Pure Seduction by Frank, Ella (first ebook reader .txt) 📕

a shit last night. I’d tossed and turned until the early hours of the morning, and anytime my eyes did begin to close, Ryan’s voice woke me up again.

Look at him a little closer…

Bastard. What kind of thing was that to say to someone who was clearly not thinking straight and also alcohol-impaired? Didn’t he realize the kind of chaos that would set off in my brain? If he did, he clearly didn’t care, because I hadn’t slept a wink.

Look at him a little closer… That could only be interpreted one way as far as I was concerned, and the fact that I was even entertaining the thought was unbelievable. Because for that to actually be true would mean Laurel had lied to me for well over a decade.

It would mean that she had kept something as monumental as a child from me. And the girl I knew would never do something like that. Something so selfish, something so cruel. But then again, she was no longer the girl I knew, was she?

Laurel was an adult now. A mother. She was a complete and utter stranger to me, and that was almost as shocking as everything else running through my mind. Here I’d been chasing ghosts, chasing memories from the past, and it was now blatantly obvious that those things no longer existed. At least not in any form that I remembered.

I stared at the clock in the suite and watched as the second hand made its slow climb up to twelve. It had just turned six, and I was trying to convince myself that it wasn’t too early to track Laurel down.

I wanted to talk to her. To have her clear up these crazy thoughts I’d been having all night, because maybe that was all they were—crazy thoughts. Ryan was probably talking out of his ass. Seeing things that weren’t actually there. But I couldn’t help the niggling thought in the back of my head: What if he’s not?

Sick and tired of playing this guessing game, I grabbed my wallet and stuffed it in my back pocket. The best way to clear this up was to confront it head-on. Then I could put these insane theories behind me and move the hell on.

I gave myself a once-over in the mirror and ran a hand through my still-damp hair. I looked exactly how I felt, tired and hungover. But there was no helping that, not even the shower I’d stood under for a good twenty minutes. I’d have to be sure to give Willa an extra-big tip for the hot water I’d used.

I opened the door to my suite carefully and slowly stepped outside. A quick look down the hall told me the coast was clear as I made my way toward the stairs. I was just about home free when the front door opened and Willa stepped inside carrying a basket of freshly cut flowers.

My feet froze and I gripped the banister to keep myself steady, and for a split second I wondered if I had time to turn around and head back upstairs.

It turned out I didn’t.

“Good morning, Noah. You’re up early considering the, uh, night you had.”

The smile Willa flashed was friendly and good-natured, and it was difficult to do anything other than return it.

“Morning. And yeah, the head’s a little sore, but that’s what they made aspirin for, right? I wanted to get an early start.”

Willa glanced at the clock in the main foyer and then back to me. “Early is right. I know Ryan is always up at the crack of dawn, but I figured the fancy CEO would be able to roll in whenever he wanted.”

“I’ve got, um, lots to learn over there as the newbie. CEO or not. The few extra hours in the morning always helps.”

Willa frowned, likely thinking that if that was the truth, why was today the first time I’d left before seven thirty?

Too polite to ask me, though, she gestured over her shoulder and said, “Would you like me to get you some coffee to go?”

I shook my head. “Uh, no. That’s fine. I’ll just make some over at the winery. You have a good day. I’ll see you later.”

Willa opened her mouth like she was going to say something else, but at the last second waved instead. “Thanks. You have a good day too.”

“Will do.” I rushed out of there as fast as my legs would carry me, and once I was in the car, I let out a sigh.

Shit. I needed to get it together and call my mom to somehow get Laurel’s address without raising suspicions. She’d be up, she always was by five, so I turned on the car and waited for the phone to connect. Once it did, I hit the winery’s number, and a few seconds later heard, “Good morning.”

“Hey, Mom, good morning.”

“Noah?”

“Yeah. Sorry for calling so early.”

“No, no. It’s okay. I’m just shocked you’re awake. You never were the early riser out of the four of you.”

That was definitely true. I’d fought tooth and nail for every last second of sleep I could get as a teenager, and not much had changed as an adult. The only reason I was up this early now was because I literally couldn’t sleep.

“I know, but, um…” Think Noah, think. “I said I would pick up Laurel before work and head to the farmers’ market first thing. We wanted to get some new…produce, to try with some of the menu today.”

What? God. I was such a bad fucking liar.

“That’s a wonderful idea. Oh, and while you’re there, could you pick me up a couple of big pots of petunias for the front door? Will they fit in your trunk?”

Good one, idiot. Now what are you gonna do? “Sure. I’ll see what I can do. But, uh, Mom?”

“Yes?”

“I need Laurel’s address. She forgot to give it to me, and I’ve never been there before.”

“Oh, of course. Let me get it for you.”

She rattled it off to me,