"Fuck!" Ash snarled, looking like he wanted to swipe everything off his desk. Instead, he grabbed the edge. "And he sent you away?"
"Mhm." I was still a little butthurt about that. "Kinda called him my boyfriend. May have crossed a line."
"No," Ash assured me. "Why is that guy here, though?"
"He said something about a letter?" I just lifted my hands, having nothing better to offer. "And that asshole said it wasn't what he thought. The cheating thing."
"Eight fucking months later," Ash growled.
There was no other way to describe the sound. It was feral, and I wouldn't want to be the one it was directed at. And yet, Ash wasn't moving. His eyes had lost focus, and he stood there, thinking. I had a feeling that was even worse.
"He wouldn't leave us, would he?" I asked.
But Ash didn't answer. Instead, he turned me back to the hall. "Get that dog whatever you're supposed to be doing. Give me ten minutes, then tell Violet. If Kindle thinks he can just win Cy back, then I want to make sure he knows exactly what he's up against."
"What if he wants to, you know, add him?" I asked.
Ash stepped around to face me. "Let me make this very clear. I don't do cheating. You've been one of us since we were kids. You may not have known it, but you were there. That's why this works. That asshole? He looks at Cy and sees a sucker. Not the amazing man who has overcome so much. He doesn't know shit about him! Not like I do. Hell, not even like you do. He didn't open the relationship. He didn't talk about it. He fucking cheated on him - so, no. I'm not ok with that."
"Me either," I agreed. "I want to beat the fucking shit out of him for what he did to Cy."
"Yeah? Well, I know something even better," Ash said. "Seems our boyfriend used to have a picture of a model on his wall, and it wasn't Violet. Time to let Kindle see why." He ran his fingers through his hair, then wiggled them, mussing it in the best way. "Ten minutes," he said again, then turned for the door.
Yeah, that helped, but it didn't make this feeling go away. Had Cy called this guy? Had he invited him? No, it honestly seemed like a surprise, but he hadn't sent him packing. Did that mean he still had feelings? And worse, what if he liked that man more than me? Was that why he'd refused to say we were together? Kindle was gay, he'd said. The guy wouldn't be interested in Violet. He'd probably die for the chance to get his hands on Ash, though, and I had a feeling he knew what he was doing in bed a lot better than I did.
But I was the one who was here. Unfortunately, I'd also fucked up. I'd hurt Cy too, but I'd come back. Granted, that was what Kindle was doing right now.Fuck!Cy had loved that man enough to put a ring on his finger, and I had exactly nothing to compare to that.
So I patted my leg, calling the dog to me. "C'mere, Emilio. Let's get you some water, bud."
The little dog scampered over, his whole body wiggling as he tried to get some attention. He followed me into the kitchen like that, dancing just as cute as could be. Sadly, the longer I was around him, the more I could imagine Cy with a tiny little thing like this to care for. I bet he'd even slept with the dog curled up against him.
And I had a feeling it had been fucking cute.
Filling a bowl with water, I set it on the floor, out of the way, then just leaned over the counter. Ten minutes. I hoped Ash had a plan, because I was quickly going insane. Seeing Ash with Violet hadn't sucked this bad. Then again, I hadn't exactly been with her at the time, and I'd assumed she had a boyfriend. When Cy had shown up, it had been the same. I'd known he was a friend. Competition, but not her boyfriend. This?
That man had been in Cy's bed. He'd fallen asleep against Cy's shoulder. He'd been loved by a man that I couldn't stop thinking about. No, fuck that. By a man I loved. By a man I was not ready to lose. Kindle was the guy who'd had it all, and now he wanted it back.
The real question was whether Cy felt the same.
Chapter Thirty
Kindle. Of all the fucking people in the world, he'd been the one willing to chase me down? I sent Luke inside and then turned to my ex, making it clear I wasn't amused, and yet there was so much about him I'd missed. His sexy little glasses made his brown eyes draw me in. His perfectly styled hair had always reminded me of Ash. Kindle's was dark, almost black, and Ash's was trying so hard to be blonde, but they were both perfect. Then there was the time we'd been together. Far too long, and most of it had been happy, but now it felt like a dagger in my chest.
"Why are you really here?" I asked.
Kindle just glanced toward the house, making sure Luke was far enough away. "Are you actually dating the bubba?"
"His name's Luke, and he's a good guy."
"And you'redatinghim?" Kindle demanded.
"No," I said, deciding that was safest. "His girlfriend is my boyfriend's best friend. He was stepping up because my man's not here. Kindle, why areyouhere?"
"Because you were gone before I got home," he said. "Just gone. I never even got the chance to explain. I tried calling you, but nothing."
"I blocked your number."
"Well, it isn't what you thought. Jonathan just kissed me. I had no idea he was thinking that way, and - "
