Page 51 of All for Love

KODY

The week after Thanksgiving was weird. Mercedes was quiet and withdrawn at work, barely even looking at me and only speaking when she absolutely had to. There was a sudden tension between us, and while I should’ve taken it as a sign that it was time for this whole thing to be over, I couldn’t find it in me to just let it go.

It had been a long time since I’d chased a girl, but I found myself tracking her down when things hadn’t returned to normal by Wednesday. She was in the printing room, looking delectable in a professional but skintight navy dress.

The front rose all the way to her neck and the hem hit well below the knee, but that didn’t make it any less sexy. She was like a gift for me to unwrap to get to the gooey, delicious center and my cock woke up as soon as the thought hit, swelling a little as I imagined locking the door and taking her right there on the copy machine.

Glancing behind me on instinct, I grinned when I saw there weren’t many people around on this side of the building at this hour. It was late afternoon, almost time to head home, and it seemed most people were chomping at the bit to leave.

“Hey,” I said, leaning against the door and loosely crossing my arms as I made no secret of dragging my gaze over her curves. “I haven’t seen you much this week. Want to grab a drink with me later?”

“No, thank you.” She hadn’t looked up at the sound of my voice, intently focused on the keypad of the printer as she punched at the numbers and stoically ignored my presence.

Pushing off the door, I strode into the room but left the door open. “Are you okay? Did something happen? I texted you over the weekend. Did you get my messages?”

She shrugged, still not looking at me. “I got them, but I was busy. Just like I am right now. I need to get this done, Kody. Not right now. Okay?”

I frowned but then blew out a breath and lifted my hands up in front of me as I backed toward the door. “Fine. Come find me tomorrow. I’ll leave you to it.”

Mercedes didn’t even respond, which was an answer all on its own, but I left her at it anyway, not wanting to push when she clearly needed space. I didn’t know why she needed said space, but I respected her need for it nonetheless.

What we’d done carried potentially serious repercussions, and perhaps that family dinner had made those repercussions hit home for her. Either way, I was tapping out for today—walking away from the battle in favor of winning the war.

What war exactly?a snide voice in my head asked, but I ignored it. I don’t have all the answers.Stop asking stupid questions.

As I left that copy room, I was determined to give her space and wait for her to come around. A couple of days later, I ran into her in the breakroom while she was making coffee. Smiling as I approached her, I went to stand next to her and reached for a mug.

“Are you feeling better yet?” I asked.

She tensed, her gaze seemingly glued to the pot she was waiting to be filled. “I’m fine.”

“Cool. That’s good news. Want to come have lunch with me later? There’s this awes—”

“I can’t. Sorry. Have a good day.” Spinning around, she marched out of the room without looking back—and without her coffee—and I frowned, my eyebrows tugging together so tight as I watched her walk away that I was worried they would stay that way.

At first, I’d thought this was about needing space but now I wasn’t so sure. Not one to leave things unfinished, I left my mug behind as well just as the coffee started dripping into the pot, following her to her popup office and standing in the doorway when I got there.

Mercedes hadn’t noticed me yet, and as I watched, she hung her head and drew in a deep breath, giving herself a little shake before she exhaled slowly. It felt like I was intruding on a private moment all of a sudden, and since I didn’t like feeling like a creep, I cleared my throat to announce myself.

She stiffened immediately, spinning to face me with a forced smile on her lips until she saw who I was. As soon as she did, her features snapped into a scowl and she crossed her arms. “What do you want, Kody? I’ve already told you I can’t go to lunch.”

“I heard you.” I looked into those eyes for the first time in a week, hating how my insides got all twisted by the tormented look in them. “What’s going on here, Mercedes? Why am I getting the feeling that you’re pissed at me?”

“I’m not.”

I scoffed. “You should tell that to your face. Seriously, what’s going on? Did I do something wrong again?”

“No.” She paused but didn’t avert her gaze again. Instead, she let me see every shimmer of every negative emotion raging through her right now.

Anger, hurt, annoyance, and even a bit of disbelief were there, but they’d brought friends as well. Friends that mostly seemed to be centered around pain. “This is over, Kody. You and me? We’re over.”

The words echoed in my ears and my face scrunched up. “That’s what this is about? Why? Did someone put you up to this? Because you don’t look super happy about it.”

“What I’m not super happy about is that you won’t leave me alone,” she said, her voice dangerously low as she wagged a finger from her chest to mine and back again. “You and I are step-siblings. Nothing more. We made a mistake a few times, but at some point, it stops being a mistake and starts being a conscious choice. I won’t make that choice again, and I suggest you try to do the same.”

My heartrate spiked, my pulse throbbing under my jaw. “I won’t leave you alone? That’s not fair. If you wanted to end this, then you just should’ve ended it instead of giving me the silent fucking treatment.”

“Fine. I’ve ended it. Will you go now?”