AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Matias?” I made the mistake of saying before I’d turned around. Because as soon as I did, as soon as I saw him with his back to me and his clothes already in place, I knew the answer to the question.
I felt sick to my stomach. This was a moment I was very familiar with. While I’d never had any of those awkward “walk of shame” times with Mac, there’d been plenty of them with the guys I’d performed oral sex on. In those days, the guys hadn’t been able to get away from me fast enough.
Just like Matias couldn’t get away from me fast enough now… the only difference was that he wouldn’t be spouting some kind of stupid excuse about needing to deal with something at work or having an early morning meeting or whatever.
I glanced around the shed at the path of destruction Matias had created in his efforts to get me to the table. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. I didn’t give a shit about the mess, though. I was too busy wallowing in the fact that the gorgeous man had wanted me so badly that he’d literally let nothing stand in his way.
And now he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
God, I was such a fool.
Of course it had just been about sex. What else was it supposed to have meant? Had I really been expecting undying declarations of love and devotion?
“You should probably get going,” I murmured as I reached down to pull up my pants. There was semen all over my belly, but I didn’t care.
Matias didn’t move.
He also didn’t look at me.
I wanted to throw up.
“Elliot will be bringing Ryan home soon,” I lied. In reality, Elliot wouldn’t be back with his brother for several hours. But I was a desperate man. “He’ll probably have Cruz with him,” I added.
Matias seemed to flinch when I mentioned his brother’s name.
Since I couldn’t bear to watch Matias walk away, I turned my back to him as I zipped and buttoned my pants. My torn shirt was on the floor at my feet, so I reached down to scoop it up. That was when I heard footsteps. As I straightened, I closed my eyes. I hated the silent prayer I sent heavenward asking for those steps to get louder instead of softer.
They didn’t.
It was all I could do to hold back my tears of disappointment when I heard the shed door open and then close. I took my time pulling my shirt on. By the time I turned around, I thought I’d gotten past the hope that despite evidence to the contrary, Matias had stayed.
But I hadn’t gotten past it.
Just like he hadn’t stayed.
Chapter 13
Matias
I didn't need to look in the direction of the door to know who was coming through it when it opened. None of the other residents of the apartment building ever came up to the roof and there was only one person in my life who knew that if I wasn't on the job or following yet another useless lead on the whereabouts of Bishop, that I would be in the northwest corner of the building’s highest level. While my apartment building wasn't much to look at and the units were more functional than pretty, the building had a great view of Puget Sound if you knew where to stand.
"God, I hate when you do that," my brother said from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder at him, then down at the narrow ledge I was standing on.
"It's the best view," I murmured.
Cruz shook his head. "Here," he said as he held out the white bag in his hand. He made no effort to approach the ledge.
"Breakfast for dinner?" I asked when I noticed the name on the bag. It was from a little diner near my brother's apartment. From the time he’d been a little kid, all Cruz had ever wanted to eat had been breakfast foods. Didn't matter what time of the day it was, when given the choice, he happily ate a bowl of cereal or a plate of pancakes in lieu of something else. To this day, he still kept more eggs and bacon in his refrigerator than he did steak and potatoes.
"Turkey on wheat, no mayo, and lots of those weird sprout things you like so much."
I gave the water one more quick look before stepping down from the ledge and making my way to Cruz. "Thanks."
As I dug into the bag to get the sandwich, I watched my brother look around the roof. When his eyes landed on my sleeping bag, I waited for the inevitable lecture. But Cruz surprised me when he said, "You know what will make you get used to sleeping in a bed again?" He shifted his attention back to me. "Having someone in it with you."
