“That I’d find out?”
“That and I never expected you to come home and especially not back to me thinking we were back together. I didn’t want to tell you like this. I…”
“You didn’t want to tell me at all.” I swallow hard. I fucking knew there was a reason she wasn’t taking my calls or reading my letters, besides the April bullshit. “How long was I gone before he swooped in to play your hero?”
“Fisher. I’m not going to apologize for it. He was there when I needed him to be and that’s all you need to know. I’m not fucking him now. I never dated him. Never met his son. No one else knows that we slept together. It wasn’t that big of a thing.”
“So it was only sex?”
“Yeah. Mostly.”
I don’t like whatever mostly implies.
“I’ve gotta get to work.”
“We’ll finish this conversation later.”
“There’s nothing else to talk about. It only happened a couple of times. He doesn’t want to be with me.” What she doesn’t say is she doesn’t want to be with him either.
My heart squeezes tight in my chest like I may have a heart attack. “I’ll see you at seven.”
“Okay. See you then.”
I wrap a hand around the back of her neck and pull her into me. “I’m willing to look past this shit. To at least try to, but don’t fucking lie to me or go behind my back. I love you, Freya.”
“I know. I’m…please, I need to get in there.”
I press my lips to hers, prodding the tip of my tongue at the seam, seeking entrance. Needing to taste her. My girl opens to me with no hesitation, and I breathe a little easier. I want to rip Death’s balls off and shove them down his throat, but still in the end, Freya is my girl.
Now isn’t the time to remind him but we will be having that conversation.
He needs to remember we have a code, and he fucking broke it.
Chapter Seven
My heart is in my throat along with bile as I stroll into work on the verge of tears. I can’t get Death’s expression out of my head nor Fisher’s words. He knows the truth. That I’ve fucked Death. Only he doesn’t know that I care about him. That if I had the chance to be with him, I’d have taken it. I thought I was over Fisher. Was a hell of a lot easier to believe that were true when he was locked away. Out of sight out of mind. Now he’s here and he says he wants us to move forward. He loves me. I don’t doubt that. I don’t. What I doubt is my being strong enough to keep away from Death when I know he’s hurting in the worst possible way.
When did my life get so damn complicated? I try to do good deeds. To not lie, cheat, or steal. It’d be easier to run away somewhere far from here and pretend neither Death nor Fisher exists. To forget them both altogether.
I stash my jacket in the employee break room and shove my cell in my back pocket. Mikai is off today. I’m on with Tiffany and the new girl she’s training, Sally or Sarah. Something with an S. I can’t remember. I was only half listening when Smith told me he hired a new girl. My brain has been preoccupied with other things.
“You’re late,” Smith complains, as I clock in.
“By like two minutes. I had to get gas and Fisher’s back.”
His eyes narrow on me, the tight line of his mouth expressing his displeasure. “As in your douche boyfriend who went to prison?”
“That’s the one.”
“Damn.” He scrubs a hand over his head. “You need the day off?”
I shake my head. “I’m good. Thanks though.” Mentally, yeah. I could use a day off. Financially, I can’t afford to take the hit.
“He gonna have a problem with you working here?”
“He’s not going to show up and scare customers away if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Good. I’d hate to lose you.”