Page 35 of Charm Me

Chapter 14

Wyatt

A faint buzzing soundnagged at the back of my mind, ruining the comfort I’d found. I was cradling the most amazing woman in my arms, and I didn’t want to let her go. Her warm, naked body was curled up next to mine and her moist, perfect lips were pressed against my chest.

Having Zoe in my arms was perfection. Everything about her was perfection.

When she asked me to make love to her bare, it almost sent me completely over the edge. I wasn’t kidding when I told her I’d never fucked a woman without a condom before. Hell, I’d never met one I wanted that much to risk such a thing.

She’d given me something no woman had ever given me before.

She trusted me fully with her body and her heart.

And somehow, I had to find a way to say goodbye.

The buzzing sound that disturbed my sleep started up again. I shifted my eyes toward the sound and my phone lit up from where I sat it on the nightstand. As much as I didn’t want to move, I needed to check who was calling. No one ever called me this early.

I rolled Zoe’s body over and pulled my arm out from underneath her. She made a soft purring sound and nuzzled into the pillows, dragging a smile out of me.

It was a Manhattan number, but I didn’t recognize it.

“Hello,” I said as I slipped out of bed and dug through the pile of clothes on the floor for my boxers. We hadn’t wasted any time jumping into bed once we got back to Zoe’s apartment. We tore our clothes off in a frenzy not caring what happened to them.

“Is this Wyatt, Wyatt Strong?” A woman’s voice answered on the other end.

“Yes. Who’s this?”

“My name is Elise, I’m Abby’s agent.”

“Abby’s agent? Why are you calling me?” My voice hitched up a notch.

There was a brief silence followed by a long sigh. “Well, how do I say this?”

“Just spit it out.” I was already losing my patience and a minute hadn’t yet passed since I’d answered the phone. My heart pounded in my chest and my ears were ringing. Something was wrong and this woman was delaying the inevitable.

“She’s sick and I need you to come to Mount Sinai Hospital. She mis—”

“What do you mean she’s sick?” The worst possible scenarios ran through my mind. She hadn’t looked good and had been coughing when I’d seen her earlier this week. She wouldn’t talk to me and kicked me out when I’d questioned her health. And when I stopped by her brownstone yesterday like she’d asked, no one answered. Fuck, had she been too sick to answer? I left assuming she bailed on me.

“She missed the last three appointments we had scheduled. When I came by her brownstone this morning, she was nonresponsive. She’s stable now and is asking for you.”

Nonresponsive?What the fuck? Panic set in and my mind couldn’t settle on a single thought. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Please, just come to the hospital. I’ll explain when you get here.”

I clenched my fist and my stomach dropped. Whatever was wrong with Abby must be bad. Why else would she refuse to tell me over the phone? “Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“When you get here, ask for me, Elise Harold, at the receptionist’s desk. I’ll come and get you. That’ll be faster than trying to explain who you are.”

“Okay, I’m on my way.” I hung up and sighed. What the fuck was going on and why was Abby’s agent calling me instead of Abby herself or a doctor? I dropped my head and ran my fingers through my hair. I was a mess and needed a shower after the long night with Zoe, but there was no time.

Shit. I didn’t want to leave her, but I had no choice.

Just as I started to stand, her soft hands rubbed up my back. “Is everything okay?”

I looked over my shoulder and met her light blue eyes. In the soft morning light, they were the same shade of blue as the thick ice that formed around snow drifts in the mountains. It was one of my favorite sights. I loved the mountains in winter and hopefully one day I’d get to share them with her.

Sliding my arm around her, I pulled her into my lap. All I wanted to do was hold her tight and push this worry out of my mind. I dropped my head into the crook of her neck and breathed her in. She smelled even sweeter the morning after. Her scent was strong, and it lured me in like the best drug ever invented.