Desperately Devastated (Addicted To You, Book Nine) (3 page)

“Listen, I’m going to New York with a girl—with Lindsay.”

Brooklyn’s eyes widened and then narrowed, all in the space of about two seconds. She smiled, a little sadly. “I figured.”

“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“It’s okay. I understand, Justin.” She looked at me, her eyes a little too shiny.

“Are you happy? Does she make you happy?”

I thought about how best to answer, but finally I just nodded. It was the truth, after all. “She does.”

“Good.” Brooklyn smiled again. She looked down at the floor. “Listen, I don’t want to take up anymore of your time. The thing is, I was thinking of you a lot. I haven’t gotten my period and I was kind of half freaking out about it.”

My stomach curdled and the taste in my mouth went sour. “What?”

She shook her head. “I’m sure it’s nothing, Justin. Don’t get crazy on me.”

“What do you mean? How late are you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a week.”

“Brooklyn, we used protection.”

“Oh, yeah. I don’t really think it’s anything,” she said, sounding nonchalant.

“But I was kind of nervous and wanted to talk to you about it.”

“Why?”

“Why?” she said, looking at me strangely.

“Yeah, why would you want to talk to me about it? Why wouldn’t you just take a pregnancy test?”

“I was scared to,” she said.

I stared at her. “Let’s go get one right now,” I said. “Come on.”

She shook her head again. “No, I’m not ready.”

“You don’t just come over, drop something like that on me and then refuse to take the test.”

She laughed. “Stop being so ridiculous, Justin. I wanted to see you, that’s why I stopped by. You’re painting me to be something I’m not. I apologize for even saying anything.”

“Brooklyn—“

She pushed past me then, pressing her chest against me as she left, her hair whipsawing against my face, and the scent of fresh flowers lingered in my nostrils as she blew by and down the hallway. “Forget it,” she called out, walking more quickly now.

“You just go and have a good time in New York with your new girlfriend!”

I noticed my hands were clenched and opened them, trying to calm down.

“Brooklyn,” I said again. “Don’t leave. We need to deal with this.”

But she slammed the door and left.

A moment later, my phone buzzed with a text. I was sure it was Brooklyn, but then I thought—no, maybe it was Lindsay. The thought of telling Lindsay that Brooklyn was pregnant made me sick to my stomach.

But she’s not pregnant, I reminded myself. You used protection. Brooklyn is crazy—there’s nothing to tell Lindsay.

When I checked my phone, I was relieved to see that there was a message from Gil.

You around tonite?

I thought about it. No, there was too much to do. I had to pack and get ready, and Gil might want to know what was going on. Now that he was sober, he might even have opinions about it. He might think I should do or say something different than what I wanted to do or say, and I didn’t want to deal with that right now.

I decided to text him later and pretend that I’d just seen his text when it was already too late to hang out. Part of me felt a little bit bad doing that, but another part of me felt like I needed to stop worrying about Gil.

He’s a big boy and you’ve got your own problems. Hell, switching places with
Gil sounds good right about now, and you never thought you’d say that, did you?

I went to go pack.

LINDSAY

“This is so fucked up,” Carter said, juggling a sheaf of papers and his laptop. As he did, his computer almost fell out of his hands and onto the ground. “Where the hell is he?”

“I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” I said. We’d just gone through airport security and were standing in the waiting area in front of the gate. Our flight was going to be boarding soon, and we had no idea where Dr. Klaxton was or when he was going to show up.

“You’d think he would have answered his phone,” Carter grumbled.

“I’m sure he’s on his way.” It was a lie, of course. I wasn’t sure he was on his way. Dr. Klaxton was a total wild card. He could have been anywhere. But I had to say
something.
Carter was really on edge.

He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “He better be here soon,” Carter said. “I really do not want to have to explain to a room full of doctors and drug executives that Dr. Klaxton missed his flight.”

“You won’t,” I said. “Don’t worry.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I won’t let you. If he’s late, then I’ll announce it to everyone.”

“You will?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll totally get up there and let everyone know what a prick he is for not showing up.”

Carter laughed. “Yeah, I can just imagine that, you getting up there and announcing it to everyone.”

I pursed my lips and pretended to be thinking about it. “I could totally do it.

‘Sorry, but Dr. Klaxton couldn’t make it here. He was too busy messing around with a student.’”

I was joking, but Carter stopped and got a serious look on his face. “You heard about that?”

“About what?”

“Never mind.” He suddenly got super busy messing with some of his papers.

“No way!” I said. “Dr. Klaxton and a student? When?”

