AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Shaking my head when her lips curl upward in arrogance, I turn to go back to work, only to stop again when my eyes lock on to Minka’s and her expression makes my stomach drop into my ass.
Her cheeks are paler than Lana’s, and her jaw quivers with rage.
“Wha—”
“You and Miranda London?” Her nostrils flare and her eyes fire with murderous wrath. “You and her? Really?”
“She and I… No…” My gut swirls with nausea like black oil. “No, Minka. She—”
“She touched you. Shekissedyou.” She stares over my shoulder for a long moment—long enough for me to follow her furious gaze and find Miranda still staring. Still batting her lashes and smirking. “She got her kill shot.” Swallowing her disgust, Minka looks to me and coughs out a humorless laugh. “She wanted to punish me. She hardly even had to try.”
“Why—”
“And she hit the jackpot, because she likes to keep her bedroom roster moving and her power plays sexual.” Shaking her head, she turns and starts walking. “I’ve gotta work.”
Instinctively, I break my own rules and grab her wrist before she escapes and forces me to go another few weeks without her in my life. “You need to stop.”
“You need to let go of me.” She doesn’t bring her eyes to mine. She robs me of that part of her soul and sneers instead. “Take your hand off me, Detective Malone, or find out what happens when I drop you on your ass with a dozen cameras watching.”
“Try it,” I counter coldly. “See how far you get. But I’m telling you now, Mayet, you’re not walking away like this.” I fold my neck and come close enough that the scent of her shampoo tickles my nostrils and sets fire to my lungs. “You’re not painting me as some kind of fuckboy who went behind your back and betrayed you.”
“You fucked Miranda London?”
“I—”
“Yes or no, Archer!” She swings her slitted gaze back around to me. “Own up to your shit and be a man about it. Either you fucked her or you didn’t.”
“Yes, I—”
Her lips curl back in disgust. “And the moment she steps into your space, you throwmyhand away and turn to give her all your attention.”
“What? No—”
“Literally what you did!” Wrenching her arm from my grasp, I see the pain in her eyes, though she tries to hide it, when my grip hurts her. “You tossed me aside the moment she arrived on scene. Then you watched her walk away and barely stopped your tongue from falling to your feet. That’s not fast and hold on, Archer. That’s another fast and discard.”
“No, it’s—”
“Your words and your hormones have you riding a high right now. I’m new, I’m smart enough to challenge your brain, and I’m convenient. But when you switch off the show you’re putting on and simplybe, we both know you’re no different than you were before we met.”
“Minka!”
“You’re not looking to hold on, Archer. And that’s fine. There were no promises made between us. But you’re not looking to stick either. You wanna fuck whoever entertains you the most in any given moment, and for the last little while, that person was me. It’s been fun, Archer. But we both know it doesn’t last. And I’m not interested in games and your merry-go-round.”
“You’re looking for a reason to walk,” I snarl. I reach out again, but I take the bottom of her coat and tug her to a stop. “You’re looking for reasons for this not to work, but you want it to be my fault.”
She shakes her head and looks across the park to where Aubree waits.
Minka’s jaw is hard, her eyes are fiery. But I see the way her pulse jumps. I see the way her breath races.
“I’m grown enough to know I’m not right for you,” she grits out. “I’m mature enough to accept I can’t give this,” finally, she looks back to me, “us, what we need. But are you man enough to acknowledge that every single bullshit line you’ve fed me was simply that? A line?”
“It wasn’t—”
She tugs her coat free of my grip and shrugs. “You say that. But you couldn’t take your eyes off her just now. And earlier today, you were sending her calls to voicemail so I wouldn’t hear whatever shit you two say to each other.”
“I was sending her to voicemail because my attention was onyou.” I step forward so my nose almost touches hers. So her breath sprints into my lungs and provides me with the addiction I so desperately crave. But now, it comes with a side of panic.
It’s insane that my stomach should twist with dread. That the idea of Minka walking should disrupt my life so profoundly, considering we met so recently. But when I look at her, I feel things I’ve never felt before. When I’m near her, I have a whole new reason to be the best person I can be. Whether that’s as a cop, or an enforcer, or simply a man.
