Anguished (Crimson Elite 2)

Selena stands there, her hand lifting to run through her hair as she pushes it out of the way. “Your guest has left then I take it?”

I hate that. I hate that she knows what I just did. Walking inside, I leave her at the door hating myself for what I’ve done. Selena should have been the one I made leave, not Storm.

“What do you want, Selena?” Not looking her way is my best bet right now because despite what this woman has done to me, she will always remain my first love. And she damn well knows it.

“Mike called, said you want to come now. And you want to bring a date?” She’s asking me straight up, but I choose to not answer by shrugging my shoulders. I shouldn’t be answering to her anymore, the only person I felt needed to know is my brother and I’ve already spoken with him. “I hope it isn’t the trash you just had in here.”

My spine stiffens at her words. If she only knew. Storm has more class than she has in her pinkie toe.

“Echo…”

I turn fast, we both do. Selena’s standing on the opposite side of the counter, the very same one I just had Storm on, who’s now standing at my front door with her jacket slightly open. There’s not enough to reveal what she has underneath, but there’s enough to tease me knowing what is under there. Storm’s brown eyes land on Selena. She doesn’t straighten her posture like Selena does, in fact, she doesn’t even seem threatened by her. Where Selena, on the other hand, has her hands crossed over her chest and is watching her with intent.

“I forgot my cell.”

I look at the counter and see it sitting there.

Picking it up I walk to her, but before I reach her, Selena does. “And you are?”

She has no right. No, fucking right. And I’m about to tell her that until Storm does it for me.

“Oh, me? I’m the one fucking Echo here. And from what he says, he’s never had it better.” Storm reaches up kisses my cheek then walks off to her car. I watch her with a smile I didn’t even know I was wearing until she’s gone.

“She looks like a hooker. You hire people now for sex?”

I want to laugh at her because if I wanted to do that, I’d just go to work. Plenty there for me to choose from.

“You need to leave.”

She shakes her head. “Don’t bring a date to my wedding, that wouldn’t be right.”

The laughter that leaves me starts from the bottom of my belly. It really does. Who the fuck does she think she is?

“You’re laughing, but I’m serious, Echo.”

I manage to stand and wipe the tears away from my eyes. “Oh, you have some nerve. You mean to the wedding of my brother, who’s marrying my whore of an ex?”

Her mouth falls open as she lifts her palm slamming it across my face. “You deserved that, you asshole.” She turns and walks to my door, her hand gripping the handle as she gets to it. “Don’t bring her Echo, just don’t.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore, Selena. You lost that right.”

She slams the door after she walks out.13StormI’m not really sure how I’m meant to feel right now. Jaded? Impassive? Blasé? Fucked if I know. I’ve managed to avoid him for the rest of the weekend, and now it’s a new week, and I’m still feeling the aftereffects of being shafted. That’s what this is—I was shafted for a woman, who he claims he isn’t with. He told me he was single, that’s the whole reason I agreed to our thing, whatever that is. Plus, he’s perfection, with his cock, his tongue, his hands…

“Storm.” My toe kicks my desk, and I yelp out loudly. Tracey starts to giggle as she walks in. “I knew you were lost in thought, I just couldn’t resist.” Reaching down, I rub my toe before I slide my heels back on my feet. I like to kick them off when I’m at my desk, wearing heels all day isn’t that great on the feet. But they sure as shit look pretty. “How’s you and lover boy going? Falcon said, he hasn’t been his mopey self since he’s been seeing you?”

I sit up straighter in my chair and try to not let her words affect me. “He was mopey?”

She nods her head. “Yep, his ex did a number on him badly. He was with her for years.” She hands me the information I’m not sure I really want to know, because it makes me feel somehow more invested. That’s the last thing I want to be.

“I think I may have met her…” I say, then change the subject. “Your brother’s interesting.”

She laughs loudly. “You could say that, he’s a whore.”