26. Brooke
Ruby: Back to the grind. Please send me good stories. The juicer the better.
Iwake up alone for the second day in a row.
The difference is last night, Miles set fire to every inch of my body. We were wrapped up in one another, testing and taking until we were both too tired to keep going.
He probably went for breakfast again. The idea makes me smile.
I cross to the desk by the door, my gaze landing on a sheet of notepaper with writing on it.
I left early and didn’t want to wake you.
There’s a car coming for you at eleven. I’ll meet you when you get back.
– M
My stomach plummets. What would have caused him to slip out in the middle of the night?
Unless he regretted that we slept together.
The ache between my thighs is a bittersweet reminder of every moment of last night.
He did what he said he”d do and acted like my boyfriend the entire weekend.In fact, he crushed the assignment.
I don’t regret a moment of this weekend, and that’s all that matters.
I tell myself that asI stand under the shower until my fingers and toes wrinkle.
* * *
“You missed out last night,” Caroline calls when I get to breakfast at the main resort building.
She’s dressed in knee-high suede boots, a thick sweater draped intentionally revealing one shoulder. Her pale hair falls in relaxed curls, but her eyes are red as if she didn’t sleep.
“Kevin and I are engaged.” She holds up her hand, hoisting a massive sparkling diamond in the air like a weapon.
It does deliver a gut punch.
Not because I want anything with Kevin, but seeing him commit to her when he broke up with me for covering for him manages to scald some portion of my soul that I thought was safe.
“Elise,” she says, and I realize that the woman is right behind us. “I didn’t mean for you to overhear.”
“Not at all, it’s wonderful news.” Elise’s eyes brighten with genuine pleasure.
“Isn’t it? Someone’s follower count always goes up following their engagement and wedding planning. It would be great exposure for your brand.”
There’s no way Caroline orchestrated this engagement for the purposes of impressing Elise.
Is there?
Even I’m not so cynical as to think she’s been plotting this for weeks—longer.
But… what if Caroline’s stock was slipping and she took drastic measures to address the fall?
Elise smiles. “I appreciate that, but I’ve made my decision. I’m going with someone different.”
Caroline smiles in a way that doesn’t look like she was rejected. “Different can be good. It can also cause problems if it doesn’t align with your brand. Is this what you’re looking for?”
She holds out her phone, showing Elise.
Elise’s nostrils flare delicately.
I extend my hand, and the other woman passes me the device.
The photo is dark and blurry, but it’s definitely me straddling Miles in the hot tub. His fingers dig into my waist, my hand grips his shoulder. If you can’t see his face, the bear tattoo makes it pretty clear.
Except it’s not a photo. It’s a video.
Me kissing Miles, my body pressed to his. Though the water obscures half of what we’re doing, the water licks at my back in rhythm with our movements.
“It looks to me as if that moment was intended to be private,” Elise says at last.
Gratitude wells up.
“Excuse us, Elise.” I grab Caroline’s arm and drag her down the hall.
“What the hell?” I toss when I round to face her.
“Some of us have worked all our lives for our image. You go around saying and doing whatever you want and still get your way.”
“You can’t believe that.” I stare at her, incredulous.
“It’s true. You fucked up in school and came out unscathed. I guess your boyfriend is perfect for you.”
I laugh. It’s the only possible reaction to her words. “I genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Miles Garrett put Kevin in the hospital the summer after junior year.”
My mouth falls open in shock. It’s so unhinged, but I have to give her credit. Just when I think she can’t go any lower, she does.
“Miles was in the NBA, Caroline. Your math doesn’t add up.”
“It was April, right before exams, and he was in town for an alumni event. I have proof. These are the photos from that night.” She pulls up pictures of Kevin, his face swollen and purple.
My stomach twists with nausea. Whatever did happen to Kevin, it doesn’t look made up.
I never saw this, which means it must have happened after he broke up with me.
And it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with Miles.
“Miles is a professional athlete. He’s one of the most popular players in the entire league,” I say.
“I’m guessing he didn’t tell you.”
Nothing is adding up. I hate being blindsided in front of Caroline, but I have to believe this is one more ploy to knock me off guard.
“Why would he do that?” I demand.
Caroline flicks her hair out of her face, the diamond dancing in the light. “You’ll have to ask him.”
* * *
Nova: So I’ve been sending you good vibes for your pitch. And secretly praying you and Miles would hook up (don’t hate me). Can’t wait to hear the details when you get home! :)
The scenery passes slowly on the two-hour drive in the back of the limo that arrived as Miles said it would, but my head is spinning.
My text convo with Miles hasn’t been touched since before the reunion. His social has been silent too.
His note is in my pocket, and I run my fingers over it.
Caroline’s accusation is nuts.
Except…
The night she claims this happened was right around the time Kevin broke up with me.
I didn’t see him all summer after that, so I wouldn’t have known.
I type out a text to Miles, but I don’t know how to ask the question.
Did you hit Kevin back in college? Did you put him in the hospital?
If it”s the truth, Miles has been hiding it for a long time.
More than that, if he hurt Kevin when he was a rookie in the league, that could have repercussions for his career.
Why on earth did he do it?
The questions won’t leave my mind. They spin and twist in my brain right up until the car pulls up to my building.
We’ll figure this out, I tell myself.
Miles said he’d meet me once I got back.
Someone opens the door…
But it’s not Miles.
“What are you doing here?” I demand when I recognize the man blocking my way out.
Jay stares at me with the kind of look he’d have when I fell into a ditch and scraped my knee as a kid—the look that says I’m in big trouble.
“We need to talk.”
* * *
Thank you for reading Hard to Fake!
Miles and Brooke’s swoony, emotional, sexy story continues in Hard to Take.