Gavin barked out a laugh and then slowly sobered. “What is that?” He slid his thumb over her eyebrow and placed the menu on the bed.
Emily’s stomach plummeted. She felt all kinds of sick as she curled her hand around Gavin’s wrist, pulling it away from the spot where Dillon hit her. Panic set in, but she covered it up with a smile. “Oh, that? It’s nothing. I was at work, I bent over to pick up something from behind the bar, and I slammed my head against the countertop.”
Gavin sat up, snaked one arm behind her back, and lifted the other to her brow again. He studied it for a second. Something in Emily’s tone didn’t sit right with him. He shifted his eyes to hers. “It happened at work, huh?”
“Yes, Gavin,” she said, mustering up all the confidence she had left. “My moment of grace happened at work. Luckily the place was empty, or I would’ve been even more embarrassed.” She plucked the menu from the bed and started looking over it. “So what are you in the mood for? They have everything from burgers to filet mignon.” She swung her legs off him, pulled the sheet around her body, and stood to go to the bathroom. “Just order me the chicken Caesar salad.”
Emily flipped on the light switch and closed the door. Leaning against it, she drew in a breath, hoping she’d successfully pulled off the lie gnawing away at her. This wasn’t the way she’d wanted to start off with Gavin. Not even close. Keeping anything from him bit at her conscience. However, visions of Gavin going after Dillon tightened her chest, and Dillon’s threats the night of her rehearsal dinner screamed loud in her ears. With that, she settled the internal battle. She was protecting Gavin and wouldn’t say a word about what’d happened that morning. Emily turned the handle to exit the bathroom. On the other side, she found Gavin with his arms crossed, leaning against the doorjamb. His probing blue eyes made her heart lurch into her throat. Though her nerves skyrocketed, she couldn’t keep her gaze from sweeping over his naked form. The utter masculine perfection of his solid body had her instantly breathing faster, unconsciously biting her lip.
“You startled me.” She pushed up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “But I’ve always known you were a stalker.” She feigned playful and draped her arms around his neck, but his stare was all over her, as if he was waiting for her to tell him the truth. All she wanted to do was ‘fess up, but she wouldn’t. “Speaking of stalker, how did you get a key to the suite?” Emily knew it was a poor attempt at a subject change, but she was grasping at anything to keep Gavin’s attention from Dillon.
“I called Colton from my house and told him to add my name to the reservation.” Gavin leaned down and brushed his lips against her forehead. “So, what happened the night you left him?”
Emily swallowed back the bile rising in her throat and clenched the sheet to her chest. She looked at him from beneath her lashes. “Nothing really happened.”
Gavin pulled back, his expression tight with skepticism. “Nothing? He just let you walk out the door and didn’t say a word?”
She grappled for an answer as she crossed the room. Sinking onto the bed, she slid a stare back at him and shrugged. “Yes. I left his townhouse after he fell asleep, stopped by your place, and then went back to my apartment. He came over the morning of the wedding, and we got into an argument. In the middle of it, my sister and her husband showed up, and Michael made him leave. That’s it.”
Forehead creased, Gavin palmed the back of his neck and stepped closer. “And he hasn’t bothered you at all?”
“No, he hasn’t.” One truth she could admit. Shockingly, other than Joan calling to bitch her out after bailing Dillon out of jail, Emily hadn’t seen or heard from him since the cops dragged him out of her apartment.
Gavin closed the distance and knelt in front of Emily. His hands glided effortlessly under the sheets to grip her waist. “You would tell me if anything had happened, right?”
Nearly paralyzed by her lie, Emily struggled against tears. She lifted her hand to his face, cradled his cheek, and nodded. “Of course I would,” she whispered.
Rubbing his thumbs in slow circles on her skin, he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you told him. You shouldn’t have had to do it on your own.”
“Gavin, no,” she choked out, standing. She buried her hands in his hair and pulled his face to her stomach. Looking down at him, guilt thudded through her heart as she watched him kiss her flesh. He clenched her waist tighter, his mouth urgent. His guilt seared her stomach. “Please, Gavin, I was fine. You thought I’d married him. Please don’t do this to yourself.” Emily sank down on his lap and wrapped her legs around his waist.