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“Can I give you a lift?”
“Nah, Tackle is on his way here now, but thanks.”
I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “I need to get back to work, but I wanted to see you. Stay safe and I love you.”
Knox studied me in a way that made me uncomfortable. “I love you too, Sloane,” he finally said.
Rather than return to the office right away, I stopped by the apartment to grab a bite to eat. While I didn’t feel much better than I had on Christmas, I did find that if I ate small meals throughout the day, I didn’t feel as nauseous. I’d decided earlier in the week that if my body didn’t sort itself out by today, I’d make an appointment.
“Is there any chance you’re pregnant?” the nurse at my doctor’s office asked when I described my symptoms after sitting on hold for over twenty minutes.
“None.”
“The first I can get you in to see a doctor is in two weeks. If you can’t wait that long, you could always go to an urgent care facility.”
I told her I could wait but if it got worse, that’s what I’d do.
I gathered up what I needed for work, put my laptop in my bag, and took the elevator to the lobby. I stepped off, and my eyes met the very man I’d been trying to avoid. “What are you doing here?” I asked Tackle.
“I’ve been trying to connect with you for two weeks, Sloane. Longer than that, actually.”
“Did it occur to you that I wasn’t interested in connecting with you?”
“I’ve never known you to be rude.”
“Too bad I can’t say the same about you.”
“Come on, Sloane. This conversation is long overdue.”
“What it is, is unnecessary. There’s nothing for us to talk about.”
“I disagree. There are things I need to say.”
I tried to step around him, but Tackle blocked me.
“Do you really want it to be this way between us?” he asked.
“Between us? There isn’t any us. You’re my brother’s best friend. End of story. You’ve never needed to say anything to me in the past. You still don’t.”
“I want to explain.”
“Leave me alone, Tackle.”
He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “I’m begging. On your brother’s life if I have to.”
I was tempted to slap his fucking face. “Are you kidding me? Tell me you didn’t just say that. How dare you?”
He hung his head. “I’m sorry. That was too much. It’s just really important to me that we talk. Give me fifteen minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”
I looked at my phone as much to check the time as to buy myself a minute to think. The truth was, there wasn’t much for me to do back at the office. At one point, I’d thought about taking the afternoon off.
“Fifteen minutes,” I said. “That’s it.”
“Thank you.”
We walked over to the elevator, and he pressed the call button. I couldn’t help but remember the last time we were in the same place. I wanted so badly for him to kiss me like he had that day. Forget about talking. Fall into bed the second we walked through the door to the apartment.
When I looked up, Tackle was studying me. The moment our eyes met, he reached over and hit the emergency-stop button, bringing us to a jarring halt. His eyes still boring into mine, he crowded me into the corner.
