He sighs, then starts coughing. Christ!
“It’s late. My phone has been blowing up with everyone texting and posting about your girlfriend trying to kill herself. Trust me when I tell you this: talk to Tess tomorrow.”
I don’t answer him because I hadn’t even thought about that. But of course, everybody at the party would be posting all kinds of shit.
“Hello?” I can almost see the smirk on his face at my drama.
“Feeling guilty, Reed?”
I start laughing partly because I’ve missed Brance. He’s an asshole, but he loves Tess.
“You’re a piece of work, Brance. You know Lexi was never my girlfriend, and—”
“Excuse me?” he says. “I personally asked you if you two were together, and your answer was yes! I’m sick and don’t have any patience. Go home. Get some sleep. See Tess tomorrow. Trust me—you will thank me for this.” The line beeps off.
“Motherfucker.” I go to redial then hang up. Maybe he’s right. I’ve been up for two days. I need to make this right with Tess. I can’t get anywhere near her tonight. Without Brance’s help, I’ll never get in. His security is as good as the president’s. Turning my car around, I head to a hotel close by. I’ll start fresh in the morning.TESSSomething awakens me, and I sit up and glance at my phone. It’s 6:00 a.m. I hate when I wake up this early. Flopping back onto my fluffy down comforter, it’s all I can do not to scream.
“Jesus, Reed! You scared the shit out of me.” I blink at him. He’s sitting in my chair in the corner.
The morning peeks in, casting a soft light on his handsome face. His hair looks wet. One long leg is resting on his knee, and he looks like a king on his throne. I back up, pulling the comforter with me.
“How did you get in?”
Hoping to quiet my heart rate, I try to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. He doesn’t talk but keeps staring at me as though he hasn’t decided what his next move is. Either that or maybe he knows and is torturing me.
I square my shoulders back and cross my legs. Taking my rubber band from my wrist, I pull my hair into a messy bun and shoot him a glare.
“Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?”
The latest wound is still too fresh for me to say more. Dropping my hands with a dramatic slap, I look out my window, mind spinning. After I convinced Jax it would be better for everyone if I left the party, I had barely made it into the apartment when Brance shoved his phone in my face. There I was with Reed and Lexi. Posts and videos all over Instagram, Facebook, even Twitter. Then the pictures started coming in of Lexi overdosing, Reed by her side looking every bit the concerned boyfriend.
Frowning, I glance down at my floral comforter. “You two deserve each other. You can do drugs and have threesomes.” My voice cracks. I sound like a child but can’t stop myself.
He sits there, unmoving. His gaze makes me shiver. It’s intense, almost yearning. My fingers ache from gripping the comforter so tightly.
Finally, he stands and like old times, and my heart skips a beat. Damn him. He’s at the edge of my bed in seconds, his large form looming over me. With a deep breath, I attempt to steady my breathing.
He reaches for a piece of my hair, rubbing it in between his fingers as if he’s testing its softness. Then his strong thumb finds my lips. His touch is not gentle. Back and forth he rubs my lips making them hot, swollen, tingling.
I almost bite him. But he stops as if he can read my mind. I guess this is his subtle way of telling me he disapproves. His strong hand reaches under my chin and jerks my comforter off me.
“Reed!” My voice rises two octaves. “You can’t march in here and do this.” Pushing him aside, I have to get away from him. Already I’m on the verge of crying.
I bolt out of bed, make my way to the bathroom, and slam the door.
Leaning against it, I try to get ahold of my emotions. I’m so weak around him. In less than two minutes, he has me hiding in my bathroom.
“Jesus, pull it together!” I snap at my reflection in the mirror. Swollen red lips and giant blue eyes stare back at me. Angrily, I grab my toothbrush and slather toothpaste all over it. I will not allow him to do this to me. He has a girlfriend. Who OD’d last night! Spitting out the foaming toothpaste in the sink, I pee and wash my face quickly. The last thing I want is for him to think I’m hiding, so I open the door and march out. An empty room greets me.