“Livia is home. She asked for you.” If she had the bottle in her hand right now, I know she’d most likely drop it. Lucky for me she doesn’t, she just sits in the same spot, but she’s shocked.

“She asked for me?” she finally says.

I go to touch her thigh, but she pushes my hand away. “She did,” I reply, thinking back to the conversation we just had in the car on my way to my Barbie. It was awkward, but Barbie didn’t have a cell phone for Livia to call. Well, she does now, but Livia doesn’t know the number. It’s why I’ve given her one so I can send her dirty text messages all fucking day. She’s fun to play with.

Robert stands looking down at her. “She’s only going to make you feel like shit. Don’t go and see her, Sass.”

Barbie looks up to him, and I can see the emotions running all over her face. “I miss her, though. Plus, she’s hurt.”

Robert leans down and kisses her forehead. If he were any other man, I would punch him for touching her, but he’s her best friend. “That heart of yours fucks you over every time, Sass. Try to protect it this time, okay?” She offers a sad smile, and Robert looks to me. “I’ll take her away from you if it means protecting her. Do you understand me?”

I nod my head and look at Barbie. She’s still looking at nothing, just staring ahead into nothingness. He walks off to his car, while she looks to me. Unsure.

“Should I see her?” she asks me.

I don’t know what to tell her. My immediate answer is, no. But that’s only me being selfish. Reaching up, I push her long blonde hair behind her ear. “You should, but only if you want to.” She looks sad and her being sad is not something I want to be responsible for, ever again. “She’ll be angry, though. So please leave if that happens, and the minute you do, I want you to call me.” She nods her head, and I pass her the keys to my car. She takes them looking down. “I’m going to stay here and wait for you. Take it. Take as long as you want.” I stand kissing her head and walking into her shop. She stays where she is not moving for a while, and then manages to stand up and walk to my car, getting in.

It was the first unselfish thing I’ve done for her. She’s now going to see someone she loves, maybe even more than me. And she could be coming back to tell me to leave. It’s a risk I didn’t think about until now. But I’m hoping and praying like hell that she comes back to me. Because I need her more than I need my next breath.

As I watch her go, another car pulls up from where she just left. Stiles gets out and walks to the shop door. He can’t see me standing there, but he puts his face to the door and looks inside. When he sees me, he swears and steps back. He looks like he’s about to change his mind and leave. He turns, but then spins back to the shop, and bangs on the door hard with his hand. I contemplate not opening it. I don’t like the guy for the simple fact he had her when I should have had her. She was mine well before she was his. As I pull the door open, he pushes his way inside making me take a step back then slams some things into my chest. Looking down, I grab them from him and see photos of him and Barbie.

“What the fuck.” My hand reaches for his throat, and I push him up against the glass door, his back banging into it as my hand tightens around his neck. The photos drop to the floor, and he tries to push me away, but it doesn’t work. I’ve got hold of him, and I’m not letting him go anytime soon until his last breath leaves his body.

“Ryken, it’s old.” His words are muffled, but I hear them and remove my hand from his throat. His hand replaces where mine was, and he swears at me. “What the actual fuck. Are you fucking crazy?” I look at him with raised eyebrows. Did he seriously ask me that? Given he just showed me photos of him and Barbie together.

“You show me those and expect me not to kill you?” I go to step toward him again and he holds his hand out to me.

“You fucking idiot, these photos are old. But that’s the reason I’m here. Why the fuck are they being sent to me in the first place? Who the fuck was taking them?” He passes me a piece of paper as well and on it reads…

Tags: T.L. Smith Dark Intentions Duet Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net