Kole had never looked at him the way he was now. Like he was the enemy, rather than his friend and teammate.
“Been thinking with your brain instead of your dick.”
And there it was.
“Don’t,” Nate warned Kole.
“Don’t what? Call you out on your fuck-up? Just admit it, Nate. You were so busy trying to get into her pants, you forgot why you were even at that fucking cabin to begin with. Shit, you dropped the ball before you and Gracie even left town.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“The picture, Nate!” Kole yelled in his face. “You left that fucking picture of you and your brother in your apartment for them to find. You may as well have drawn them a goddamn road map.”
“Fuck you, Kole. You have no idea what happened at that cabin, and you sure as hell don’t know that picture had anything to do with them finding us.”
Nate wasn’t about to admit to the jackass that he’d already been beating himself up about the picture of him and Scott. It had been on his mantle for so long, he hadn’t given it a second thought.
“No, fuck you, Nate. This is Gracie we’re talking about. She’s my fiancée’s sister! She’s going to bemysister!”
“And she’s my—” He stopped himself short. Christ, he’d almost saidwife. No, she’d only been pretending to be. And Nate had loved every single minute of it.
“She’s what, Nate?” Kole kept on with his rant. “Your newest fuck-buddy?”
Nate’s fist was flying through the air before he even realized he’d moved. His knuckles slammed into the side of Kole’s jaw, causing the mouthy bastard to fall down to the wooden floor.
“Kole!” Sara leapt from the chair and ran over to his side.
Blood dripped from the split Nate put in his friend’s bottom lip. Hovering over him, Nate spoke low and deadly.
“You have no fucking clue what went on with me and Gracie, and frankly, it’s none of your goddamn business.”
Surprising both Kole and Sarah, Nate held out his hand to help Kole up. Once the other man was back on his feet, Nate kept his grip tight.
“I love you like a brother, Kole. You know that. But you ever disrespect Gracie like that again, and you and I? We’re done.”
Not waiting for a response, Nate turned and walked over to the sliding doors leading to Jake’s back patio. Without another word to anyone, he went outside, closing the door behind him.
He wasn’t sure how long he stood out there, looking up at the night sky. His mind was so completely filled with thoughts of Gracie, Nate became oblivious of the passing of time.
He thought about that first night they met. How desperate he’d been to simply talk to her.
A corner of his mouth curved up slightly, remembering the nervous text she’d sent to Sarah when they’d decided to take their food to his apartment. The raw, emotional look in her eyes the first time they made love.
At some point, Nate found himself wondering if he and Gracie were staring at the exact same stars at this exact same moment. The possibility eased his pain slightly, making him feel as though they were somehow still connected.
Then, he remembered what Jake had said about Yavuz possibly being back in Turkey. If that was really the case, it meant Gracie was eight time zones away from him.
For her, it was already tomorrow morning. If she was even still alive.
Nate shook his head. He wouldnotgive up on her. Not ever.
The door behind him slid open, but he didn’t bother turning around. He was surprised to see it was Kole who’d stepped up beside him. The other man was carrying two paper plates stacked with slices of meat-covered pizza.
“Thanks, but I’m not really hungry.”
Kole set both plates onto the glass table behind them, and then turned to Nate. “Look, man. About what I said in there. I would never intentionally disrespect Gracie. She’s like my little sister. And what went down at the cabin,” Kole paused. “That shit could’ve happened to any one of us. It wasn’t your fault and I never should have implied that it was. I don’t blame you, Nate. No one does.”
I do.Nate would never forgive himself for leaving her alone the way he had.
