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Greer got the same worry wrinkles in his forehead that Sloan had. “This isn’t a work project that sweeps you away or a movie night with your cousin. There was a fire, Corey. Where were his words of comfort last night when you had a bad dream?”
“You had a bad dream?” Sloan snapped his concerned stare to me, then back to Greer. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Greer merely pointed to Sloan while he addressed me. “That’s how you react. How you’re supposed to react. An emergency or an accident isn’t the time to teach someone a lesson.” He flicked a glance at Sloan. “We handled it. Buddy and Beast reported for cuddle duty, and he was out like a light a minute later.”
How would Greer know that?
Because he’d fucking stayed, hadn’t he? He’d stayed outside the door for a moment? Just to make sure I wasn’t upset?
“Excuse me.” I couldn’t take it anymore. I got up from my seat and hurried toward the guest room as emotions surged up inside me. My eyes stung and prickled without ever welling up, and it caused frustration and pain to flare too. I’d cried just fine yesterday—why couldn’t I do it now?
Ugh!
I threw myself onto Sloan’s bed and let out a muffled shout in my pillow. If I didn’t call Marcus within ten seconds, I’d find a way to avoid it altogether; anxiety would rise, I’d fret myself half to death, and I’d throw a fucking fit. But I didn’t fucking wanna talk to him!
I punched the pillow.
Because I knew Greer was right. I fucking knew. I felt it. His words resonated. A fire wasn’t the right time to prove a point or teach me a lesson. If Marcus loved me, he would call to ask if I was okay. He’d found out last night. Lucas had sent that message while we’d still been in Mclean.
Marcus had no excuse.
I snarled and knew I had to get this over with. I reached for my phone on the nightstand and sat up in the middle of the bed. Twelve percent battery left. Well, if my phone died, it died.
Releasing a breath, I let my thumb hover over the phone button. I looked happy in my screen photo. Last year when I came home from Thailand and Denmark, I’d changed the photo to one of Marcus and me. This year, the photo was of Lane and me. We’d spent the day at Tivoli with our cousins. A whole day of roller coasters, fried food, drop towers, water rides, too much candy, bumper cars, and all the things. We were flushed, grinning widely, and a bit sunburned.
I remembered leaving Denmark this summer and the feeling I’d had in my stomach. Something akin to dread, only more subtle. I hadn’t been able to understand it. I’d dismissed it as not wanting to go so long before I saw my grandmother again. Now I was getting the hang of it. My brain had been trying to tell me something for so long. For months.
I called Marcus and steeled myself.
Then I put the call on speaker and dropped the phone in front of me, and I crossed my legs and rested my elbows on my knees. My face landed in my hands as he answered.
“So now’s a good time to call Daddy?”
I made a face and stuck out my tongue at the phone.
“You knew about the fire last night,” I said.
“I did,” he replied tightly.
“And you didn’t call me,” I stated. “Tell me why, please? I’ll tell you why I didn’t call you after.”
He chuckled humorlessly. “I already know why you didn’t call me, Corey. You’ve been busy with Greer and his partners. Haven’t you? And if you choose them over being a good boy for me, I won’t be there for you. It’s as simple as that.”
Whoa.
“You had to go running for the first event as soon as you got back on the East Coast,” he went on. “You couldn’t wait for me—”
“You tried to cancel my membership,” I blurted out. “Before I even arrived at Mclean, you’d emailed Reese about terminating our memberships. So tell me, Marcus, what was I supposed to wait for?”
“Don’t take that tone with me,” he snapped.
“No, I fucking will,” I argued, getting angry. “You keep pushing me around—and you say you can’t please me, whatever you do? It’s the opposite. Whatever I do is wrong to you. You’ve had relationships with six Littles while we’ve been together, but somehow I choose Master Greer and his partners over you just because I show up at an event they’re attending. Are you fucking serious?”
Holy fuck, I was suddenly shaking with anger. I didn’t know if it was aimed at him or at myself for having justified all his shit for so long.
Something moved in the corner of my eye, and I glanced toward the doorway to see both Greer and Sloan there. With Buddy and Rex. At the same time, Marcus launched into a tirade of everything I held against him. Such as the dynamics he’d had with other Littles—for my sake.
