183
Vivian quietly explained how her ex-boyfriend had dumped her, how she and Kyle had gone to dinner and had too much wine, and how they’d gone back to her ex-boyfriend’s place to get her things. When she told them how Mathieu punched Kyle, the ladies squeaked in sympathy and his head spiked again.
“Can I just go to my room?” he pleaded.
“Gwen is there. She was still registered as the second guest in the room so she signed in and went to it to wait for you,” Fiona said gently. “Your bag is also in the room.”
His already unhappy expression turned grim. “Which room is it?”
“303. Third floor,” Helen offered.
He sagged some more. In Europe that meant eight flights of stairs as ground floor was considered floor zero. He wouldn’t make it up all those stairs. He was already feeling his pulse as hammer blows in his head. “Elevator?” he asked hopefully.
Fiona pouted in sympathy. “Sorry, no. You’ll stay with me in my room tonight. I’m on the first floor. Helen and Skye will go up to speak with Gwen to get your bag.”
He gently nodded then turned to Vivian who was hovering with a worried look on her face. “I can honestly say you are better off without Mathieu. Aside from that last bit at the end, I had a lovely time tonight. See you tomorrow?”
She nodded then ducked forward and kissed his uninjured cheek with a shy expression on her face.
He gave her a lopsided smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t report you for that.”
She gave him a brilliant smile then walked away dragging her suitcase.
Fiona helped Kyle up the stairs, pausing now and then to allow the pounding in his head to calm down.
When they reached the first floor Kimberly tucked herself against his body for a hug then kissed his good cheek before saying good night and heading up to her room.
Helen and Skye said they’d be back shortly and continued up the stairs.
Fiona brought Kyle to her door and let them inside. She led him to the bed where they sat on the edge.All content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.
“Did you eat?” he asked her.
“Yes, we walked into town to look for you and ate at a nice restaurant in the main square. We kept an eye out for you but you didn’t show. When we got back to the hotel we asked if you’d returned but they said no and that Gwen was waiting for you upstairs. Carl and Larissa waited with us for a while but they needed to get some sleep. The ride this afternoon wore them out.”
There was a knock on the door and Fiona got up to answer it. In the hall, looking frustrated and angry, Helen and Skye stood before Gwen who was clinging to the duffle bag with a death grip, looking very nervous but defiant.
Helen handed Fiona Kyle’s helmet and spoke first. “She insisted on speaking with Kyle before she’d give us the bag. I managed to convince Skye not to take the bag by force but just barely.”
Kyle appeared in the doorway behind Fiona and took the helmet.
“KYLE!” Gwen gasped as she took in the bruising on his face. She saw him wince. So it was true and the women hadn’t lied just to get the bag from her.
“Please keep your voice down. My head can’t take the noise,” he growled quietly. He found the pain actually made it easier to deal with her.
“I’m so sorry! Can’t we talk?” Gwen pleaded.
He looked at her balefully then sighed. “Tomorrow. At breakfast. 8AM. Please give me my bag.”
She moved closer, Helen and Skye barely moving aside so she had to thread her way between them.
Gwen glanced nervously at Fiona who stood in the doorway, giving her a hard look.
“Please-” she began.
“Tomorrow. 8AM. Bag,” Kyle gritted between his teeth with his hand outstretched. His heart was pounding to see her so close and in such distress. This went straight to his headache.
Wide blue eyes held his and she held the bag out to him. He took a grip on the bag, stiffly turned and walked away, back into the room. Fiona smirked at her and stepped back to close the door in her face.
“You heard the man. Go back to your room and leave him alone until tomorrow,” Skye spat.
Gwen looked at her then eased between them to rush away, heading upstairs.
With a nod to each other, mother and daughter headed off to their own room.
Inside, Kyle sat on the edge of the bed once more and fished his toiletry kit from the duffle. He pulled out a bottle of pain relievers. Fiona brought him a bottle of water and he sucked back three pills, gulping the cool water. He closed his eyes and rested for a moment.
“Why don’t you just lie back?”
“No, I need a shower. Then I can sleep.” He opened his eyes and pushed himself to his feet.
Fiona assisted him to the shower, undressed him, and while she enjoyed the view of his hard muscled body, she refrained from taking advantage of his nudity. Once he was clean and dry they went to bed and turned out the lights.
“I think you did very well speaking with her tonight. You were very firm,” Fiona said.
“That was only because of the pain. I was ready to crumble seeing her in distress like that. I- I have very little control around her. As I told Vivian, she’s inside my head. Even though, intellectually, I know how much she’s manipulated me for her own happiness, my heart still wants her.”
“No! You can’t take her back! You can’t let her control you again!” Fiona gasped as she clung to him.
He enjoyed the feeling of her body on his but his head was still not enjoying an elevated heart rate so he did his best to calm himself.
“I know.” He thought about it for a minute. “I do believe she realizes she’s made a mistake. I also believe she wants to go back to how it was. I won’t do that. Now that I see how much I gave up, I can’t allow that to happen again.”
“Good!” Fiona asserted.
“Let’s see how it goes tomorrow. I can’t think straight tonight,” he said with a sigh.
Fiona tucked herself against him and was soon breathing softly on his shoulder.
Even with the pain killers dulling his senses, sleep was not quick to claim him as all he could think of was the desperate look in Gwen’s eyes tonight.
He’d never heard her beg before.