Free The Billionaires Sub by MS Parker Page B

sample, explaining to me that some drugs, like GHB – more commonly known as the date-rape drug – stayed in the blood only up to eight hours. There was a little more leeway with a urine test. I hadn’t cared what she wanted to take from me if it’d help us get to the bottom of what happened.
    The detectives asked both Cross and I why the nurse had come by, but neither of us gave them an answer. If we had, they would’ve wanted to run their own tests in their own lab, and who knew how long that would take. Cross’ nurse had been going straight to the private lab where she’d hand off the samples to a technician who would begin running tests right away.
    As Cross showed the detectives to the door, I stayed on the couch, unsure what I was supposed to do next. Should I go back to the apartment? Would I even be able to get in or was it a crime scene now? I didn’t know, and I really didn’t want to show up there and be turned away. The only other people I knew in the city were the ones Juliette worked with, and I didn’t want them knowing what was happening, not until I had a better idea of it myself.
    When Cross came back into the room, he was on his phone, his expression serious. He was talking low, so I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but as soon as he hung up, he came over to the couch and sat next to me.
    “I’m sure the cops will do their best,” he said. “But I have a private investigator on retainer and I’ve asked him to look into it as well. The lab will send him your test results too, if that’s okay with you.”
    I nodded. I didn’t have anything to hide. I didn’t even mind that Cross had done it before asking me if it was okay. I could barely think now, much less make decisions.
    “Mars will call me as soon as he finds something.”
    “Mars?” I gave him a blank look, and was rewarded by that half-smile I was beginning to like too much.
    “The PI. His name’s Mars Roster.” Cross shrugged. “I guess his dad was something of an astronomy buff.”
    Dad.
    Shit.
    Our parents. RJ. Yet another thing I didn’t know how to deal with. When should I call them? Did they need to know right now or was it too early? I knew Juliette would be mad if I got them all worked up if this was just a big misunderstanding. But if something really was wrong, wouldn’t she want them to know? And what if I had been drugged? Even if nothing was wrong with Juliette, should I tell them that? Wouldn’t it just be proof to them that I’d made the wrong decision by coming here?
    I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.
    Cross didn’t bother to ask the inane question about whether or not I was okay. Instead, I felt the couch cushions shift, and then strong hands slid over my shoulders. I couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped when his fingers began to knead the tight muscles in my neck. I bent my head forward and turned my back toward him, wanting more. When the massage moved across my shoulders and then down my spine, I could barely suppress a moan.
    Between making arrangements to move, finals, graduation, telling my parents I was leaving, and then the past week of being here, the party...all of that alone had been enough to stress me out. Add in my new knowledge about Juliette’s lifestyle and then going to such an unusual club. Then Juliette’s disappearance and the mystery of what may or may not have happened to me, and I was about ready to explode.
    A pair of strong thumbs pressed against the base of my spine, reminding me that there was one other thing causing some stress. My defenses were too low. I couldn’t deny the way my body was responding to his touch. Heat was spreading through me, an ache forming between my legs.
    “It will be okay,” he said quietly, his voice right at my ear. “Let me take care of you.”
    I turned toward him, opening my eyes and tilting my head so I could see his face clearly. I wanted to see his expression when I asked my question, and when he answered. “Why?”
    “Why