When she excused herself, I snuck off to one of the souvenir shops to buy us these glow-in-the-dark rings. Of course I’ll get her a new one, a real one, when we get home. Right now, though, I just want to get her back to the room to celebrate.
I’ve never been so nervous and excited to be with someone in my entire life.
The loud-mouthed woman exits the bathroom, and I push off the wall.
Fuck, I hope Calla’s okay in there. Hell, what if she got sick? We aren’t drunk, but we’ve been steadily drinking for the last five hours.
I move to the doorway and call inside, “Calla, are you okay?”
A woman walks out, startling me to back up.
“There isn’t anyone in there, buddy.”
As soon as she’s gone, I step inside to sneak in to see if she is telling me the truth. Then my phone buzzes with a text.
Calla: I’m sorry.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CALLA
I’m taking the very,verybad advice my three friends have given me and putting it to the test. But first, I stop to look into the mirror.
A lot of factors play into why I chose this route, but the biggest one is that after I confessed yesterday to not having a job, he has the upper hand now. I can’t have that. Nope. Not even a little. If I can just show him that being half naked and keeping my hands to myself around him can happen, maybe it’ll click that I’m not into him the way he is me.
The trick, though, is not giving in if he tries anything.
I can do this.
I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. My outfit is simple. A plain white V-neck T-shirt that hangs off one shoulder. It’s a little oversized, so it covers most of my butt.Most ofbeing the key phrase here. I’ve got a pair of slate-blue bikini panties on, and I know that you can see them through the shirt. That’s the point. He wants to use his body to unease me—well, joke’s on him. Two can play this game, but only one will win, and I intend for that to be me.
Except… I cover my face and sit back on my bed. This is wild. What am I doing? This isn’t me. I can’t do this. I need to just suck it up and go get divorce papers. I’m a grown woman. So what if I don’t have it all figured out?
Playing this game of who can drive the other crazier isn’t going to get me anywhere. I’ll put on some pants and go out there and tell him that I’ll see an attorney in the morning, and this will all be over. I’ll apologize for the tricks I’ve been playing and return everything I bought with his money. I’ll find a job as soon as I can, a place of my own, and be out of his hair.
I’m almost thirty. I should have done this a long time ago.
It may have taken me this long, but hey, at least I figured it—
A loud crash upstairs startles me, and I stand quickly.
“Fuck!” Beck yells. “Fucking hell!”
Without thinking twice, I rush out of my room and up to the kitchen to find Beck standing over the sink with a towel over his hand. The towel is supposed to be white, but it’s crimson now, the obvious blood from his hand changing the color.
“Are you okay?” I grab the towel to help add pressure.
“I cut my hand with the—”
He stops talking, so I look at his face to make sure he isn’t about to turn into a ghost and pass out. There is no way I’d catch him before he hits the floor, but he’s just fine. Well, if you forget about the clenched jaw and the heated gaze as his eyes roam over my entire body.
Oh. Right. The T-shirt and panties look.
Damn. I was so close to making the grown-up choice.
“I, um.” I look at his hand. If I keep looking at the way he’s looking at me, like I’m completely naked and he could eat me for a snack, I’m not sure I can hold it together. I’d let him.
“Do you have a first aid kit anywhere?” I manage to ask.
