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Fuck.
Raking a hand through my hair, I lifted the phone to my ear. “Yeah?” I snarled at him.
“Just calling for an update,” was all he said, and not for the first time since May, I wanted to put my fist through his face.
“There’s nothing to update. Everything is quiet on my end,” I assured him between clenched teeth.
“Good. Good. That’s what I like to hear. And she still doesn’t know?”
My stomach churned, and I leaned forward, breathing deep. “No,” I muttered in a quieter voice. “She doesn’t have a clue.”
Chapter 10
Mia
Angrily, I texted Lyla, asking her when she was going to be back at our dorm. Not that it mattered. I was leaving this morning, regardless.
Classes had only been in session for a week, and instead of finding myself, all I’d found was a guy who seemed to like to play games with my head—and, apparently, my heart. One minute he’s talking about wanting to be together, telling me he’s mine and he hopes I know I’m his too.
The next, he’s getting a call he doesn’t want me to be around for. Which only leads me to conclude it was some girl to whom he’d already fed the whole “I’m your Beast” bullshit.
Walking into the kitchen, I found Braxton at the stove with a spatula in hand, flipping pancakes while the bacon lay freshly fried on a paper towel to drain all the excess grease. The smell of the food and strong coffee already made had a little of my hurt and anger fading, but not enough to change my mind that I was leaving.
Turning from the stove, he gave me a warm smile. “Morning, sunshine,” he greeted. “Hungry?”
“Starving,” I admitted as I snatched a crispy piece of bacon off the paper towel and stuffed it into my mouth. Groaning, I closed my eyes, savoring the flavor on my tongue.
But it made me miss my family. If I were home with Daddy right then, he would have been doing exactly what Braxton was. He’d be wearing his “I Rocked Breakfast” apron Momma had gotten him for Christmas a million years before but that he still loved. Jagger would be whining about being up too early on a Saturday but still stuffing his face full of bacon and eggs while he waited impatiently for the pancakes to be done. And Momma would be enjoying her day off while she put everything on slow-mo and sipped her coffee.
“Uh oh,” Braxton muttered, looking at me like I was more dangerous than a bomb about to explode. “What’s wrong?”
I ducked my head and poured myself a mug of coffee. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” he asked in a voice so gentle, I felt tears burn my eyes.
My phone pinged with an incoming text, and I distracted myself by reading it rather than answering him.
Lyla: Sorry I abandoned you last night. I never even should have gone to that damn party. Spent
the night at my brother’s place. Will be back around noon. xo
Putting my phone back in the pocket of my robe, I took a sip of my coffee before forcing a smile for Braxton, who was watching me like I might detonate at any second. “Can I give you a hand with anything?” I offered.
“No, I’ve got this.” He flipped the pancake in the pan without taking his eyes off me. “But you can tell me what’s wrong. Did you and Barrick have a fight?”
“Nope,” I assured him, popping the “p.” “No fighting.”
“Then why do you have this look on your face that makes my chest hurt, Mia?” he demanded, getting angry that I wasn’t confiding in him. “Talk to me. Maybe I can help.”
I placed my mug on the counter and crossed my arms over my chest. “Okay, fine. Tell me something, Brax. Do all guys get off on playing games with a girl? They say one thing, then as soon as they get a call, they turn into someone else. Is that how it goes with the entire male population, or is that just Barrick?”
Dark eyes narrowed. “Who called him this early?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Some hookup, I’m sure.”
He snorted. “Yeah, doubtful. Barrick doesn’t give out his number to hookups. I think there are maybe three women in the entire world who have his number, and you’re one of them. Lyla and his mom are the other two, if you’re wondering.”
That took some of the steam out of my sails. “But why else would he not want me around when he got a call?”
