Page 22 of Burn (Smoke)


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The door opened to the bedroom, and I stayed leaning against the kitchen counter, drinking the whiskey in my hand. My jaw was clenched tightly, and I felt like someone had their hand around my throat, choking me. If she walked in here and told me she was going to give him a second chance, I wasn’t sure I could control myself. Images of putting my fist through the wall came to mind.

Genesis stepped into the kitchen, and her eyes met mine. I felt like a fucking brick had settled in my stomach. She wasn’t crying, so he hadn’t been mean. He hadn’t said something to upset her.

Had she even told him about her dad? Not that he deserved to know.

“He, uh, wants to talk in person. And he … he said that he doesn’t want to lose me but that I had to make a decision.”

I waited. What fucking decision? This asshat was giving her stipulations? Was he that stupid? Her dad was in the hospital, recovering from a stroke. He didn’t deserve her. No one did. I doubted they ever would. He should be groveling at her feet. I should make him grovel at her feet. No. Wait. I wanted him gone.

She took a deep breath. “He’s coming here. I’m … I mean, he wants to see you too. You’re my best friend, and he knows that and understands it more than most. He just needs you to know … him. That he’s the guy I am with.”

The way she stumbled over her words told me she was leaving shit out, but I wasn’t going to push her. I had to be careful, handle her gently. She had dealt with too much this week. I just needed her to not need him or want him. I could be enough. I didn’t hurt her, and I took care of her. He wanted her back. Of course he fucking did. Who wouldn’t?

This time though, I wasn’t going to be blindsided. I was going to win. I knew her better than anyone. I could be exactly what she needed. Maybe even … handle her pleasure, just not sex. Other things. Fuck, I was getting this twisted. That wouldn’t work.

“When is he coming?” I asked, taking a drink.

“In the morning,” she replied.

That was too fucking soon. He needed to stay his ass in Georgia for at least another week. She didn’t have time for relationship shit. She had her dad to think about. Didn’t he care about that? No. He apparently just cared about himself.

“Does he know why you are here?” I asked.

She nodded. “I explained. It’s why he called. He had gone to the apartment, and Quinn told him I moved back to Ocala but that he’d have to call me for any more information. Then, she slammed the door in his face, but not before taking the roses and chocolates out of his hand and keeping them.”

I smirked. Not just because Quinn was a badass, but also because of the fact that he’d brought her roses and chocolate.

“Does he not know the way to your heart isn’t chocolate, but macarons? And you hate roses.”

Stupid fucker hadn’t even taken the time to get to know what she liked.

“In his defense, we haven’t discussed those things.”

I didn’t want to listen to her defend him. They’d been together for two damn months. He should know this stuff. If he cared about her, if he was even close to being worthy of her presence, then he should fucking know what she liked.

“Is he staying or just coming for the day?”

He wasn’t staying the night in this house. The idea of him fucking her in my bed made me livid. That bed was hers. Only hers.

“He’s staying, but not here. We aren’t ready for that.”

Good. I’d fix this before they got to that point. This guy had no chance. I would make sure of it.

I nodded. “Okay. I want to meet him too.”

She bit her bottom lip, and I could see that she wanted to tell me something. It was all over her face. I waited, giving her a minute, but she didn’t say anything. That was gonna drive me crazy, but I had to let her do this on her time frame. No pressure or stress. Dickwad was doing enough of that. I was going to let him sink himself.

Pushing off from the counter, I walked over to her, took her chin between my finger and thumb, then tilted her head back to look at me. “Food is almost here. Let’s go eat, watch our movie, and enjoy the night. Stop worrying. It’s me. I won’t let anything hurt you, and I’ll be so damn nice to this guy that he might decide he prefers me to you.”

She let out a short, surprised laugh, then dropped her gaze from me. “I’m one hundred percent positive that will not happen. No matter how charming you are.”

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