He sighed and looked around, then leaned in toward me surreptitiously. “Last year, with a grad student. One of his research assistants, actually. No one could figure out why he picked her. Her work was horrible, her grades were atrocious.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“He’s not always thinking straight, though. Especially not when he’s had a few.”

Carter mimed someone throwing back a shot.

“Dr. Klaxton drinks?”

“Oh, yeah, he taps them back like nobody’s business. You’ll see at the kick off meeting.”

I laughed. “Wow.” It was crazy imagining this guy who I’d thought of as so intimidating doing normal things like drinking alcohol and doing dumb stuff to sleep with a girl. I was about to ask Carter for more gossip when my phone beeped with a text.

Look up

I looked up. Justin was leaning against the bar on the other side of the room. He was holding a drink in his hand and he held it up and gave me a little salute.

“Um, I’ll be right back,” I said to Carter. “I’m just going to run to the bathroom.”

I weaved my way through the crowd, and as I passed by the bar, I gave Justin a pointed look, letting him know that he should follow me around the corner, out of sight of Carter.

Justin rolled his eyes, then reluctantly set his drink down on the bar.

I walked around the corner, out of sight of Carter.

When I turned around, Justin was right behind me. He grabbed me and pulled me close to him and then his lips were on mine.

I knew I should pull away, but he was holding me tight and besides, I knew it would be useless to resist. Even though Carter was right around the corner, even though there were tons of random people walking by and could see us, I didn’t care. All that mattered was him, right here, with me.

When Justin finally pulled back, I wasn’t ready for the kiss to end. He leaned his forehead against mine. “I missed you,” he breathed. His voice sounded soft and romantic, a tone that I hadn’t ever heard from him before.

Longing rushed through my body. I wanted his hands all over me, his lips on mine. If he’d wanted to, I probably would have let him strip me naked right there and throw me down on the floor.

“I missed you too,” I said. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then tried to take a step back from him – I didn’t trust myself to be this close to him and not lose control of myself.

But he slid his fingers down my arms and grabbed my wrists, pulling me back.

“I don’t like seeing you with
him
,” he growled. His eyes were smoldering, and any trace of softness in his voice was gone. “You’re not going to be alone with him.”

“Justin, he’s my boss,” I said.

“He’s not your boss,” he scoffed. “He’s barely older than you.”

“Yeah, but…” I bit my lip. “I mean, I have to do what he says. I have to make a good impression.”

His eyes burned even brighter, and I saw a flash of intensity that scared me a little bit. It was the same intensity I’d seen the night he’d been in that fight with Uriah. “I don’t like it,” he said. “You’re not going to be alone with him.”

“I have no choice. He’s –“

“I don’t want you alone with him.
He has bad intentions.”

I could tell I wasn’t going to win this one, and so I just nodded slowly. I knew it was a promise that would be almost impossible to keep, but I didn’t have a choice.

“Good.” He smiled. “Now, how do you want to do this?”

“Do what?”

“When we get to New York. Should I wait and then sneak up to your room later?” He leaned in close and whispered right into my ear. His chin brushed against my neck, ticking me with the light amount of stubble that was on his skin. I shivered.

“Yes,” I said.

“I don’t know how long I can wait.” He brushed his lips against my collarbone, and I felt dizzy. How was it possible he could make me this turned on when we were just standing here in an airport hardly doing anything? My heart thumped in my chest. “Text me when you’re ready for me to come up to your room.” He kissed me once more, softly, and then he brushed by me, back to the bar.

I watched him go, the confidence in his stride, the way his shoulders were thrown back in an I-don’t-give-a-fuck posture. He was so sexy and in control it almost hurt me to look at him. It was like just knowing he was there, so close to me, and I couldn’t do anything about it was too much for me take.

I smoothed the long-sleeved t-shirt I was wearing and headed back to where I’d left Carter. I had to walk by Justin again, and as I did, his gaze moved up and down my body, lingering on my chest. He gave me a sexy grin and then took a sip of his drink.

My body broke out in what felt like a heat rash, and I was afraid Carter was going to be able to tell how worked up I was.

But it turned out I didn’t have to worry about Carter noticing anything was going on, because when I got back, he was standing where I’d left him, talking to Dr. Klaxton.

“There she is!” Carter said brightly.

“Great,” Dr. Klaxton said sarcastically. He shoved his briefcase at me and I reached out and grabbed it before it could fall. “Hold this,” he commanded. “At least you can do something useful, seeing as how Carter seems to think it was necessary for the science budget to spend almost a thousand dollars for you to come on this trip.”

He didn’t sound happy. I looked at Carter. On the way over here, he’d said it was fine, that Dr. Klaxton was cool with me coming. But from the way Dr. Klaxton was talking, it didn’t seem that way at all. Carter looked embarrassed and averted his eyes.

