Return To Sender (The Hart Brothers #2) - J. S. Cooper Page 0,2

didn’t feel the same. There was a slight ache between my legs, a fullness and a roughness that I’d never felt before, but it wasn’t unpleasant. If anything, it just reminded me of the fact that Wade had been inside of me the night before. My face flushed red as I thought about the fact that I’d lost my virginity to Wade Hart. In the light of the day, it almost felt surreal to think that we’d made love. It had been magical. Even though it had initially hurt, the pleasure I’d experienced was definitely something I could get used to.

“Wade!” I pulled the sheet off of the bed and wrapped it around my naked body as I got out of bed. “Wade, are you in there?” I peered into the bathroom, but it was dark and empty. Maybe he’d gone to the kitchen to make me breakfast in bed. I grinned at the thought. I hoped he was making pancakes. Blueberry pancakes. That would be delicious. I opened the door and poked my head into the hallway.

“Wade, are you in the kitchen?” I waited for a response, but none came. Frowning, I walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. It was empty. “Damn it.” I made my way to the French doors and went outside to see if he was swimming. I pictured Wade and I making love in the pool but soon realized he wasn’t there either.

“Where the hell are you?” I mumbled to myself as I walked back into the house. I made my way to the fridge to grab some orange juice and it was then that I saw an envelope with my name on it on the table, propped up next to a glass. A sense of foreboding filled me as I and picked it up. I ripped it open and pulled out a letter.

To Ms. Savannah Carter,

I have to go away for a week or so. My mother will also be gone. There is a stack of files on the desk in the library for you to deal with. I will email you soon with some more tasks.

Sincerely,

The Wade Hart (or, as you called me last night, Big Daddy)

“I never called you big daddy, asshole.” I dropped the letter onto the table. Why hadn’t he told me that he had to go out of town first thing in the morning? Wasn’t that something you would have told your assistant? I chewed on my lower lip. Maybe he’d left because of me. Maybe he regretted having sex with me. Or rather, regretted the fact that he’d had sex with me and I’d been a virgin.

“And you told him you thought you loved him,” I groaned. “Why, Savannah, why?” Tears pricked the back of my eyelids. Had I been used for a night of hot sex? Was Wade now scared that I might have developed real feelings? “Ms. Savannah Carter” didn’t exactly sound intimate.

I took a deep breath and headed to my room. I would not let myself cry. I would not allow myself to wallow and feel sorry about what had happened. I had made a decision and I had enjoyed that decision. Wade hadn’t promised me anything and I hadn’t promised him anything. In fact, he had been nothing but honest about what we were doing. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He hadn’t been completely honest. Not if his words of the previous night had been correct. What had I heard him saying again? “I’ve fucked up, Henry. I can never let her know the truth. This whole thing was a mistake. A huge mistake. I never should have created that ad. She can destroy everything. Absolutely everything. I never should have let Savannah Carter into our lives. If she learns the truth, our lives will be ruined.”

I wished now that I’d marched into the room and demanded to know what he’d been talking about. It wasn’t as if I’d been deliberately eavesdropping on him. And it wasn’t as if he could lie about the conversation if he’d known I’d heard him. But whatever it was, Henry knew as well. And Henry was a sweetheart. He wouldn’t be involved in anything nefarious, would he? But as I opened my bedroom door, I realized I really had no idea if Henry could be involved in anything bad. I barely knew the man.

I decided to have a shower and call Lucy. She’d be shocked, of course. I mean, I’d been shocked as well. I felt slightly