AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cat:Boom!
Briar:Figured he’d suggest it eventually.
Izzy:Did you say yes?
I replied,Yep. So I was in a super good mood up until I discovered that Judy knows he was here last night. She saw right through my lies and so now also knows that I’ve had sex with him. She’s probably flicking through bridal magazines as I type.
Laughter memes and emojis practically took over my phone screen.
Once I’d given the girls a rundown of the conditions that Kaiser and I agreed on—all of which met their approval—I rounded up the conversation. After I said a quick goodbye to a still-smirking Judy, I went straight to my car.
I often took my bodyguard with me when I went shopping, but I didn’t see the point when only going to the local grocery store. The people in this part of Redwater were used to seeing me out and about, and some of them were as high profile as me. As such, it was rare that I had any issues.
Thankfully, this particular trip to the store was as quick and painless as usual. As I was driving down my road on the way back home, I felt a frown tug at my brow. A car was parked at the curb near my gates.
A red convertible that I’d seen once before.
No, surely not. Surelyshehadn’t come here. But just as I neared the gates, the driver’s door opened and Camila fluidly exited the vehicle.
Huh. So she had in fact come. Fucking wonderful.
Just like when I last laid eyes on the beautiful redhead, I felt jealousy slither through my system, insidious as a snake. It wasn’t a reaction I could suppress. Not when she’d touched—
Yeah, I was not going there in my head. Not now.
With not one iota of an interest in talking to her, I decided to pointedly ignore her and go straight into the house … but then I reconsidered. If I didn’t grant the woman five minutes, she might wait out here or come back another time. A time when she could incidentally bump into Judy. I didn’t want this woman anywhere nearmy grandmother again.
Letting my car idle just outside my gates, I blanked my expression and then wound down my window.
Camila flashed me a pretty smile. I wanted to claw it off her porcelain white face and warn her to stay away from Kaiser. Only … I couldn’t. I didn’t have the right to warn her off. Because he was only mine within the confines of the Vault. And clawing people was wrong. Sadly.
“We haven’t officially met,” she said, planting a slim hand on her delicately curved hip. “I’m Camila Larson.”
In no mood to be courteous, I asked, “Why are you here?”
She cast the tall gates a brief look. “How about I come inside so we can have a quick chat?”
Uh, how about no? “We can talk right here.”
Her smile dimmed. “As you wish.” She straightened her shoulders. “I know that you’re sleeping with Kaiser.”
No, she wasguessing.“I hear you hooked up with a friend of his. How’d that work out for you?”
The corners of her eyes tightened. “That was a rumor. Nothing more.” She sighed. “Look, I know from personal experience that it’s easy to fall for Kaiser. So I also know that, despite how you’re undoubtedly aware that you’re nothing but his rebound, there’s a good chance you’re falling for him.”
My jaw hardened at the word ‘rebound.’ Honestly, it hadn’t really occurred to me that I might be that for him. Though, really,couldyou be someone’s rebound when you were only a sort of play partner for them?
“You saw how cold he was toward me,” she went on. “I deserved that. I hurt him. I didn’t set out to do so, but it happened all the same. So I expected the ice-cold shoulder.”
She sounded as genuinely ashamed as she did honest. I had to wonder what she’d done that hurt him so much.
“I gave him time. I gave him space. Then I gave him more time. And more space. But that’s now over. He and I have things to work through. If you stick around, you’ll be collateral damage.”
“Damage?” I echoed.
“You may not wish to see it, but he’s using you to get at me. He and I aren’t done. Far from it. You probably don’t want to believe that either. I could show you dozens of messages I’ve received from him recently that would prove otherwise. Messages wherein he admits that he still cares for me but isn’t sure he can forgive me.”
My chest clenched. She could be lying. She could be lying her tight little ass off about all of this.
