“For today? Sure. Lay it on me.”
She scrunches up her face. “I’m not sorry about confronting you. But…I have been a little…upset
this week. And I’ve been doing a bit of venting about my ex…and men. And I may have said some
things about you.”
The way she draws out ‘may’ makes dread pools in my chest. I can’t get a full breath. “What kind
of things, Abby? Be specific.”
She winces. “Well, I’ve mentioned the fact that you’re her boss a few times…like a lot. And the
fact that she’s living in an apartment you provided…which is totally luxe, by the way.” Seeing my
mounting fury, she hurries on, her words tumbling over one another. “It’s just…if you ever broke up
with her, she’d be up shit creek. You have to see that.”
“I would never do that to her,” I say coldly.
She stands straighter, still only coming to my chin. “You say that now, but people change. There
are no guarantees. I should know. I spent ten years with a man I apparently didn’t know at all. I put all
my eggs in his basket, and he just chucked the damn thing off a cliff.” She drops her eyes. “I won’t get
in between you, I promise. That was never my plan. I just…worry about her.”
I nod at her curtly, my fury cutting off my voice, and yank open the door, striding to the elevator. I
need some space, and maybe to punch something. I manage to grunt at my brothers as we pass on the
Executive floor, but I don’t stop moving until I’ve slammed the door to my office. “Fuck! Fuckity
fucking hell. Shit!”
I brace my fists on the windowsill, the last couple of weeks flashing through my mind. I thought
things were so good. At least, they were. But lately, there’s been some hesitancy in Maya when we’ve
been together. I’ve felt like I have to be on my best behavior somehow, like she’s just waiting for me
to fuck up, and now I know why.
“Fuck!”
“Let’s take a walk,” Ransom says from the doorway. I spin, glaring at him, not in the mood to talk
to anyone. I open my mouth to tell him that, when he points a thick finger at me, “Now.”
“Fine,” I snarl at him, following him out. A few of my brothers pop their heads out of their
offices. Nick, Jonas and Kade fall into line behind me and we all hit the stairwell, pounding down the
twelve stories. By the time we hit the ground floor, some of my mad has worn off. Not all of it, but
some.
