HIS DOE, HIS DAMNATION (An Erotic Billionaire Romance) novel Chapter 89

Meadow’s POV:

The first thing I noticed when I arrived at Nova’s apartment building later that day, was an expensive- looking bike parked in front of it with a helmet resting on the handle.

I didn’t want to believe it, but deep down I knew. If there was a bike as expensive–looking as this one just sitting here, then it had to belong to the one person I knew who was bloody rich and owned one.

Nolan was here. And this time, he came on his own, without me. To see Nova.

My suspicions were confirmed when I walked through the door, the smell of aftershave and musk assaulting my senses.

“Nova?” I called out.

I heard voices and followed the sound, and right as I was about to turn the corner into the kitchen, I heard a deep, rich laughter. I paused, my gaze narrowing as I watched Nolan throw his head back as he laughed, his eyes crinkling at the edges.

Seeing him like that made me realize that I had never actually heard or seen Alaric laugh before.

I wondered how he would sound, how he would look. Did it sound exactly like Nolan’s or better?

And why on earth was I trying to imagine Alaric laughing?

I shook my head, letting out a dramatic breath as I walked into the kitchen. “Oh god. Please don’t tell me I have to get used to seeing you here.”

Nolan’s gaze shifted to me and Nova turned back from her position on the stool. Her cheeks were tinted pink–I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or something else.

“Meds!” Her eyes widened in shock. “I thought you weren’t coming today.”

“Did I say that?”

“No, but Nolan…” She trailed off like she just realized something, and swiveling her head to face Nolan again, she cursed: “You lying bastard. You told me something came up with Meadow and that’s why-”

“Would you have let me in if I said I just wanted to come check on you on my own?” Nolan’s voice was flat, but light amusement twinkled in his blue eyes.

Nova hesitated. “Probably not.”

“So there you have it, süße.” His gaze dropped to the bowl in front of her. “Eat.”

My brows were raised so high, I was certain they had disappeared into my hair.

I cleared my throat and Nolan looked at me.

“Don’t you have work to do?” I asked.

“Matter of fact,” Nolan murmured, taking out his phone and glancing down at the screen. “I do. Think you can manage without falling on that pretty ass again?”

“You fell?” I asked as I approached the counter.

“I TRIPPED,” she snapped, her gaze pointed at him. “And yes, I’ll manage fine without you and your earth-sized ego.”

Nolan managed a smirk before making his way out of the kitchen, his leather jacket in hand. When I heard the door shut, I finally faced my best friend.

“Feeling better, I see.” I mused.

“A little,” Nova murmured. Her eyes were trained on the wall behind me instead of on me, like she was deliberately avoiding my eyes. “So, does the flu come with memory loss or are you all of sudden into bad boys again?”

Her brown eyes snapped to mine, wide. “I’m not into Nolan–or bad boys. Fucking hate how… self–aware he is. He brought me some soup, though. Says it’s his mother’s recipe. It’s really good.”

At the mention of Alaric’s mother, my stomach twisted. I swallowed, my eyes dropping down to the almost finished bowl of soup. “How… nice.”

Checking on Nova wasn’t the only reason I came over. I needed to get out of that house, especially after what happened this morning.

‘Don’t be delusional, sweetheart. Alaric is only with you because he’s desperate to feel something.’

Fuck.

I so hated how true that actually was. Ingrid’s words hadn’t stopped echoing in my mind, and being in the house was just a constant reminder of it.

“Okay… spill,” Nova demanded, lifting her arm so she could cough into her elbow. “Sorry,” she muttered.

“Well, how are you feeling? Are you okay? I know you didn’t want Alaric knowing where you come from.”

I shook my head fiercely. “He doesn’t know,” I said. “If he did, there’s no way he would’ve dated my aunt and then married me.”

There was no way. No way he would want me if he knew that Clarissa was related to me.

It was easier to think like that. To not consider the alternative–that he already knew. That would make me go fucking crazy.

“Right,” Nova murmured, her features contorting with worry. I could see the million questions swirling in her eyes, but only one made it out of her mouth.

“Are you going to tell him?”

My chest tightened, and I took my time before I answered the question. “No. All that is going to do is open a box of memories that I’m not ready to show to anyone else. It’s why I’m so worried. I mean Clarissa- Yvonne, whatever the hell she’s going by–promised that she wouldn’t tell him, but I don’t know. It could’ve just been the heat of the moment.”

I didn’t trust Clarissa. But I didn’t say that. If the first thing she did after showing herself to me was lie about the extent of her relationship with Alaric, then it would take a lot more than a bathroom conversation to be convinced that she wouldn’t tell.

“Then maybe you should talk to her and find out.”

Her sentence was barely complete when my phone began to buzz in my purse. I pulled it out, my eyes widening when I saw the name flashing across the screen.

“Speak about the devil…” I murmured, turning my screen to face Nova.

She smirked. “And she shall appear–or call or whatever. Go on, find out what she wants.”

I cleared my throat loudly, my heart in my chest as I swiped right and raised the device to my ear. “Hello?”

“We need to talk.”