The hurt is back in her face, and it kills me that I’m doing this to her. I can’t talk about Rachel. If I had my way, I’d never speak about her again. All I want to do is pull Alyssa into my arms, but I can’t do that either.
I stiffen my spine and do what I must do—distance myself from Alyssa. “There’s nothing wrong. I changed my mind.”
“You changed your mind? I’m not buying it. There’s something more you’re not telling me. I never asked for this. You keep coming on to me with the looks, touches, and kisses. You wanted to fuck me. Something happened. What is it?”
“Nothing happened. I made a mistake.”
Her eyes narrow at the words. “So, you don’t want to fuck me?”
“No.”Liar!
“You don’t want me?”
“No.” Fuck. I should never have taken things so far.
She nods. “Okay. Fine. You like playing games. Got it.”
She yanks a robe hanging from a hook on the wall and shoves her arms into the long sleeves. Unwrapping the towel fromaround her body, she tosses it onto the counter, then ties the belt around her waist.
“Next time you want to tell me you want to fuck me…don’t. Play your games with someone else.” She spins on her heels and storms from the bathroom.
“Where are you going?” I call as I follow her.
“Home,” she throws over her shoulder as she jogs down the stairs.
“What about your clothes?”
She ignores the question and heads straight to the front door. I rush toward her, stopping her from opening it. “You can’t leave dressed in a robe.”
“Yes, I can.” She tilts her chin up with defiance.
“You’re naked under that thing. You’re not leaving until you get dressed.”
“Watch me.” She pulls at the doorknob. I slap the door closed.
“Let me put your clothes in the dryer first.”
“I’m not sticking around to wait for them to dry.” Again, she pulls at the doorknob, and I again slap it shut.
“Then let me get you something to wear. Wait here, I have sweats and sneakers you can put on. They’ll be too big, but it’s better than a robe and bare feet.”
She sighs heavily. “Sure. Thanks.”
“I’ll be right back.” As soon as I reach the top of the stairs, I hear the door slam. I turn around.
She’s gone.
Chapter Fourteen
ALYSSA
“Tell me you’re joking.” Although Harper covers her mouth with shock, there’s a sparkle of mirth in her eyes. I guess running out of a guy’s house wearing nothing but a robe and no shoes does sound amusing.
I sink back into the couch and hug a pillow to my chest. “Does it look like I’m joking?” God, I’ve never been so humiliated in my life.
“You ran out of Hayden’s house wearing a robe and got into an Uber,” she says like she needs to set the scene.
“Don’t forget no shoes. I damn near cut my feet on gravel on the sidewalk.”
