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17
She slid the bracelet onto her wrist and tried not to look at Brick as he threw on a black T-shirt that fit his frame way too well. Because if she stared, they’d end up in bed and waste the day away. Not that she’d complain about that, but her father might have something to say about it.
She also didn’t like seeing his black eye. After the fight last night, his eye that had started to look much better after their spa day was now vibrantly black and blue once again. And he had a small cut above his upper lip.
Men and their fighting. They were lucky no one was arrested. Bradley was lucky he didn’t get arrested. Although he had tried to use his background and rich blood to get his way to the responding officers—wanting Brick and Corey arrested—he didn’t get his way. Because he started the fight. Corey, more so than Brick, had been very vocal about that part, so had the witnesses. That had calmed down Bradley’s whining pretty quickly.
Needless to say, the night ended after that. At least down in the bar. She and Brick had shared a beautiful time between the sheets as if none of that had ever happened. The night had ended on a good note, despite the bar fight.
So why did she feel an icky, weird tension floating between them this morning?
“How long will you be?”
She glanced up, realizing she had been staring at her bracelet for a long time. Offering a smile didn’t reduce the frown between his brows.
“I’m not sure. Maybe two hours or so. Don’t you have to work today?”
Their five days were up. He had to go back to running the bar and she had to find a job until the next opening for auditions appeared in the theater she loved to be in.
He nodded. “I can go with you.”
That wasn’t a wise decision. Her father wasn’t the kind of man to pull out a shotgun and scare the boys away—not that he would in a restaurant—but he could get his point across with a simple arch of his brow. She wanted to face her father alone. Not only to tell him why she married a man without her family in attendance but to tell him why she couldn’t work for his law firm. He had to understand, and she’d have a hard time explaining if Brick was by her side wearing the same frown he was currently.
“It’ll be okay. Afterward, I was planning on talking to the restaurant I used to waitress at and see if they have an opening. I need a job. We also need to finish emptying out my apartment. I’ll head there as well and make note of what I don’t need anymore. Like my couch. We won’t be able to fit two couches in here.”
Brick stared at her for a long moment. “You’re sure you’ll be okay by yourself?”
Ugh. He was starting to rankle her nerves. Why did men always assume a woman couldn’t handle herself alone?
“I’ll be fine.” She turned around to grab her lip gloss from her purse sitting on the counter. “You should meet my father when you don’t have a black eye.”
“You’re pissed about last night.”
She froze at the irritation in his tone. This was the first time either one of them brought up the fight last night. As soon as they ventured upstairs away from the intense situation, they went right into honeymoon mode as if nothing had happened. Yet, ignoring it didn’t make it disappear. Especially when every time she looked at him, his black eye glared annoyingly in her face.
Turning around, she tried to conjure the best words.
“The situation escalated very quickly. The fighting wasn’t necessary.”
“He hit Corey first. What was I supposed to do? Just stand there and let him hit my brother?”
“You all could’ve gotten arrested.” Her mother’s words circled her mind. “Something that’s obviously happened to you before.”
Brick’s expression hardened. “Obviously? Because I defended my brother you think I’ve been arrested before.”
She looked away. “My mother mentioned it.”
“Oh.” Her gaze turned back to his when she heard him mutter a curse. “I guess you’re wishing you knew that information before you married me, uh?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“What are you saying, Jezebelle?”
She had no idea what she was saying. She went to bed last night feeling sated and loved and woke up this morning feeling confused and filled with turmoil. There was no alcohol muddling her brain and making her push what happened to the side.
“Why were you arrested before?”
“Why does it matter?”
