Page 62 of Yours to Keep

“What comes next is nothing,” I said. “We have to keep things casual and professional. Distant would be better.”

“Yeah?” She looked straight into my eyes. “What does your heart have to say about that?”

“It might be in disagreement.”

Mercedes flinched a little, like the mere thought of what I was admitting to physically hurt her. “You’re doing the smart thing. There’s no doubt about that, but if your heart keeps disagreeing, you might want to think about whether the smart thing is the right thing.”

“Hear, hear,” Ellora said, then looked at me again. “Whatever you decide to do, we support you. Just say the word and we’ll be there with all the ice cream, snacks, and wine you could ever need. No matter what the situation.”

Tears pricked at the backs of my eyes as I smiled back at them, so emotionally thrown out of whack that I honestly thought I might cry. They were awesome friends, though.

Awesome enough that they could obviously tell I needed a distraction right about now or I’d start bawling my eyes out. Ellora launched into telling us about her new ideas for Second Story Sunday, a weekend market she’d started in her neighborhood. Mercedes regaled us with more tales of attempted baby making.

By the time I left, I was slightly buzzed, but I felt replenished, like I’d gotten out all the stuff that had been bothering me and they’d refilled my cup with optimism and it’s all going to work out energy.

On the walk back to my apartment, I was replaying the evening in my head when I noticed the figure leaning against the brick wall near the entrance. My heart nearly stopped, but not because I thought the person was a threat. I wasn’t scared, but I was suddenly feeling way more excited than I should’ve been.

Sullivan straightened when he saw me, his sandy hair disheveled. He was wearing his usual suit, immaculate in theory, but the tie was loose, the jacket torn at his shoulder, and there seemed to be a bit of blood at the corner of his mouth.

My stomach plummeted at the sight. He looked rough, like he’d been in a fight—or lost one.

Every sensible thought and phrase I’d practiced evaporated. My heart slammed against my ribs, loud, traitorous, and terrified, because I knew suddenly that whatever this was, it wasn’t casual or professional anymore, and there was no way it ever would be again.

CHAPTER 24

SULLIVAN

Isaw her before she noticed me. Bree turned onto the street and strode toward me like the night itself had just been waiting to give her back.

For a second, I forgot why I was even standing in a rough neighborhood with split knuckles and dried blood on my face. She looked like a fucking angel, her dark hair glowing under the streetlights and everything about her somehow haloed.

Shit. Maybe that last punch scrambled my brain.

I blinked hard a few times, trying to clear my head of any thoughts about her being an angel. I pushed off the brick wall too fast, my shoulder protesting the movement, but I shook it off and took a step toward her. “Hey, Bree.”

God. Apparently, that punch also turned me into an idiot. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I know you didn’t want to see me, but I was hoping you could help me out.”

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw my hands. Her eyebrows lifted as her gaze came back up to mine. Without even thinking about it, I held my hands out toward her, my palms down and my knuckles already swelling. Some of the skin was split and the bruising was setting in fast.

Her eyes went wide, her gaze sharp and assessing as she swept it across my knuckles before looking back up at my face. “What the heck happened to you?”

“I went to talk to Neil,” I said.

“Talking usually doesn’t result in a person looking like this.”

“Well, the talking didn’t go well, so I had to pivot.”

Her mouth tightened. “What did you do?”

I shrugged. “Nothing. He’s just an asshole.”

“Sullivan.”

“Fine. We argued and I ended up whooping his ass. That’s it.” She stared at me, one of her eyebrows arching even steeper. I sighed, not exactly proud of it, but I elaborated anyway. “What? He got a couple hits in, but I got more.”

“Are you seriously giving me the, the other guy looks worse line?” Her gaze dropped to my mouth. “You’re bleeding.”

“I’m fine.”