“I’ll be fine. Just a bad breakup. Go on your date. Jamie is hot. Women and men all over will be pissed at you.”
He grins that full-teeth smile, and he nods. “You sure he wants to do this?”
“Positive,” I promise for the fifteenth time. Leo is more insecure than I am.
“Alright. Have fun. I’ll see you when I see you,” he says in that deep rumble of his.
He winks at me, and I return to rinsing my hair under the water, listening as the door clicks shut behind him. It’ll probably suck to see Leo wrapped around someone when I’m still pining after Kode, but he needs a good guy. He has dedicated his time to school and work, and now it’s time for him to have a life.
When I get out of the shower, I grab my towel and lift my eyebrow. Where did my clothes go? I wore clothes in here, and I hung up new clothes to put on when I was dry. But they’re all missing.
Leo. Why the hell would he do that?
Wrapping up in the towel, I head toward the living room, curious as to if he’s gone yet or not. But my feet tangle and I almost fall when I see the long body slowly lifting into a standing position from my sofa.
Kode Sterling is here. The man I’ve avoided all week is in my living room, looking like he just stepped out of a photo shoot for the world’s sexiest men, and he’s licking his lips as he takes long, slow strides toward me.
“Tria.” He says my name in a deep voice that sounds like it’s wrapped in velvet, and I shiver. Yes. I’m so damn weak, that just my name from his lips has me ready to drop into a puddle.
“What… When… Um…”
He smiles when I stammer and find myself unable to speak. His sexy blonde hair is in its usual messy style that has me wanting to put my fingers through it before pulling him against me.
“Your roommate let me in,” he says softly. “I didn’t come to scare you or to make you uneasy.” His eyes drop to the towel again, and he shifts as though he’s trying to hold himself back. “But I wanted to come talk to you since you won’t take my calls.”
My body sways to the music of his voice. It’s amazing how a week without it has made me even weaker instead of stronger.
“I can’t… I’m sorry. I’ve said all I could,” I murmur while dropping my eyes from his silver gaze. It’s just too damn hard to look at him.
A warm hand cups my chin, and my breaths stop as he tilts my face up so that our eyes meet again. That smirk on his face looks better than his sad eyes.
“I haven’t said all I could. I’m in love with you, Tria. I wish I had said that sooner, but there never seemed to be the perfect time.”
My heart breaks, and my tears start falling like he controls my body. I try to back up, but he goes with me, moving me until I’m backed against the wall with nothing but a few inches and my towel barring his hands from my body.
But he doesn’t touch me anywhere but on my chin that he’s still holding. Instead, he leans down and puts his face close with mine—so close his breath bathes my lips. Like a hungry fool, I soak in the closeness without letting him see it.
“And I’m going to prove it. You’ll come back to me, Tria. Or I’ll keep chasing you for the rest of my life.”
That has my eyes snapping wide, but before I can say anything, he’s kissing me. It takes a minute for my mind to decide if I’m dreaming or if it’s real, and when I realize this is definitely real, he’s pulling away.
“I’ll see you soon.”
He winks at me before turning and heading for the door, and I sink to the floor as the door shuts behind him. My fingers slide up to my lips, and then my tongue runs along my bottom lip that he had pulled into his mouth.
Thank God I brushed my teeth today. And showered.
Scrambling to get up, I grab my phone, and I send a quick text to Leo, cursing him for not giving me any warning and for stealing my clothes. He sends one back almost immediately.
Leo: You should be fucking him instead of texting me. You sure he’s not gay? I can take a go at him to be sure.
I roll my eyes, but a text on my phone draws my attention. It’s Rain asking me to come to Maverick’s house tonight. A party.
Five minutes ago, I wouldn’t have been ready for a party, but now I want to risk running into Kode again.
Yeah. I’m pathetic.
My eyes trail over to the bar, and I see the familiar envelope setting there. With a trembling hand, I pick it up and hold it. Rain went crazy when she read the words our father spoke from the grave.