I snap out of my blank state when she grabs her purse and heads toward the door. “Hey, wait. What the hell happened?”
“I don’t know.” She gives a little angry shrug and opens the door. “Why don’t you ask your girlfriend?”
My eyes narrow as she slams the door behind her cute ass. I grab my cell, and sure enough Marlene’s name is flashing on the screen.
Oh, what the fuck! She sent a pic of herself naked, practically shoving her tits into the camera. And they look terrible. They look inflated and fake as hell. Not like Erin’s. Soft, fitting perfectly in my hands.
Shit. Erin saw this. Dammit.
I want Erin back. Back at my side, day and night. In my bed, in my arms, at my table, on my couch—not just to mess around but to talk and laugh.
And as I fall back onto the mattress, I realize I’ve never wanted anything else so badly in my life.
Chapter Fourteen
Erin
My day is a blur. I stomp from class to class, angry with Tyler and whoever this Marlene is. His girlfriend. Who else? Don’t be an idiot, Erin. He was gone for four years. He’s gorgeous. Of course he has someone.
And you let yourself be seduced by him all over again—by his beauty, his pain, his inescapable sexuality. Jumped in with both feet, and now you have to drag yourself back out.
Mierda. This is a huge mistake. I wanted answers, and I got them. His story breaks my heart, but how do I know he’s staying this time? What if the traumas he carries inside won’t leave him in peace? I saw glimpses of the boy he used to be, but what if it was an illusion? Something that won’t last.
I can’t take provisional anymore, not with Jax in the picture. Not with my heart so broken already.
Yet, he has my name tattooed on his arm. Permanent ink. Doesn’t that mean anything?
My head hurts from this mess. Maybe he does care for me. Or maybe he had that ink done long ago. But he has a girl waiting for him, probably back in Chicago, so what does it matter?
Stop waiting for him. It’s been four freaking years.
My cell rings as I switch classrooms, and when I glance at it, I see Tyler’s number. Clenching my teeth, I shove the phone back into my bag and go to my next class.
I’m not as mad at him as I am at myself. For falling so easily. For feeling so deeply where he’s concerned. For not coming clean with him about Jax while accusing him of hiding things.
But I’m not hiding a boyfriend.
What if you’re wrong? a tiny voice whispers in the back of my mind. What if she’s not his girlfriend?
And who is she, his cousin? Yeah, right. The photo of her huge fake tits is branded in my retinas. Ugh.
God, I hate this feeling. This faint sound of dreams crashing down.
Someone steps into my path as I exit my literature class, during which I only took one note and that was ‘happy endings don’t exist.’ How sad is that?
“Erin. Been looking for you,” Dakota says and waves. Her nails are painted black. “Did you talk to Zane?”
Stunned, I blink and try to remember what I was supposed to talk to Zane about. Oh, right. “I did.”
“And? What did he say?” Her hair is a wild dark mess with pink highlights.
“He said no.”
The corners of her mouth turn down. “That’s all?”
I frown. That’s a weird reaction. Not, ‘Did he say why?’ or ‘Oh, no, I’m going to jump off a cliff right now.’
Interesting.