With a quick apology to the other bartenders who would need to pick up her slack but didn’t mind since they were more worried about her, she left.
I didn’t move.
Home.
She called it home.
Panic didn’t flare in my chest, giving me the uncomfortable sensation that my skin was too tight, the room was too small, and regrets were so heavy, I couldn’t breathe.
More than that, my brain wasn’t saying it was just a meaningless phrasing or part of the act.
’Cause Iwantedher to mean it.
Fuck it.
I rarely leftRye when it was open.
For the second night in a row, with the shitstorm swirling around us, I left again. I made sure my crew was good and that extra hands were called in. I would also have to swing back at theend of the night to lock everything down. But I wanted to make sure Lo was okay.
I hoped the burger and double order of fries would distract her enough that she didn’t call me out on my obsession.
It would be a valid point but still.
Halfway through my drive, my phone pinged with a security alert. I assumed it was Lo, but when I opened the app at a red light to check, it was someone at my back door.
Being let in by Lo.
A grinning Lo who wasn’t being forced or threatened.
I pulled into a rundown lot and ran the footage back.
The man didn’t knock before the door opened. She said something and hugged him before pulling him inside. It was quick, but he scanned to the sides, giving me a view of him.
It’s the fucker from the bar.
“What the hell is happening?” I asked out loud before dialing Lo.
She didn’t answer.
I started driving again. My speedometer ticked higher and higher as I pictured how good it was gonna feel to break the prick’s jaw.
It took longer than it should’ve for common sense to penetrate the jealous rage that was fueled by my feelings for her but amplified by previous experiences. Lo wasn’t the cunt who’d jacked up my life a decade ago. She wouldn’t cheat. She sure as shit wouldn’t do it in my house.
A house she’d just called home.
And that she knew had cameras and a top-of-the-line security system.
There had to be a good reason he was there. If there wasn’t, I had the jaw-breaking to look forward to.
I parked behind Lo’s car and got out. I expected her to throw open my front door with an eye roll when I approached the steps, but she didn’t.
Instead, she jumped when I opened it myself, clearly not expecting the intrusion.
“Rhys,” she gasped, pressing her hand to her chest. If it weren’t for whatever the hell was going on, hearing her say my name like that would’ve hardened my dick. Despite the shocked reaction, she didn’t look guilty about the man sitting on the other side of my couch. She smiled at me, and I got the eye roll I’d been waiting for from her. “Why am I not surprised that you came home?”
I looked to the guy, then back at her. “Guess I’m surprised enough for both of us.”
She scrunched her face, and that would’ve also shot to my dick. “Sorry, sorry. I wanted to explain, but some bossy asshole said I couldn’t.
