Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen #3)(117)
He could clear up all of those misconceptions very quickly.
“What bedroom did you put her in?” Dax asked.
Zack looked up from pouring Roman’s drink and smiled.
*
Holland opened the door to the bedroom she’d been assigned to with a long sigh. Her one piece of luggage would have been moved in and she assumed her closet would have the necessary items. She’d spent the last twenty-four hours cleaning up the mess her uncle had left in New Orleans. She hadn’t had time to do more than throw an overnight bag together. On the flight over, she’d called and explained what she needed. The White House was thorough. Gus made sure of it. As far as she could tell, everyone was terrified of Gus, with the exception of her friends.
Liz Matthews had put on a good face, but it had been obvious she was on the brink of tears all evening. Gus had explained that Liz and the president had been very close until recently. So close there’d been speculation about an affair. Liz had basically been the standin for Zack’s first lady. But earlier this evening, the commander in chief had shown up with a bimbo on his arm. It didn’t seem to matter to Gus that said bimbo had a law degree from Harvard. She was slutastic and every woman in the room agreed.
God, Holland had missed colorful Gus and her straightforward honesty.
She was going to miss Dax forever.
Back in the bedroom she’d been assigned, Holland closed the door behind her and turned the lock. Habit. Almost nowhere in the U.S. was more secure, but she probably wouldn’t sleep if she couldn’t lock the door. Hell, her own uncle had turned out to be a damn mob plant. Who the hell could she trust?
She didn’t bother turning on the light. She didn’t need to see how empty her room was. She didn’t need to wonder where Dax was. He was likely still drinking with his friends since they had the freaking White House as their man cave. Most likely, it wouldn’t be long before Dax found another willing woman, like pretty, sweet, and laughs-at-everyone’s-jokes Courtney. He would find a woman who would cower prettily behind him when the bad guys showed up and let him be the man. Despite what he’d said, he would move on.
And Holland would think about him every day for the rest of her life.
Was she making a horrible mistake by insisting they go their separate ways now? Maybe the wine was talking for her. Or the tequila shots, since Gus had brought out the big guns. Either way, the liquor was making her sentimental, but she wondered if she shouldn’t sneak into Dax’s room for one last night.
If you’re leaving, then go. You’ve already decided to be a coward and let some other chick have him, so stop being such a wishy-washy bitch. Let the man of your dreams have his silly little never-shot-a-criminal-before woman.
Or you could claim his ass and defend him against all invaders cute and cuddly and with fake breasts.
Holland groaned. She might be an idiot, but she had to talk to him. She hoped they could find a way to work this out.
She stroked on some lip gloss because she was fairly certain she looked horrible. She groped the wall, looking for a light switch and hoping to find a mirror to prove herself wrong. Her fingers latched on to their prize and she flipped it up.
And she nearly screamed.
“Don’t shoot me,” Dax said from the bed in front of her.
She stopped and caught her breath because under the sheet covering his lower half, she didn’t think he was wearing a stitch of clothing. He’d covered the bed in rose petals.
“What are you doing here?” she breathed.
His sexy smile caught her off guard. “Waiting on you.”
And he looked so good. Yummy and male and ridiculously hot. “Why are you here?”
He pushed the sheet aside and proved he wasn’t, in fact, wearing anything. He stood, his body looking like nothing less than sheer perfection. “Holland, I’m not letting you walk away.”
He could say whatever he liked, but he’d let her go once before. Less than twenty-four hours later, he’d married someone else. He’d never apologized for what he’d truly done to hurt her. Yes, he’d said he was sorry for getting drunk, but that didn’t heal the heart of her pain.
“So you want a few more weeks in bed? It won’t matter.”
He remained near the bed, giving her space. “Because I married Courtney?”
“It’s not just that.”
“You’re right. I was making it too simple. I took something from us that should have been sacred and tossed it in the trash. I love you, Holland. You should have been my only wife. ’Til death do us part and long after because I’ll love you until I die. Hell, I’ll love you as long as this soul exists. That’s why we should get married. And why it will mean everything. I never wanted to marry Courtney. I wanted to prove that I could . . . forget you, I suppose. But I couldn’t. No other woman in the world is like you. So you can walk away, but I’ll be right behind you, praying that you change your mind, because I can’t be whole without you.”
Tears welled in her eyes hard and fast. She knew she should stop this conversation or she’d soon be sobbing, but she couldn’t. They had to talk this out. “Even years later, I couldn’t marry anyone else.”
He crossed the room to her and cupped her shoulders. “I know, sweetheart. You were faithful in a way I wasn’t, and all I can do is beg your forgiveness and promise that our marriage will be forever. I’ll put my heart and soul into us. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m leaving the Navy. I’ll live wherever you want. I’ll be patient if you can’t forgive me yet, but don’t shut me out.”