Casing ✔️

Chapter 27

Diana stopped the car outside a hotel. A part of me was a little annoyed—because I wanted to get back home as soon as possible—but another part was relieved to think I could get a good night's sleep first.

The building was tall and lit up all the way through a glass-covered elevator shaft, and the front was guarded by a big man in a suit and sunglasses—reminding me of the bouncer outside The Gold Rose.

A boy who couldn't be more than eighteen bounced towards us as Diana and I exited the car, holding his hand out for the keys. "Park it downstairs, if you can," she said to him, adding a drawn out "please" at the end.

She smiled at me before waving me with her towards the entrance. It was clear she knew this place, and that made my stomach twist in both nervousness and excitement. Why would a member of the Strac's know a place like this in a city so far away?

The answer to my question met me as soon as we stepped inside the lobby. Damian stood by the reception, talking to a young man who typed eagerly on a computer, while my sister clung to his side like...like a horse fly.

I chuckled to myself at the comparison. Damian was spot on with it, and it amused me.

A gentle tap on my shoulder brought my attention back, as Diana pointed towards a lounging area, where a tall, brown-haired man was pacing. James' head was turned down, one hand pulling on the curls by his neck, the other holding a phone to his ear as he barked into it.

My heart skipped a beat, even if it hadn't been that long since I saw him. It was just the possibility of it never happening again that scared the shit out of me.

My feet started towards him, and I found my steps lighter and lighter the closer I got. It was as if the magnet in him was pulling me closer and closer and closer. It made my insides twirl with happiness.

But it was when he looked up and met my eyes that my whole body shuddered with relief. I smiled at him, and all the tension in his face disappeared as he lowered his phone and opened his arms.

Before I realized I'd moved that fast, I was in his arms, my feet leaving the ground. I felt his strong arms wrap around me, and I let out a soft laugh as he said, "I'll call you back," into the phone and tossed it aside. The soft thump next to us told me it landed on one of the red velvet chaise lounges.

"Holy fuck," he breathed, hugging me tighter. "I know you weren't gone for long, princess, but please, just marry me already and get this over with."

I laughed again as he put me down, his hands finding my cheeks, and his lips meeting mine without any hesitation at all. It was as if fireworks went off in my head, and everything else ceased to exist.

My hands found his wrists as I got up on my toes to kiss him back, my lungs already aching for air—but I didn't want to pull away just yet. I just wanted to feel him and kiss him and be near him. Even the chatter around us was completely gone as I felt the muscles move in his lower arms, and his hands moved down to my neck—where one of his hands rested while the other continued down to pull me closer by my lower back.

I was completely at his mercy. After just a day and a half. What if I'd been gone a week? Or two? I didn't want to think about it as I fisted his shirt and held him to me, fighting for the dominance between us. He tasted like the wind after rain, like freshness enveloped in joy and wonder. And I couldn't let go.

As James eventually pulled his lips from mine to breathe, I gasped. Not only because I needed the air, but because he made me feel so much.

"My princess doesn't need a charming prince to come to her rescue," he said, the hand from my neck now moving to pull my hair away from my face, "but I'll still try my best to make sure you're safe and sound."