly as he held her close. Pulling back, he smacked her ass, hard, as she yelped and a grin burst on her face. “Goodnight, Brie.”
Rolling off him, she pressed her ass into his hip as she cuddled into the pillow. “Night, JoHo.”
Reaching over, he took ahold of her butt and closed his eyes as she shook with laughter. “What?”
“Is this how we’re sleeping, your hand on my ass?”
“Hey, it’s my ass to hold, and you’re in my bed, so shut it.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
“Good.”
“Great.”
Shaking her head, she cuddled into the bed and said, “’Night.”
“’Night, baby.”
As his eyes closed, his heart slowed in his chest because he wanted this.
He wanted her.
All of her.
“Vaughn, answer your phone.”
“It’s not my phone. It’s yours.”
“No, it’s yours.”
“Babe, I don’t have Ed Sheeran as my damn ringtone.”
“Oh,” Brie muttered before reaching for her phone off the nightstand in the apartment where she had been living for the last three days. Since the night she stayed, she hadn’t left. Well, except to take Rodney home and to go to work, but other than that, she was in bed with Vaughn. All the time. It was normal, even, at least for her. She was worried he was still a little nervous, but he wouldn’t let her leave. He actually asked for her to stay the last two nights, and man, what a feeling that was. Things were going well, really well, and she was happy as a clam.
Feeling all sexy and sore, she looked at the screen to see that it was Elli.
Why was she calling?
Sitting up, she answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, did I wake you?”
“Yeah, I was sleeping in, but you’re fine.”
“Oh, good, because I need to see you today, at noon.”
Brie paused. “Oh? Is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I need to see you.”
“Oh, okay, I’ll be there.”
“Great, see you then.”
Then the line went dead. “What the fuck?”
Vaughn placed his hand on her back as Tricksie wiggled up the bed to her, licking her hand. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Elli wants to see me,” Brie said, her heart picking up in speed at the uncertainty, and it made her uneasy. She usually didn’t get called in to Elli’s office. It was usually Russell’s office, but since Rodney had been better, she had been on her game. Kicking ass at work. The special that she and Vaughn had done aired, and everyone loved it. They’d even trended on Twitter, so she wasn’t sure what could be wrong. But before she could say anything more, Vaughn’s phone rang. She looked back as he reached for it, answering it. “Hey, yeah. No, I’ve been awake, just being lazy. Oh. Am I in trouble? Okay, we have an issue. That’s not good, boss lady. No, I hear you. Yeah, I’ll be there. Okay, bye.”
Meeting Brie’s gaze, he said, “Elli wants to see me at noon.”
Her heart dropped. “Me too.”
He looked away and muttered, “Fuck.”
She could only nod. “Yeah, fuck.”
“What do you think?” he asked, and she shrugged.
“I was gonna ask you that.”
“Fuck,” he groaned as he got out of bed, naked as the day was long, before he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Her heart just dropped. If he was nervous, then that wasn’t good at all. Looking over at her, he said, “I put toothpaste on your toothbrush.”
“My hero.”
He laughed at that, but all she could do was sit there as she racked her brain for what Elli would want to see them both about. Maybe she had found out about them. But would that require a meeting? Why would she care but to be happy for them? Elli did not sound happy on the phone. Shit, things had been going so damn great.
Rodney was doing awesome. He was home, he was happy, and damn it, so was Brie. The Assassins had won their game her first night back. They had a game tomorrow that Vaughn was confident they would win, and she was excited. Their Stanley Cup run was going well, and they were battling the Hawks for the number one spot. Above all that, they were happy.
The last three days had been almost a fairy tale. They’d spent every waking moment together. Since he was letting her sleep with him after she basically forced herself into his bed, they never left. Tricksie was there, and it was nice. Just them…and Jensen, who bitched a lot about how loud they were. Not that Brie cared. Nor did Vaughn. If anything, he got louder just to piss Jensen off. But even that couldn’t make her smile as she got up and went to the bathroom.
As she reached for her toothbrush, Vaughn covered her hand with his. “I don’t know what’s going on, but don’t worry about it.”
She held his gaze in the mirror. “Hard not to.”
“Yeah, but we’re good. So it doesn’t matter.” Leaning over, he kissed her lips but then pulled away quickly, scrunching up his face. “Brush your teeth.”
Grinning up at him as he passed by, she watched while he went to his closet. He was right, they were good.
Really damn good.
But were they good enough to handle whatever Elli had to say?
“Mrs. Adler, Vaughn Johansson and Brianna Soledad are here for your noon meeting.”
“Okay, go to lunch, and lock up behind you.”
Brie looked to Vaughn, and he sucked in a deep breath.
That wasn’t good.
“Have a seat,” Elli’s assistant said.
They did as they were told, and when they sat, Brie’s leg started bouncing like crazy as he played on his phone. Cool as a cucumber, no cares in the world. “Why did she send the assistant to lunch? Because of us?”
