When You're Mine (MINE #3)(9)
Hands fixed on my hips, I cocked one brow and returned his cocky smile. “Well, turns out I came for you. That it?”
Sharp eyes gave warning before he brought his watch up to check the time. “I wish I didn’t have a client to meet. I would spend the rest of the night showing you all the ways we can come together.”
I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “I can come on my own just fine, thank you.”
“Yes, but doesn’t my tongue feel so much better than your hand?”
“Get out.” I ordered.
Barrett collected a step. “No.”
“Now!”
Both hands shot out, griping the sides of my neck. “Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”
Lips on mine.
Hard.
Deep.
Slow.
Oh, so slow.
His lips were fire, melting the ice that had been frozen in my veins for far too long. This kiss held possibility. This kiss gave me hope. Barrett whispered his thumbs across my heated cheeks as he slowed the kiss. The sensations burning through me were impossible to control.
Whoa.
“Dinner tomorrow night. I’ll be here at seven.” With a whispered kiss to my bottom lip, he was gone.
You will not sleep with him.
You will not sleep with him.
You will not…
I’m going to f*ck his brains out.
Tossing and turning for hours last night, sleep evaded my anxious mind. Dread settled in my bones as I stepped into the shower, the hot water rushing over my skin, waking my tired mind. Shoving Barrett aside, I focused on what I needed to do today. The last time I was face to face with my father, he’d called me selfish and ungrateful and I’d all, but outright blamed him for my mother’s death. This was absurd because cancer claimed her life far sooner than any mother should be taken from her child, or the man who loved her. We were angry, using words to cut deeper than any weapon could. From the moment we found out my mother would not live to see my eleventh birthday, my father became a different man. Any connection we once shared died right along with her, and no matter how hard I tried, I could never seem to fully restore it. I did everything I could to please him, thinking that was the only way to win back his love. In the process, it only made me more miserable and ultimately, became our demise.
Walking in the coffee shop, I spotted him right away. I hadn’t seen him in a few months, but he looked like he’d aged several years. His hair appeared to have more grey and the wrinkles around his eyes were more prominent. None of that surprised me. He buried himself in work; it was the only way to avoid me and the past. I swallowed back the tears, ignoring the burning pain in my chest as I took a seat across from him. Silence descended. My nerves working themselves up enough to cripple my mouth and mind. I thought about the reason I was here and what I needed to say, but the words wouldn’t come.
Would he even care?
I didn’t bother with pleasantries. My father was the kind of man who liked to get straight down to business. No beating around the bush. Going big… I went for it. “Do you ever think about her?”
We rarely spoke of my mother after she passed. My father tip toed around her memory like a land mine. “Think about who?”
“My mother. Your wife. Her.”
He shifted in his seat, whispering harshly across the table. “Is this why you called me here?”
“Yes, don’t you think it’s time?”
“Time for what?”
“To remember. I want to know about the woman you fell in love with. I want to know what made her fight so hard to stay in this world. How are we supposed to have a relationship if we don’t remember the past? We share the same one you know.”
“How are we supposed to have a relationship if you lie to me?”
I lifted my chin and straightened my spine. “I did not lie. I was too afraid of disappointing you to speak up and tell you what I wanted. So I let you decide for me. There was a time when I thought I wanted to follow in your footsteps, and who knows-maybe someday I will, but for now I want to teach. Teaching makes me happy.”
He shook his head, releasing a frustrated sigh. “You have a medical degree collecting dust while you play school. You’re just like her. Stubborn as hell and completely irresponsible.”
That was the first time he’d ever compared me to her. Even though it was slightly offensive, I smiled inside. “I’m sorry I hurt you dad. I truly am, but can’t we move past this? Haven’t you been pissed long enough?” A glimmer of regret swam at the surface of his dark green eyes, but it was quickly swapped with impatience.
“I need to go.”
“Dad, please.”
Standing, he shoved his hands inside his pockets. “Doesn’t matter how hard she fought. She still lost.”
Looking up at him, I silently pleaded for him to try. I needed him right now. I needed his love and guidance more than ever. But he continued to ignore a past I was trying so desperately to face. Leaving my words on the table, he walked out. I would have to find a way to deal with this on my own.
Alone.
Cross-legged on the sofa, I sipped from my glass of wine, trying to calm my nerves. Would she be able to tell that I’d broken one of the sacred rules of friendship?
Never orgasm at the tongue and hand of your best friend’s ex.
I hadn’t thought about any of this all day, considering everything I was faced with this morning. Only now, after a few glasses of wine, did my overworked mind remember the fact that I was keeping secrets from Maddie while eagerly anticipating my date with Barrett.