“Sorry, but we did. It was a coin toss thing.” I look to Colton, who’s smiling cautiously. “But we bought the video of the jump, so you can laugh at me screaming like a banshee as many times as you want.”

She considers my offer. “Forgiven. But first round’s on you next time.”

I’m getting off easy, so I agree quickly and get out of the line of fire. “I’m gonna grab my bag so we can go, ’kay?”

Tiffany nods, and I disappear down the short hall to my bedroom. I don’t bother double-checking anything in the suitcase waiting for me. Tiffany will have packed me better than I would myself. But I pause when I hear Tiffany and Colton talking.

“This is a big deal to her. I know I already did the whole threatening thing, but let me say again . . . don’t hurt her or I will truly kill you.”

I hug the soft scarf she pulled for me to wear on the plane to my chest. Aww, she is the sweetest and loves me so much.

“I have no intention of hurting her.” Colton’s promise rings true, warming me from the tips of my hair to my toes, but Tiffany’s not so easy.

“Not meaning to and doing it are two separate things. I don’t care whether you mean to or not. If you hurt her, I will hurt you. And that’s before Daniel gets ahold of you. She’s got a lot on the line here, and yeah, you do, too. But not like she does. Don’t fuck her over to get ahead of her dad. She deserves better than that.”

“She deserves everything.”

I can’t take anymore. I loudly come out of the bedroom, lugging my suitcase to interrupt their Elle-love fest.

“Ready?” Colton asks. If he had on a tie, he’d be adjusting it nervously, but instead, he clears his throat . . . twice.

Seems the big, bad Wolfe is afraid of my bestie.

Good.

As we leave, Tiffany hugs me and whispers in my ear, “I dare you . . . be reckless with your heart, be bold with your body, and be that badass bitch in the boardroom. Show him what you’ve got, girl. Show them all.”

“I will.”

And the jitters start up, but they don’t have anything to do with the dare from Tiffany. They have everything to do with the man taking my suitcase in his hand and waiting so patiently for me to say goodbye.

Chapter 19

Colton

The alarm goes off way too early, especially after a night of virtually zero sleep. I’d had too much on my mind and Elle in my arms to get any real rest.

After grabbing her things, Elle had stayed over and even agreed to sleep in my bed. After I dared her to, of course. I’d figured one thing would lead to another and had been looking forward to finally getting inside her.

But after the adrenalin of the bungee jump had worn off and she’d asked me approximately seven hundred and thirty-two questions about London, Elle had drifted off into a dead sleep, squashing my hopes for a pre-trip shag as she tossed and turned. Even asleep, she’s active as can be.

And now, I’m keeping her busy as a beaver—another idiom that made me laugh particularly hard when I’d learned that ‘beaver’ was American slang for pussy. Though it’s not Elle’s fanny I’m occupying. It’s her mind, because I don’t want any last-minute second thoughts.

“The car’s waiting downstairs. Let’s go.” I don’t ask her if she’s ready on purpose because I don’t think either of us is really ready for this, but it’s happening. “Go, go, go.” I shoo her out the door, promising to buy anything she needs if Tiffany forgot it, but Elle seems certain that won’t be the case.

The drive is quiet, though I try to ask Elle a few questions. Even work-related inquiries get short, distracted answers. I will the driver to go faster. For the love of the Queen Mother, let us just get to the airport and on the plane. Once that happens, I’ll breathe easier, knowing that Elle won’t back out on me.

The security line moves quickly, and Elle and I step up to the conveyor belt together. I wiggle my toes in my socks, hating the way being nearly barefoot in public makes me feel vulnerable. I heave Elle’s suitcase onto the belt, and it disappears into the scanner, mine following closely behind.

Elle steps into the body scan machine and follows the directions of the TSA agent. Well, almost. He tells her to lift her hands over her head, but she places them behind her head, elbows wide, almost as if she’s preparing to get frisked. I wonder if she’s ever been stopped by the police and what crazy story she might have about it. After the machine beeps, she steps through, and I do the same, though I place my arms correctly the first time, experienced at the both the US and UK airport procedures.

“Ma’am, is this your bag?”

Elle turns to the agent and nods, her eyes a mix of nerves and confusion.

“I’ll need to check the contents. Something flagged on x-ray. This way, please.” Elle shoves her feet into her trainers, not bothering to tie them, and steps to the side. The agent has her bag hoisted onto a table, and the few people around are looking over curiously.

The agent unzips Elle’s suitcase, lifting the perfectly organized clothing and looking through it. Seems Elle was right about Tiffany. Toward the bottom of the bag, she pulls something out. Even from here, I can see the smile threatening the professional blank look on the agent’s face.

“Ma’am? Is this yours?”

“Oh. My. God.” Elle virtually screams it, and more eyes turn her way, where the agent is holding up a hot pink vibrator with a bunny-ear clit stimulator that’s wobbling back and forth. “She did not put that in my suitcase. No, no, no.”

Elle’s shaking her head like she can make the scene go away. And barring that, she looks as if she’s wishing she could melt into the floor and disappear.

There are snickers of laughter, and I see a couple of teenagers in line pull out their phones, aiming them at Elle. I try to go over to her, but the agent closest to me shakes his head and holds up a staying hand.

“She? Are you saying you didn’t pack your bag yourself? Do you have any reason to believe there could be any contraband inside?”

Elle growls. “Can you put that thing away? My best friend packed my bag because she’s better at it than I am. I guess she thought I’d need a little stress relief. Right now, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at that thing again and not see it waving around in your hand in the middle of the airport.” Elle’s hands are waving around much more than the agent’s but she’s made her point. Though it’s with a beet-red face. “Confiscate it if you need to. Just let me get the hell outta here so I can go die of embarrassment alone. Please.”

The agent seems wholly unperturbed by the whole thing, as if this is just a normal Monday morning for her. Hell, maybe it is.

“No need for that, ma’am. Just have to remove the batteries for flight. I’d recommend that you pack them securely in your purse instead of in the device.”

“Device? Oh, God.” Elle’s sweating with mortification, and people mostly look to be feeling bad for her at this point. The agent lays the vibrator back on top of the still perfectly situated clothes and hands Elle the batteries.

She rezips and taps the suitcase as she hands it to Elle. “If it helps, that’s not even the first one today, and not even in the top one hundred of size. No need to have shame in your game. Though I once pulled out a double-ended dildo the size of my arm.” The agent holds up her arm, showing Elle, and everyone who’s eavesdropping—which is everyone—just how big the dildo was. A pained shudder goes through all of us. “Have a great trip.”