Until Cobi (Until Him 3)

“I think you left a whole lot of stuff out last night,” Brie says in my ear, and I pull in a shaky breath.

“I’ll explain later. Right now, I need to find a place to hide.”

“Good luck with that. With how pissed off that man looks, the moon wouldn’t be far enough away for you to escape him.” She hangs up and I drop the phone into the cradle as Cobi turns to look at me.

When his dark, angry eyes meet mine, I know not only is he pissed—I’m screwed.

Last night, I put my plan to keep Cobi away into action. I didn’t stay at home; instead, I took Brie up on her offer and slept at Kenyon’s and her place. Luckily, I didn’t have to sleep on the couch, since she bought an air mattress just for me in case I came over. When she asked about Cobi, I said he was working then avoided all conversation having to do with him, changing the subject each and every time. If I ever told her my plan to keep him at arm’s length and gave her my reasons for doing it, she would be mad. Actually, she would be livid. Even as long as she’s been in my life, she’s never really understood why I’m so ashamed. She thinks I should be proud of who I am, how far I’ve come, and look at the bright side of things.

She doesn’t know how humiliating it is to have to explain my past. She doesn’t know how embarrassing it is to have one or both my parents show up unannounced and make a scene. Something they have done more than once when I haven’t given them what they wanted. No guy wants to deal with that. No guy wants a woman who has the kind of baggage I have. And a cop would for sure not be happy about having a girlfriend with druggie, alcoholic parents that have been arrested so many times most officers and judges know them by name.

Not seeing a place to escape, I stand and watch Cobi stalk toward my office, his long stride eating up the distance between us quickly. Crap, things would be a whole lot easier if he wasn’t so damn attractive. Even angry, he’s hot, maybe even hotter, with his jaw hard and his muscles seeming more pronounced. When he steps through my open door, I start to open my mouth, having no idea what I will say to him, but I shut it as he slams the door closed, causing the pictures on the walls to shake.

“What the fuck?” His voice booms through my small office, and I look over his shoulder, noticing my co-workers stopping to take in the scene.

“Keep your voice down,” I hiss, swinging my head back to look at him. “This is my job. You can’t just barge in here, slam doors, and shout at me.”

“Where were you last night?” he demands, and I pull in a breath, wanting to calm my wildly beating heart. “Answer me.”

“I stayed with Brie. She wanted me to stay with her and Kenyon. They’ve been worried about me.”

“Lie.”

How the hell does he know I’m lying?

“It’s not a lie.”

“Part of it’s not, and part of it is.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “Now tell me why you’re avoiding me?”

“I’m not avoiding you.” I scoff, and his eyes narrow.

“Another lie.”

“You don’t know me, Cobi,” I hiss, getting angry and defensive.

“How many lies are you going to tell me before you start telling the truth?”

“That is not a lie. You don’t know me. We don’t even really know each other.”

“I know what you sound and look like when you come.”

Oh my God. He did not just say that. “Don’t be crass.” I hiss, pointing at him.

Ignoring me, he continues, still holding my gaze. “Know you try to be brave but are so fucking afraid that you’re scared of the dark. Know that you turn sweet when you’re sleepy and don’t know how to handle being taken care of. I also know that you like me more than you want to, and that scares the shit out of you.”

“I don’t like you,” I whisper, his words hitting too close to home, making me feel panicked.

“Another fucking lie.” He shakes his head. “Why are you so afraid of me?” He leans closer, growling, “Why?”

“I can’t do this right now,” I state, leaving out that I will never be able to do this. “I’m at work. I have to leave to go check on a client soon, and before that, I have a hundred e-mails to return.”

Jerking a hand through his hair, he looks away briefly. “Hadley, you need to know that even if I let you go right now, I’m not letting you go. We will be having this conversation, and you will talk to me.”