I Stole the Alpha's Car (18+)|✔️

Chapter 15

His pupils dilated, and I remembered our conversation from yesterday.

Bad word choice, Laur.

Rushing to clarify, I stammered, "I-I mean you mentioned The Ivy at dinner, so I thought I'd check it out."

He didn't respond, instead walking forward, forcing me to crane my head back to maintain eye contact. Placing one hand on the wall behind me, he leaned in close, not quite touching me as he slowly inhaled my scent.

My heartbeat hammered in my chest – the tempo matched his own.

Bringing his face up to within an inch of mine, I felt his breath on my lips when he asked, "Does that best behavior promise extend to today?"

You could say "no."

You could let him kiss you senseless, then lead you to his room and fuck your brains out.

My lips quivered as I answered him.

"It does."

His gaze dipped down to my lips as if saying goodbye.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Okay."

Pushing himself off of the wall, he stepped back, "Well, if you'll come up to my suite-"

"I just said-"

He cut me off, "I know, best behavior. But, if I'm going to take you out for breakfast, I need a shower first." He glanced at his watch. "I mean lunch."

I held my breath.

Are you really going to fall for that line?

Swallowing, I nodded. "Okay."

If he didn't try anything last night, he's not going to try anything now.

If I thought the outside was odd, then I wasn't prepared for the inside.

The interior of The Ivy is the work of a skilled decorator with a deft hand going absolutely buckwild. Styles from all over the globe mixed and matched to create an eclectic and gorgeous whole. What could have come off as overdone and jarring looked sumptuous and stunning.

I followed Dwayne as we walked through the hotel until we reached a door labelled "Suite Eighteen" on the second floor. He opened it, revealing a living room decorated in muted greys and whites. A couch and chairs formed a ring around a flat-screen TV mounted over a gas fireplace. Off to the side, two white chairs and an old wooden table formed a sort of breakfast nook. Every piece in the place, from the furniture to the accents, had clearly been hand-picked. Sight unseen, I was willing to bet that no two rooms in this hotel looked alike.

Okay, I get why he chose this place now.

Behind me, Dwayne closed the door, "Make yourself at home. I'll be quick." My eyes followed him as he bounded up a staircase I hadn't noticed yet.

This place is two stories? I chuckled and shook my head. Rich people...

I pulled out my old phone and plopped on the plush, white couch. Then, thinking about it, I dug in my purse and found my burner phone. I'd gotten Connor, Aaron and Steve's numbers at the bar, but I hadn't had a chance to transfer them to my actual phone yet.

Pressing the home button, I was surprised to notice that I'd missed a call from Steve.

Frowning, I hit his number and pressed send.

It rang twice before he picked up. "Lauren?"

"Yeah, hi. I saw I missed a call?"

"Yes – you did. Um, so..."

I smiled, "'So' what?"

"I need to come clean about something..."

"What?" I felt my smile fading.

He paused. "Dwayne's my brother."

I froze, glancing up as a door closed above me. "Wait, what?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that he was the guy you were talking about until after you three left."

"How did-"

"He called me."

I felt a buzzing in the back of my head as I remembered. He'd gotten a call before waving us off...

"What did he say?"

"He, uh..."

The buzzing grew louder, and I could barely hear myself ask, "What, Steve?"

"He asked me to help find you."

He WHAT?!

My vision flared red, and I felt myself hang up before standing and walking out the door.