Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
I didn’t look him in the eyes because Griff was pretty good at knowing when I was lying. Still, this was hard. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be truthful with him. But this whole thing was messy already, and it had only been a few weeks. “No.”
“Liar. If he’s asking you to hide your relationship, then—”
“Maybe it’s me. Did you ever think of that? Why is it always that someone has to be using poor Kellan? Maybe Kellan is using them. Or asking them to keep the relationship quiet.” Griff always assumed I needed help or was being taken advantage of.
“Are you using someone? Asking them to keep quiet about your relationship?”
My eyes darted away.
“That’s what I thought.”
“Screw you, Griff. Stay out of my business.”
He held up his hands in defeat. “I wasn’t trying to be an asshole here, I swear. Honestly, I was just making conversation and making sure you had a good night. I’m starting to feel a bit left out, though. Everyone is getting some except me.”
My stomach swooped and tumbled. Don’t ask, don’t ask, don’t ask.
Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen. Somehow I knew exactly who he was talking about. Had he noticed Chase had been spending a lot of time with someone? He and I were together more than I thought we would be. “Knox or Law?” I asked casually.
“No, Chase. He went home with Becca last night. If there’s ever anyone he could be serious about, I think it would be her.”
Oh God. I felt like I was going to be sick. My gut tightened, and my vision swam. Chase went home with Becca? I didn’t know why I was surprised. I had no reason or right to be, but then, I guess I wasn’t surprised.
I was crushed.
Even though he didn’t owe me anything. Even though we were friends with benefits, it hurt.
“Good for him. They make a good couple.” I stood up and went to the sink, setting my full coffee mug by it.
“I didn’t say they were a couple. I said he went home with her. Hell, for all I know they went and played Scrabble. Or they were having a little fun. Chase isn’t the type to settle down, really.”
Luckily, I had my back to Griff. There was a window in front of the sink, so it would seem as though I was looking out it. I squeezed my eyes closed tightly, and when I opened them, a tear leaked free.
Fuck. I should have known this would happen. I did know it would happen, but I thought… I’d hoped for more. That eventually Chase would see something different in me. But that wasn’t going to happen, and all I was doing was hurting myself.
Josh was right.
“I’m not really feeling so hot. Josh and I had breakfast at some hole-in-the-wall place, and I don’t think it agreed with my stomach. I’m going to take a nap.”
“Do you need me to run to the store and get you anything?”
“Nah, I think I’m fine. Nothing a little sleep won’t help.”
“Okay. I have a few errands to run, and then I’m heading to the bar. I’m working two-to-ten tonight and have someone else closing, so let me know if you need something.”
“Thanks, Griff,” I replied, then walked away. I went straight to my room, closed and locked the door behind me, and fell onto my bed.
I hadn’t expected it to be over so soon. And the least Chase could have done was have the decency to tell me if he was fucking someone else. I could have enjoyed myself more the night before, if nothing else.
My phone buzzed with a text. Without looking, I knew it was him.
Hey, Kell. Just checking to make sure you got home okay this morning. Call or text me.
But I didn’t. I tossed my phone to the floor and went to sleep. I woke up a few hours later to see he’d texted again, but I didn’t answer that one either. When he called me later that afternoon, I turned my phone off.
Fuck Chase Hawthorne. I didn’t need to hear him tell me about Becca or to say this was over, or hell, even to give some lame-ass excuse to check on me.
I didn’t need him, and I was going to find a way to stop loving him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Chase
I went to Griff’s to casually bring up Kellan, and discovered he’d gotten home early that morning. Considering I’d texted him a couple of times and then called him, it was obvious the younger Caine brother was avoiding me.
It was after four by the time I decided to make the trip over to their place. It wasn’t that he had to call or text me, but if something was wrong, I wanted to know. It was curious that this all happened after he’d gone to Richmond for a night, and all I could think was that he’d hooked up with someone and decided he was done with whatever it was we were doing.