Page 30 of Air of Seduction

Letting out a sigh, I turn and walk down the corridor. After closing the door to my suite behind me, I pull my phone from my pocket and find Payton’s number.

What is she doing right now? Is she asleep, or is she talking to her friend? But they aren’t the questions that have me pacing, unable to relax.

Is she still angry with me? Will she answer me if I call, or will she ignore me?

Fuck.I stop in the middle of the room. I might never know the answer to those questions if I don’t make the first move. She has no reason to contact me, since she has achieved exactly what she set out to do. To get her friend back.

But calling her at this time of night might wake her and piss her off. So, texting it is.

After opening a new text, I pause while staring at the screen with my thumbs hovering over the keyboard. My shoulders are tense. So much is riding on these words, and the pressure is making it hard to breathe.

What if I say the wrong thing, and she’ll never want to talk to me again? Then I’ll probably end up like Noah, borderline insane and desperate.

I start typing.

I’m sorry.I’m not really sorry. What am I supposed to be sorry for? All I tried to do was to calm things down. I delete the text.

How are you?Delete. She’s not a business associate.

Are you all right?I can practically hear her answer.Yeah, sure. My friend is just traumatized from being a vampire’s slave for a week.Delete.

I stare at the screen for two solid minutes, completely at a loss. Perhaps I should call her after all. It might be easier to know what to say if I hear her voice and get some kind of indication of how she feels about me.

Putting my phone away, I walk over to the window. It shouldn’t be this difficult. All I want to do is make sure she’s all right.

I yank my phone out of my pocket, typeI’m sorry, and press send. It’s not so much about what I want to say, as it is about what she might need to hear.

Chapter 18

Payton

My phone pings with a text, and I sit bolt upright on the couch, where I’ve been dozing for a while.

I snatch the phone off the table and stare at the text from Ronan.I’m sorry.

My heart skips a beat, and my lips stretch into a wide smile. “Thank you.”

I quickly type out a response.Thank you. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are your balls okay?I presssendand hold my breath. He seemed okay when Olivia and I left, and he can’t be too angry with me if he sent me a text to tell me he’s sorry.

A text pops up after just a few seconds.They’re fine. I heal fast. I’d rather you didn’t do it again, though.He’s added a winking emoji.

My already wide smile becomes even wider. He wroteagain.Does that mean he wants to see me again?

I chew on my bottom lip.Good to hear they’re okay, or I’d have to kiss them better.I hitsendand immediately freeze. Them as in his balls and not you. My pulse pounds in my ears. I’m never this forward, ever.

I flip my phone facedown and stare at it. I have no idea how he’s going to respond to that, or if he even will.

My phone pings, but I just keep staring at it, not sure if I want to see his response.

It takes a minute for my curiosity to get the better of me, and I reluctantly turn the phone over to see the screen.

The pain is back. I accept your offer.

Heat rushes through my veins and settles between my legs. My clit tingles as it swells, as if it thinks it will get some action.

Licking my bottom lip, I read his text again and again while I consider what to do.

Should I invite him over? It might be a bad idea since it’s Olivia’s apartment, and seeing him might remind her of what happened.