Fidelity (Infidelity #5)(43)
Instead, I tiptoed across the wood floor and out into the hallway.
Silence echoed through the corridor. Should I go to the master suite or downstairs? Where would I find my father?
I took one step toward the bedroom he used and remembered my attire, or lack thereof. “Hello, Mrs. Fitzgerald. Nice to meet you.” Yes, I thought that sounded better coming from a man wearing a shirt.
Feminine voices came into range as I descended the stairs and neared the first floor. At the base, I turned toward the sitting room, but stopped short, hearing Chelsea’s voice. Still hidden, I listened.
“…like I’m intruding. Honestly, it’s how I’ve felt since this whole thing started.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re a friend of Alex’s. The Demetris have welcomed you here. You can stay as long as you’d like.”
“They scare me, Mr. Demetri more than Nox.”
“Nox?” Silvia asked. “You call him that too?”
“Only in third person. It’s the name Alex called him from the beginning. I was there when they met.”
Visions of Del Mar scattered across my memories. I turned the corner as both Chelsea’s and Silvia’s gazes turned to me.
“Did you forget your shirt?” Silvia smirked.
“I’m looking for Oren. I figured formal attire was optional.”
“Now, I suppose, but I’d suspect this place will get busier as the day progresses.”
“Is Alex awake yet?” Chelsea asked.
“No, she was up late with her mom.” I turned my conversation to Silvia. “I think I’d like to take her some breakfast.”
Silvia lowered the mug she was holding, placing it on the table. “It’s after one. How about some lunch?”
I nodded. “What do we have?”
She waved me away. “Go talk to your father. He’s in the office. I’ll make both you and Alex something.”
“You don’t—”
Chelsea lowered her mug. “I can help. Please, Silvia, let me feel like I’m doing something.”
I turned back to Chelsea. “I owe you an apology. This thing—Infidelity—was never supposed to end up…”
She shook her head. “I’m a big girl. I signed the agreement.”
“I have a question. Did you write the note that the guard gave me at Montague?”
“Yes,” she answered softly.
“The rules. You were giving us a clue.”
“I tried.”
“I just heard you refer to me as Nox, yet the note was addressed to Lennox?”
“I hoped that would let you know that it wasn’t Alex who wrote it.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“I’ll go help Silvia.” Her big hazel eyes looked up. “Thank you. I’m sorry too. I wish I could have done more to help her.”
“You’re her best friend. I’m glad that hasn’t changed.”
I didn’t wait for her response. Instead, I made my way through the rooms and corridors to the office. The door was slightly ajar. For only a second I began to hesitate, but then just as quickly, I pushed it open.
Fuck this. It’s my house.
Oren’s chair was turned, facing the windows that overlooked the pool. “…yet you were there? If the conversation will affect Demetri Enterprises, then I should be informed.”
Who is he talking to?
His chair spun toward me as I approached the desk. “Doyle, I’ll call you back. Something just came up.”
“Doyle Carroll?” I asked after he hung up.
“Yes, he heard some interesting things at the Montague party.”
THE CLATTER OF dishes pried me from my slumber. For only a moment, I scrambled for the blankets. My modesty quickly faded as the handsome man delivering my meal spoke.
“No, princess. Don’t pull those blankets up. I want to see that beautiful body.”
Nox’s deep voice rumbled through me, tugging a lazy smile from me. With bright sunshine from the windows as a backlight, his features were muted. Despite the halo of light, Nox’s mussed hair, wide shoulders, and bare chest sent a tingle of electricity through me. As my eyes adjusted, my gaze lowered, taking in his defined abdomen and the V that disappeared into his low-hanging jeans. I pushed my thighs together as I again reached for the blanket.
My smile blossomed as I scooted toward the headboard pulling the cover with me. Tucking the blanket around my traitorous breasts with their hardened nipples, my attention went from Nox to whatever was hiding below the silver dome. As my imagination filled with breakfast delights, my stomach growled in a very loud and completely unsexy way.
Nox’s lips parted with a big smile. “Hungry?”
I shifted, wondering how the sound of his voice could stir a desire deep in my core, a hunger rivaling the one for food.
“I am. What time is it?”
Nox lifted the cover of one tray revealing a sandwich, soup, and vegetables. It must have been the soup, but the way its spicy aroma filled the room made my mouth water.
“Almost two,” he said. “I figured it was time to wake my Sleeping Beauty, and since breakfast is long past, Silvia suggested lunch.”
The sweet scene, his caring gesture, and even the delicious aroma washed away in a wave of panic. “Two? What?” My legs flailed as I worked to untangle myself from the sheet. “How’s my mom? Have you seen her? How could you let me sleep so late?”