hand tightened around the handle to the door until his knuckles were white.
He gave the handle a sharp twist and pushed inward, his eyes immediately seeking the bed. His gaze narrowed and his brows came together when he saw Ash sprawled on the bed. Alone. No sign of Bethany anywhere.
Ash stirred and his eyes opened. His head lifted, and he scowled when he saw Jace.
“Is the hotel on fire?”
Jace didn’t answer and Ash’s head flopped back onto the pillow.
“No? Then go the fuck back to bed and leave me the hell alone,” Ash grumbled. “It’s too goddamn early.”
“I was looking for Bethany,” Jace said quietly.
Ash’s head came back up, his gaze sharp. “I left her with you, man.”
“She’s not there. She’s not anywhere in the suite.”
Ash pushed himself up to his elbows, the sheets tangling at his waist. “She bail?”
Jace’s lips tightened. “I don’t know. Maybe she just went down for something.”
Ash lifted an eyebrow as if to say he thought Jace was a dumbass. Jace blew out his breath and turned around to walk back out of Ash’s room.
“Hang on a sec, man, and I’ll help you look,” Ash called.
“I got it.”
Jace’s gaze swept the room again, looking for anything. A clue. Something that told him she’d be back. When he got back to the bedroom where he and Bethany had slept, he noted this time that none of her clothing was where it had been tossed the night before. There was nothing that suggested she’d been here at all.
“Jace, she left a note.”
Ash’s voice drifted to Jace and Jace strode back out of the bedroom to see Ash standing in the living room in front of the coffee table holding one of the stationery note cards with the hotel logo. Ash held it out as Jace walked over and reached for it.
Flipping it open, he frowned as he read the feminine cursive that flowed across the surface.
Thank you for a wonderful night and for dinner. You made it special. I’ll never forget it or you.
—Bethany
“Son of a bitch,” Jace muttered.
He turned away from Ash and then savagely threw the note across the room. It hit the wall and fluttered downward. She’d left! Without saying a word. Without waking him up. She’d slipped from his bed and walked away. He didn’t even know her fucking last name. Or where she lived. Or how to find her.
He’d thought he had time to find out all of those things. He’d planned to learn as much as possible about her over breakfast. He’d had it all worked out. Breakfast in bed. Spoil her ridiculously. Make love again, preferably after Ash left. And then let her know in no uncertain terms that they would be seeing each other again.
“What’s the problem, man?” Ash asked quietly.
Jace spun back around. “She’s gone. That’s the problem.”
Ash’s lips tightened and he sent an inquisitive look in Jace’s direction. “What, exactly, were you wanting from this? Another night? Two? Then what? It’s not like we ever do long-term. I realize this may not have gone the way you wanted, but you have to appreciate the irony of her being the one to walk away. That’s usually what we do. She made it a hell of a lot easier on us.”
Jace’s teeth ground together, his nostrils flaring as red-hot anger whipped up his spine. It took every ounce of control not to lash out at his best friend. He exhaled forcefully and then lifted his gaze to meet Ash’s.
“Yeah. Easier.”
He couldn’t keep the disgust from his tone. Didn’t even care. He turned and stalked back into the bedroom to get dressed. He yanked on his pants and shirt, not bothering to shower or shave. He had no idea how long ago Bethany had left and he wanted to make sure he questioned the staff in the lobby and the doorman.
His mind was already working through his options when he walked back through on his way to the door.
“Jace?” Ash called.
Jace paused and turned to see Ash still standing in the living room, a troubled expression on his face.
“What’s going on, man? You’ve acted differently with her from the moment you saw her at the party. We’ve fucked a lot of women together but last night you didn’t act like you were down with what we were doing at all.”
“I wasn’t,” Jace said quietly.
“Then why did you do it?”
Jace stared at him a long moment. “Because it’s what I had to do to have her.”
Without waiting for a response, Jace