Page 13 of Spiral Lies

I drive home in a haze.

By the time I get there, my phone is vibrating in my purse. I glance at it only long enough to confirm that it's Stone before I turn it off. I can't deal with him right now. I can't even deal with me right now.

I hurry inside, lock the door behind me, and then…I just stop. I collapse on the couch with a groan, my face hidden in my hands.

"What did I do?" I ask, not entirely sure if I'm talking about fucking Stone or running from him. The whole day feels surreal, from him admitting that he was jealous of Axel Stevens to him kissing me to him fucking me senseless on top of my desk to me driving home. I don't even remember that part. It's all a blur.

The only thing I know for sure is that I'm in more trouble than I ever imagined because I don't want today to be the end of…whatever this is between us.

I grab my laptop off the coffee table, pulling it onto my lap. My hands are still shaking when I boot it up and then click to open my social media messenger. Emelia is online, thank God.

I click the little icon to call her.

Within seconds, her face fills the screen, her brows furrowed. "Is this a butt dial?"

"No?"

"Oh, cool." Her brow smooths, a smile curving her lips. "Why are you calling me on Messenger instead of your phone?"

"I turned it off."

"Are you at home?"

"That's why I turned it off," I mutter, sinking bac against the cushions. "I ran away from work."

"You ran away from work?" She splutters with laughter. "Can I come?"

"I'm serious, Emelia! I said I was going to the bathroom and I just…ran like I was in a foot race."

"All the way home?" she teases.

"I had sex with Stone on top of my desk."

"What?"

"Jesus Christ. Can you shriek any louder? I don't think they heard you downtown."

"Sorry." She laughs in a way that says she's not the least bit sorry. "I just did not expect to hear you say that. Are you serious? You fucked him on top of your desk?"

"Yes," I whimper, quickly filling her in on the details of the last twenty-four hours of my life. She listens with wide eyes until I finally shut up, and then she throws her head back, laughing hysterically.

"It's not that funny."

"Are you kidding me? We played four different games, convinced we'd never end up with the men we were thinking about when we played them, and so far, three of them have come back to haunt us." She waves her hand in front of the camera, flashing the ring Royce Elliot put on her finger just a few days ago as if to remind me that it's there. "I swore I would never date a client. Now, I'm marrying one. Ava hasn't come up for air since she and Dawson started hooking up. And you're having sex with your boss on top of your desk. We're being haunted by children's games. This could only happen to us, Seraphina."

"Pretty sure they didn't end in orgasms the last time I played," I mutter, and then I laugh because she's right. This could only happen to us. "This is a disaster."

"Why?" She cocks her head to the side.

"Because…because…" I can't think of a reason.

"You like him."

I groan loudly. "He's probably so pissed right now. I just ran away, and then I turned off my phone. He may never speak to me again."

"Give him a little credit," she says softly. "I mean, yeah, maybe he's a cranky asshole most of the time, but if what you said is true, he's been into you for six months, thinking he didn't stand a chance. You'd be cranky too."

"He told me that he saw the game and was terrified that he was going to have to watch me be happy with someone who wasn't him," I whisper, my heart clenching at the reminder. He meant it when he said it.