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Layna
I sit, unmoving for several long minutes after the door closes behind Cole, replaying his last words over and over in my head. I’ve never heard him sound so hard and cold. I’ve never seen him so angry. He could barely even look at me. It’s my fault. I did that to him. He’d been carefree, charming, and kind when I met him. Now, I can’t stop seeing the cold anger in his eyes before he’d walked out.
I can’t just be the person you fuck when you’re too afraid to feel something.
That’s not what I did, is it? That’s not what this was between us. It was supposed to be fun, a way for two friends to let off steam. It was never supposed to turn into something that could cause the kind of anger I’d seen in his eyes. It was never supposed to hurt this badly when it ended. I was never supposed to feel this way about him.
I swallow back the lump in my throat. I can’t start crying now. If I start, I’m worried I’ll never stop. I look around the room, memories of last night crashing through my mind, overlapping with the fight we just had. It’s too much. All of a sudden, it’s too much. I need to get out of this room that smells like him and holds all his things. Away from the bed where I’d let him hold me while we slept. A tear escapes and I sniff against it, swiping it away as I move around the room, gathering my things. I don’t bother putting on the heels, or even changing from the fluffy robe into my long black coat. My arms full of clothes and shoes, I leave the room, prepared to make the short run down the hallway to my own room. Instead, I run smack into a wall of muscle.
Strong hands wrap around my upper arms, steadying me.
“Whoa,” a familiar male voice says. “You okay?”
I feel my face flush red as I look up into the face of Cole’s brother.Shit.This is the last thing I needed this morning. My eyes are still threatening to release a flood of tears and I know how I must look right now. Walking out of his brother’s room in the morning in nothing but a bathrobe, carrying a pile of clothes. I glance down covertly to make sure the lingerie is all wrapped up inside the coat. Thankfully, it is.
I give Linc what I hope is a convincing smile and nod.
“Fine,” I say, my voice barely a squeak.
Whatever he sees on my face must not be convincing, because his brows furrow in concern and he sighs.
“I guess it finally happened,” he says.
He looks a little disappointed, but not surprised to see me here.
“What did?” I try to make my words sound light and breezy, but the lump growing in my throat makes it impossible.
“Cole finally talked to you,” Linc says. “And I’m guessing it didn’t go well?”
I have no idea what he’s talking about, but the sound of Cole’s name sends a fresh wave of pain through me, and I find I don’t have it in me to ask.
“I need to go,” I whisper.
I cannot break down crying in the hallway. I can’t. And I especially can’t do it in front of Cole’s brother. I also don’t have a room key to get back into Cole’s room. I need to get to my own room so I can take five minutes to wallow. I can’t fall apart right now. To his credit, Linc doesn’t ask more questions. He just nods.
“I’ll walk you to your room,” he says.
I want to argue that I don’t need an escort to take me down the hall and around the corner, but I know it would take more time to argue than to just let him walk with me. He’s always been a gentleman. I doubt his southern manners would allow him to let me just leave that way. So, I give him a single nod and start walking in the direction of my room.
Linc doesn’t say anything as we walk and I’m grateful for his silence. I’m not sure I’d be able to speak right now without turning into a blubbering mess. When we reach my room, I turn to face him.
“Thank you,” I say.
“It’s no trouble,” he says, his voice gentle.
I expect him to turn and walk back toward the elevator only a few feet away, but instead, he sighs. Not meeting my gaze, he rubs the back of his neck as if he’s uncomfortable.
“Listen, Layna,” he says. “I don’t know what happened between you two, but I hope you can work things out.”
I nod, managing to hold it together. He can’t know how much I wish that was a possibility.
“For what it’s worth, I’ve never seen him this way about another woman. Never.”
Linc’s words hit me with the force of a sledge hammer, and I feel my breath leave me. He puts a hand on my shoulder and gives me a comforting squeeze. That’s all it takes for the dam to burst. A sob escapes me, and I bury my face in my hands. I can’t breathe. I can’t speak. I can’t do anything but stand there and cry as the wave of pain washes over me. I feel arms come around me and hear soft murmurs as Linc tries to comfort me, but it doesn’t matter. Those aren’t the arms I need around me, and that’s not the voice I need to hear right now.
“How long was I gone for coffee?”
I feel Linc’s entire body go rigid at the sound of Harlow’s amused voice. He immediately moves to distance himself from me, shifting to face her.
