I fall back against the pillow. My sleeping schedule is completely messed up and my head is spinning. It’s been too long since I’ve seen her. Too long since I’ve held her, and she’s forgotten how good we are together. That’s all. I know I can get her back. Two more weeks and I’ll get my chance.
Then I remember that tonight was Reis’ dance. She hadn’t said anything about it, but damn, she hadn’t said much of anything. Did the dance have anything to do with her change of heart? Maybe that’s what she realized she needs. A typical high school experience, a boyfriend who’s actually around, not working in another country for weeks at a time. It’s her senior year. I couldn’t expect her to wait for me, I just figured our relationship was important enough for her to want to. I guess not.
I consider calling her again, we need to talk this out. But it’s late, and she probably needs time to cool off and realize this isn’t what she really wants. I switch off the lamp and punch my pillow into shape. Just as I’m falling asleep, my door squeaks open and I see Bria’s silhouette against the darkness.
“Are you awake?” she whispers.
I swallow down a lump in my throat. What the fuck is she doing in here? “Yeah.”
She tiptoes into the room. “I can’t sleep.” She comes in and shuts the door, shutting out the light that spilled in from the hallway and sits down on the edge of my bed. I push up on my elbows to look at her.
“Did something happen?”
“It’s just Liam. I shouldn’t have slept with him.”
Fuck. I didn’t know she’d actually slept with him. They’ve been out twice. Fear twists in my stomach, worrying what this might mean for the case. “Bria, I told you not to get involved. We need this deal with his uncle.”
“Relax. This has nothing to do with your precious deal. Geoffrey loves us. Liam on the other hand, now that he got what he wanted, is all back to all business.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and fall back against my pillow.
Bria crawls up the bed and leans against the pillows beside me. “Why can’t I find a guy who loves me for me?” Her eyes implore mine. I have no idea how to answer her question. I thought I found love with Taylor, but now I think I’ve already lost it.
“What is it about Taylor? I mean, why her?”
I’d never really thought about it, but I knew the answer without even thinking. She was open and outspoken. She wasn’t overly concerned with her appearance or impressing me like other girls. She made me earn it. Earn her and be worthy of being with her. “She challenged me.”
Bria scoots closer and I let out a frustrated sigh, but I don’t stop her. She’s testing the boundaries, waiting to see what I’ll do, if I’ll push her away. Now that I know how it feels to be rejected, I don’t have it in me right now.
“Can I stay in here?”
Without waiting for my response, she crawls toward me. “Bria…” I don’t want to argue with her right now. But she shouldn’t be in here.
“I’ll stay on my side, just please. Please let me stay.”
“You’ll behave?”
“I promise,” she whispers.
“Fine.”
“Night Colt.”
“Goodnight.” My mind reels. Sleep will be impossible tonight.
Bria rolls over to face me, a smile on her lips. “Despite constantly acting like a jerk, you’re not so bad.”
“Thanks.” Little does she know, Taylor is done with me, thinks I was a terrible boyfriend. I probably am.
She inches even closer until she’s lying against my side. Her bare arm and leg press against mine in her barely there pajamas. I move my arm out of the way and she snuggles in against my chest. Her perfume is a little overwhelming, not like Taylor’s subtle but sweet scent, but her body is soft and curvy where I’m hard. It’s nice. This is who Taylor thinks I am. So why should I fight it?
Last night shouldn’t have happened. Bria’s gone from my bed when I wake, thank God. I never should’ve let her stay. I should have called Taylor back and made her listen to me. I can already feel a headache forming. I stagger out of bed. First on the agenda is a shower. I soap up then let the rough spray of water beat down on me for several long minutes. I throw on jeans and a T-shirt and head into the living room. Bria’s gone, but she’s ordered coffee that’s been left for me in a warming carafe on the table. I pour myself a cup and sit down in front of my laptop. There’s an email from Geoffrey, one about a new possible case, another from Bria thanking me for last night, and nothing from Taylor.
The hot coffee works to ease some of the tension in my shoulders, enough to ward off the impending headache, but not enough to keep me from thinking about Taylor. She was the one girl I wanted to change for. Wanted to protect, and make happy. And now I’ve fucked things up.
I remember back to last night, and Bria climbing in my bed. Since I’d lost Taylor, part of me wondered if I should distract myself with the release that Bria’s body would bring me. I push the thought away. I pour myself another cup of coffee and settle into work.
Chapter 25
Taylor
I tell myself that I won’t hack into Colt’s emails anymore, that I’m done worrying over him. But that lasted about three hours. By lunch, I’ve hacked into his account and read all his emails. There was only one from Bria, thanking him for last night and accusing him of being a cover hog. My stomach turns and I think I may actually be sick. But deep breathing and squeezing my eyes closed help to keep my lunch where it belongs. After the, I promise myself again that I won’t look at his emails again, unable to stomach what I might find.
The next two weeks pass without a word from Colt. Well, other than one late night text that just said U there? I hadn’t responded. I kept busy with school, my friends and of course Reis.
This morning when I log in, there’s an email from Colt. No subject line. When I open it I’m both relived and disappointed to see it’s a new case for me. His note is professional, all business detailing the case. It seems a woman has an internet stalker who’s sending threatening emails and the police won’t do anything. My job is to find out who’s behind the emails. Seems simple enough. There’s one line at the end that I fixate on, the one personal thing he’s added to the email. He’ll be home tomorrow.
Having him back will be strange. He’s been gone for six weeks, practically a lifetime. We’d only been dating for four months, and he was gone for a month of that time. His persona in this school is larger than life. There will be no avoiding him, no going unnoticed. If I thought dealing with my ex-boyfriend, Wes in a sea of hundreds of students, confronting Colt on a daily basis was sure to be much worse. Not to mention, I’d grown closer to Colt than I ever had to Wes. After learning about his mother’s death and the way it affected him, being part of his Dad’s departure from the company, I felt sort of responsible for Colt’s growth. It would crush me to see him revert back to his old ways with a steady stream of girls to fill his time and take his mind off of his pain. I couldn’t imagine dealing with that.
I set to work on my newest case with the internet stalker and tuned everything else out. It was Friday afternoon, which meant Reis would be here in a little while to stay the weekend. With Colt coming back, I imagine he’ll have to start camping out in a couch in the common room, but it’ll be nice to have him as a sort of buffer from having to deal with Colt. I should feel guilty using Reis as a buffer, but I don’t, we’re like peanut butter and jelly. It’s just a combination that works.