Great. Now I was going to be left wondering what the deal was. Did Carter really think that Dr. Klaxton would have been okay with it, or was Justin right when he said that Carter had bad intentions? Or was I just getting in my head?

“Now, I suppose you’ve run into some kind of trouble with the revisions to the powerpoint I’ve given you?” Dr. Klaxton asked. He was wearing an expensively cut black suit and a crisp white shirt, and he reached for his sleeve and redid his cufflink.

I suddenly felt extremely inadequate in the black t-shirt and yoga pants I’d decided to wear on the plane. Why hadn’t I thought about this when I was packing for college? I should have realized that these kinds of situations were going to come up, that if I wanted to get ahead and network with the people in the science department, I was going to need the proper attire.

“No, there isn’t any trouble,” Carter said. If he was nervous, he certainly wasn’t showing it. In fact, he sounded calm and in control. “I sent the newest version to you a few minutes ago. Maybe once we get on the plane we can go over it together.”

Dr. Klaxton sighed like he couldn’t believe the incompetence he was being forced to deal with. “That would be impossible,” he said. “Since I’ll be in business class and you’ll be in coach. It will also be unnecessary, since I’ve already looked at your revision.”

Then why did he ask if Carter had run into any problems? I wondered. Just to be a jerk?

“And?” Carter asked.

“And you did nothing I asked you to do, so I’ll be spending my plane ride giving you another round of revisions.”

“Great,” I said brightly. “We can work on them together, once we get to the hotel tonight.”

The only reason I said it was because I’d wanted to seem like I was there for more than just decoration. If Dr. Klaxton was already pissed that the budget had to allow for my ticket, I figured I should make it clear to him that I was going to be worth it.

But this didn’t seem to endear me to him at all. In fact, it just made him more cranky.

“Please,” he said. “If Carter can’t get things straight, I highly doubt you’re going to be of any help at all.” He sighed and then dropped his bag on the ground. “Please check this bag for me, Lilly.”

I opened my mouth to tell him my name was Lindsay, but he was already gone.

A weird feeling settled in my stomach, twisting and rolling itself into a huge knot of anxiety. Why had I pushed so hard to come here? It was obvious I was in completely over my head. I didn’t have the right clothes, or the knowledge, or anything. And if I was hoping to get in good with Dr. Klaxton, well obviously that wasn’t going to work.

The man had forgotten my name.

“Hey, you okay?” Carter asked.

“Yeah.” But I knew I didn’t sound convincing. I gave him a smile. “I’m fine.”

“Don’t take it personally,” Carter said. He gestured to the bag that Dr. Klaxton had dropped in front of us. “He’s like that with everyone.”

I nodded, but I could fill my eyes filling up with tears of disappointment.

“Come on,” Carter said. “You’ll feel better once we’re on the plane.”

He picked up Dr. Klaxton’s bag and slung it over his shoulder. Then Carter put his hand on my arm and started leading me toward the baggage check. His grip was strong and comforting.

I felt myself starting to calm down. I couldn’t be weak. If I was going to make it as a doctor, then I was going to be put through my paces. I needed to be able to roll with the punches, to show my superiors that I could be strong under pressure and that I could handle anything. If Carter could do it, I could, too.

But just as I was starting to feel the tension leave my body, I spotted Justin standing in front of us by the gate. He was looking at Carter and his face was set in anger.

He started heading toward us, and for a second, I was afraid he was going to punch Carter in the face. I tried to pull my arm out of Carter’s grip, but he was too strong. He just kept walking, oblivious to what was about to happen.

Justin was moving faster now, his long legs closing the distance between us quickly. His eyes met mine, and I gave him a pleading look.

Do not do anything to embarrass me.

Justin shook his head, and I knew what he was thinking. He’d told me not to let Carter get too close, and now he was going to have to take matters into his own hands.

I gave Justin another pleading look.
Please,
I mouthed.
I’m at work.

He shook his head again, a little more forceful this time, but I could see some of the stiffness in his shoulders start to dissipate.

Justin passed by, and as he went, he stuck his arm out and elbowed Carter roughly in the side.

“What the hell?” Carter swore. He turned around, but Justin had already disappeared into the crowd. “What an asshole.”

I turned and stood up on my tiptoes, scanning the crowd for Justin. I couldn’t believe what he’d just done. Of course, part of me knew it could have been much worse.

How would I have explained that? Two guys fighting over me in the airport? With all the security they had in this place, we probably would have all been arrested. Or at least detained.

I pulled my phone out and sent Justin a text.