Page 77 of Worth Loving You

“Twelve, and he’s not done. That’s harm, Milo.”

“’tis but a flesh wound.”

It was Doc’s turn to chortle.

“This is not funny, guys. She is a loose cannon.”

“She!” I shouted, lifting my finger from the side of the wine glass to point with a silent warning. “Walked in and found me dicking her best friend.”

Doc clucked his teeth and shook his head, gently pulling the needle through my flesh. “Horny little bastard, I swear.”

“So, it gives her the right to try and kill you.”

“Like I said, she wasn’t trying to kill me, just hurt me, like I hurt her.”

“I cannot believe you are defending her. This is—”

We all got quiet, craning our necks to peer down the hallway when Jennifer’s door opened. Her face swollen and bruised from her broken nose, she rolled a suitcase behind her, a stuffed trash bag tied to the extracted handle. A large, canvas bag on her shoulder, she had a box tucked to her side. Tears were steadily falling down her cheeks, wetting her sweater.

Her eyes with the bruises forming beneath met mine, her brows high. Her nose was purple, the nostrils caked with dried blood. “Milo?”

“I thought she told you to get out.”

“Yeah, but—”

“But, what?” I asked, taking a sip of wine.

“What about…us?”

My brows lifted and I lowered the glass. “What the fuck about us?”

Her chin was quivering, her chest rising and falling quickly. “I mean, I thought…we was…”

“We was,” I mocked, shaking my head. “Fucking, and now we’re done.”

She whimpered, a sob shaking her petite frame.

Averting my gaze, I brought the glass to my mouth, muttering, “I never promised you shit, Jennifer. Chazzy’s the one I love. Get out,” and finished the rest of the drink. Wagging the empty glass at Wyatt, I ordered him to refill it.

When she just stood there, sniveling, he stomped toward her, grabbed her elbow, and dragged her to the door, shoving her and her things to the hall.

She screeched, struggling against him. “Stop it! That hurts.”

“Get lost.” He closed the door and came back to pour more wine.

“She’s not going to forgive you for this.”

Snickering, I took a sip and gazed down to watch Doc. “Yeah, she will. She loves me.”

“She already had a problem with you keeping the mistresses, to find out you’ve been plowing her best friend almost from the beginning? It’s too much, man. She ain’t gonna look past this.”

My heart sank, anger tightening my muscles around my bones like a vise. My stomach cramping, I ground my teeth, staring at the needle and thread penetrating the skin, pulling the gash closed.

“She will, or she dies.”

“La, la, la, la, la.”

Wyatt’s feet skidded to a halt, his pacing ending abruptly. Gawking, he blinked several times, fanning his hands out. “You’d get rid of her?”