AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Some days, I just had to hand it to my luck. But this was more than just luck—they'd obviously planned to be here with whatever SEAL superpowers they had, those damn fuckers.
I hated how my heart began hammering at the mere sight of them. I hated how every eye in the cafe turned to look at them.
I hated everything about this moment. I stood up, ready to walk out the door. The last thing I needed was a very public showdown when half the town was already talking about me.
But Reed was quicker. He took four steps across the space to where I stood. He was ravaged—his eyes had sunk in, and he looked unshaven.
Deep lines etched his forehead as if the weight of his regrets had carved them.
His eyes were bloodshot, sudden heavy bags of exhaustion taking away the beauty of their blue hemispheres.
"Juniper, please," he pleaded, his voice low. "Let me explain."
I crossed my arms as if to shield my already broken heart from him.
"Explain what, Reed? That you, Miguel, and Asher had a job, and that was to find out how I'd killed Harold Montgomery, and you thought the best way to do it would be to sleep with me?" I tried to whisper, but my tone came out jarred and harsh.
He winced under the weight of what I said.
Eyes had already turned in our direction, each piercing gaze more invasive than the last.
Asher stepped forward, his face ridiculously like a baby's. "Juniper, we're sorry. We never meant—"
"To hurt me? Please, Asher, whatever you do, don't insult the last shred of dignity you've left me with by saying that."
"Te amamos, Juniper. Please, don't write us off. We've been absolute assholes to you, but the second we found out, all we wanted was to protect you from him. We messed up. And pretty badly. I know we don't deserve any more chances. But we're not gonna stop asking for them because we can't live without you.
“I suck with words. Asher's the damn poet. And I was the one who went into this thinking that if you were wrong, I wouldn't think twice before sending you to the gallows. I was a fucking idiot. We can't do it without you."
I stood there, feeling Miguel's little speech hit me like a sledgehammer on the back of my head. At least he was being honest.
"So," I whispered, my hands trembling as I balled my palms into tight fists, "you fucked me thinking,‘Hey, no biggie. I can do her, and if she's wrong, I'll take her down anyway. Doesn't mean I can't have a great time right now,'right? Thanks for at least being honest about it, Miguel."
Miguel looked like he'd been hit by a truck. The remorse on his face made me want to claw and hug him at the same time.
I saw Harper make a discreet exit from the corner of my eye.
She knew she had nothing more to contribute to this scene, and I knew I'd hear from her when she had more to share.
If only all relationships were that simple.
Suddenly, I heard a snide comment from the table next to us. "Tsk-tsk, the town is changing. Never thought we'd have a murderer and a polyamorous relationship in our midst."
I froze, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. I couldn't deal with this right now. Not when I was already under so much scrutiny.
Reed's dominant side came through as he turned around and glared at the man with his X-rayReed special glarethat could melt anyone's heart or make them shit their pants, and right now, it was definitely the latter.
I used to love that gaze.Used to, I thought, a lump in my throat.
The couple in question shuffled uncomfortably, and Reed continued looking at them like he had the power to burn them to smoke.
"People who have nothing better to do with their lives than talk shit about others are pathetic," he snarled.
I could feel the tension in the air, and I knew we needed to get out of there before things escalated any further. I grabbed my bag and marched toward the door, wishing I could walk through it and find myself in another world.
Home was ten minutes away, so I walked resolutely, refusing to give any credence to their trailing voices. Reed was the one who caught up with me near the front door.
"Please, Juniper."
