“Really? Because after we left your fucking apartment, you started looking at me that way,” she hotly accused, her eyes filled with rage.
Hell no.
I twisted my neck and said, “Give us a minute.”
Then I stepped back, bent over, and put my shoulder into her mid-section.
“Hayes, what the fuck—whoa!” she gasped as I threw her over my shoulder. “Put me the fuck down, Hayes Mitchell!”
I turned to Carrie and Grayson. He was smirking and shaking his head at me; Carrie’s jaw was on the floor. “We’ll be right back. Please make yourselves at home.”
Once we were in her room, the sweet scent of her pile of clean laundry on her vanity chair hit me as I set her on her feet and put my back against the door. “Let me make one thing clear toyou, Margo Bennett,” I clipped, nostrils flaring, “the way I look at you is going to be different from how everyone else looks at you because Iwantyou.” I paused, letting those words sink in. “I want you in a way I’ve never wanted anyone else. I thought I made myself very clear about that.”
Her plump pink lips parted, and she inhaled a sharp breath.
“When you’re ready to have that conversation, to see if what we have is worth giving it a shot, then we will. Right now, we have too much going on to figure all that out.”
“You just kissed me before Grayson got here,” she pointed out hotly.
“I know damn well what I did,” I growled. “When I kicked down your fucking door, you told me that you weren’t mine.” I took a step forward. “And I told you the world needed to believe you were mine for protection, to keep you safe.”
She stiffened.
“But fuck, baby, I need you to be mine,” I murmured, the words holding a heavy truth that I wasn’t ready to face. It was easier, living in lies, moving day-to-day without. “The way I look at you is because I want you. I want you in my life, in my bed, in my home, in my heart.”
She’d disrupted my life, my perfectly curated lie. And now, after everything, I couldn’t let her leave it. I didn’t want perfection. I just wanted her.
Her eyes closed as she turned her head toward her bed. I watched, jaw tight, heart on the line, with an ache in my soul that I would never be able to heal from if she didn’t want me back. “Superman, I—I don’t—”
“You don’t need to respond; I just needed to give you the truth.” I reached back, grabbed the door handle, and twisted. “The only thing you need to tell me is whether you want me to kick them out or not.”
Those sage green eyes were on me then, shining with hope. She shook her head. “No, I think…I think Carrie and I need to have a conversation.”
Pride swelled in my chest.
“Then Gray and I will give you the space to make that happen.”
Chapter Twenty
Margo
Grayson and Hayes left five minutes ago.
They were outside on the balcony on the phone with the Red Snake team. Carrie was sitting at my kitchen table, her hands folded together on the surface. I was by thestove, waiting for the kettle to whistle. We’d barely made eye contact, and since being left alone, only five words had been spoken.
When I first arrived in Astoria, I was low on cash and needed a temporary job to help me get back on my feet. My car had broken down just as I rolled onto Main Street, ruining my plans of driving down the coast, chasing my newfound freedom. Sarah had just so happened to be grabbing herself and Rossy some lunch when my car started smoking. That afternoon, my car was in the shop, and Sarah invited me into Rossy’s for a cup of coffee. They had just gotten that gorgeous maroon espresso machine. It had cost a small fortune, but Sarah was convinced that having a coffee bar would attract more customers. I remember sitting at the bar, watching her with a raised brow while she tried to get the damn thing to brew. I told her I could do it. I made both of us a cinnamon latte, and by the time she took her second sip, I had a job.
“I never intended to stay in Astoria,” I said, breaking the silence, looking at my best friend.
Her head snapped up, her eyes red rimmed.
I’d done this.
I’d hurt her.
“What?” she whispered.
The kettle started whistling. After a few seconds of staring at each other, the shrill sound became too much. I turned, pulled it off the burner, and poured us each a cup. I left the tea in and brought the mugs to the table.