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He wore a robe like some ancient goddamn prince, the thing open and displaying his abs as he slapped bare feet to polished tiles. He looked pissed, his cell phone in his hands, and at the sight of me, he stopped completely.
We stared at each other, a beautiful boy and me. I had no idea how I looked, but I knew I hadn’t showered in at least twenty-four hours. I was also coming down off a late-ass flight and the drinks I took down before that.
Oh yeah, and the fact that I was nearly assaulted.
Frankly, I probably looked pretty fucking fucked up, and for whatever reason… despite everything and all that happened between us, I wanted him to forget all that. I wanted me to forget all that and just let him come to me. I wanted him to hold me, kiss me.
He didn’t, his starkly green eyes cutting over to Knight.
“You were supposed to check on her, not bring her here,” Royal gritted, inserting and twisting the metaphorical dagger deep in my belly. What’s worse was it’d felt like he had taken that dagger and stabbed even higher, lodging and slashing across my insides and beating heart. He approached Knight, not me. He raised a finger. “She can’t be here.”
Fuck.
The sensation seared worse, my swallow hard.
“I had no choice,” Knight said, then panned to me. “I texted you what happened to her.”
He texted him…
He must have, that look between both of them. Especially Royal. Wild eyes accompanied cheeks filled with blazing red. Like he cared, cared about me.
Royal folded big arms. “There are other places she could have gone.”
Smirking with clouded eyes, I gazed away, hating myself for thinking for an absolute moment he did actually care. What happened to him? Him and me? He had cared. At least I thought he had.
Maybe it’d been the abortion or something else. I didn’t know, but I stayed silent. The only thing I could do to keep from crying.
“Really, Royal? Please, tell me where, then,” Knight continued as if I wasn’t there. “Should I have brought her to my house? Yours? You know none of us have been staying at our houses lately.”
Lately? They’d been living here? I wondered why, but again stayed quiet.
“Here was the best place,” Knight concluded. “We’re all here.”
They were all here. I guess LJ and Jax somewhere too. I supposed they weren’t in on this little coup, then, just these guys.
His hand bunching in his golden locks, Royal appeared conflicted. “Find her a room. We’ll figure it out, I guess—”
“Does anyone want to stop talking about me like I’m not standing here?”
I was tired of all this, their male goddamn privilege. They were pushing me around and I’d fucking had it. My jaw worked. “I don’t want to stay here and I don’t appreciate being made to stay here and brought here like some, like some…”
“Someone who can’t take care of themselves?” The words had been for me, and only too harsh when they came from Royal. They’d been the first words he’d said to me since the last time we’d been together, that last kiss. His head fell, the shake slight. “Because honestly, December, that’s kind of how it sounded. Had Knight not come… Had you been hurt—”
“Don’t act like you care,” I shot, backing away from whatever that was. This boy was playing with me, continuing to play and I was done. I pointed. “And I can take care of myself. I have friends. Friends that aren’t you.”
Sandy-blond hair lifted, his eyes narrowing. His throat jumped. “Fine, then. Figure it out yourself.”
I would. I would and I didn’t need him.
So why had my heart jumped when he backed away? It was like my tether to him was failing, unraveling quicker than I was ready for, and I hated that. I hated that I didn’t want to let him go.
He turned. “But you’re welcome to stay here until you figure out what you want to do.”
I nodded, Knight’s coat bunching under my arms. Royal left, and with a nod, Knight gestured me to follow his own exit. I headed behind him, staying at Windsor House for at least one night.
Sixteen
December
