I practically run out of the bar, my heart pounding out of my chest, jabbing my finger furiously on the elevator button. “Come on,” I mutter, watching the numbers rise too fucking slowly on the screen as I bounce on the balls of my feet. Barreling into the elevator, I almost knock over a woman. “Sorry,” I rush out and reach out to steady her, and she grabs hold of my forearm, gazing up at me and biting her lip seductively.
“It’s okay.” A bead of sweat trickles down my face as she trails the tips of her fingers over my exposed skin. “I’m glad you caught me.”
“Yep,” I almost shout as I hold my hands up and she stumbles backwards out of the elevator, giving me a confused look as I hit the button for the ground floor continuously, waving with my other hand like a dork as the doors close on her bemused face.Pacing the small space, I pull on the ends of my hair, groaning as the energy pulsing through me makes my chest physically ache. The elevator stops and the doors are barely open when I squeeze out and break out into a run. Trying to flee, to escape the sense of drowning and the feeling of everything closing in on me. I don’t stop as I make it out onto the Strip. I just keep going. Running and running until my lungs feel like they are about to burst. Bending at the waist, I suck in deep breaths, trying to calm my heart and my brain. It’s times like this when I feel out of control that I do something stupid and Hunter pulls me back, but he’s not here right now. That thought alone has me pulling at my shirt collar; everything feels so restrictive and itchy. Pacing the street, I try to find something, anything that I can focus on to stop the rampant beats of my heart. But there’s nothing. Just people laughing, not a care in the world, rushing through the streets. The colors blur together and sweat drips down my back, starting to soak through the fabric of my T-shirt.
“Leo?”
Someone is calling me, but I’m so lost in my spiral that I block them out.
“Leo! Will you stop?” My head is swimming, the person's voice distant and muffled as my head swings as I look for something to concentrate on.
Pulling at my sweat-soaked hair, I stare up at the sky. My staggering breaths get caught in my throat at the bright unfiltered blue of the cloudless sky.
It’s the perfect shade.
“Leo!” Kai’s hand lands on my shoulder. “You okay, man?” His voice is filled with concern as I continue to stare at the flawless ice-blue view, my breaths steadying. “Leo, talk to me.”
Tearing my gaze away, my eyes refocus on Kai as he tucks his hands in his pockets. “I can see your brain working like you’re about to do something you’ll regret.”
“I…I…” Stuttering, my fists tighten at my side as I compose myself. “I’ve fucked up, Kai.”
“Why? What have you done?”
“I married Ria,” I shout, staring at him in disbelief.
“I know. I thought you’d done something else.” He shrugs, a cocky smile plastered on his face.
“This isn’t funny. I…I… fuck!” Rubbing my hand down my face, I groan.
“It’s only temporary, and you get on with her, so it could be worse.”
“How could this possibly be worse?”
“You could be completely in love with Ria and in total denial about it. Now you’ve married her, and you’re freaking out because deep down it’s what you’ve always wanted but have been too chickenshit to do anything about it.” His lips curve up in a cocky grin, and my racing heart actually stops dead at his words.
“That’s…”
“Remarkably accurate?” He quirks his eyebrow at me, folding his arms across his chest.
“No, it’s so far off base.” Gripping the back of my neck, I stare back up at the sky, releasing a deep breath. “You’ve read this all wrong.”
“Then why are you freaking out?”
“Because I married my best friend's sister in Vegas drunk off my ass, and now I’ve got to pretend to be married to her so she can win this deal that she deserves.” My shoulders drop as I shake and hang my head. “And if I fuck it up she will potentially be embarrassed and her reputation could be in tatters because I will inevitably fuck this up for her.”
“Mate, you don’t give yourself enough credit. How could you fuck this up?”
“Did you not see that girl coming on to me?”
“Yes, and I heard you tell her countless times that you didn’t want to go with her.”
“Yes, but what if something like that happens again and it gets back to Cole? Then he thinks I’m cheating on Ria and disrespecting her. He will see right through the lie we’re weaving.”
“Okay, take a breath. You’re spiraling again.” He looks over my shoulder. “Look, let’s grab a quick bite over there. This spiral is fun to watch, but I fear if it continues I’m going to have to slap you, and I’m a lover not a fighter. So move your spiraling butt over to that diner and let’s have this out.” He hooks his arm around my shoulder. “Let’s have a Harris Heart to Heart.”
“I worry about you.”
“What? I thought it was pretty clever.”
