Chapter 10
Derek
She’s livid.
Good. So am I.
Standing in her bathroom’s doorway, seeing her, on her goddamn knees, her skimpy shirt from last night twisted, I want to shake her. Her eyes are rimmed in red, her hair a tangled clump at the base of her neck, her face lined with creases from her pillow.
Still, she’s fucking gorgeous. My cock stirs for her, timing be damned.
I clear my throat. “You can’t keep living like this.”
Her eyes flash, hot anger streaked with a defensive edge.
“Like what?” She rises on shaky legs. Her palms press into the bathroom vanity, anchoring her, as her head swings in my direction.
“Like a normal, twenty-two-year-old college kid who pays her own way in life?” She tilts her head, glances at the ceiling as if it will provide her with knowledge.
Or patience. “Hm.” She taps her bottom lip.
“My bad for not making it big with a record label and swimming in millions by now.”
Fucking dramatic. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
She rolls her eyes and jams a toothbrush into her mouth. Flipping on the faucet, she cleans her teeth, ignoring my gaze in the mirror’s reflection. Sighing, I give her a few minutes to pull herself together.
I retreat to the kitchen and check out her cupboards, relieved she has the good sense to stock coffee.
I slept like shit on her crappy couch. A strange passage of time spent checking on Allegra, fighting my concern for her well-being, and debating the best way to announce that she’s moving out of this hellhole.
She enters the kitchen and I pass her a mug of coffee.
She takes it between both hands and blows on the brew. “Thank you.”
I tilt my head toward her small, round kitchen table. “Sit.”
She rolls her eyes but takes a seat. I take the chair across from her and swallow a long sip of my coffee. “Last night, that a habit? You regularly take pills from fucking strangers?”
She shrugs one shoulder. A bare shoulder with the thin strap of her tank already hanging off. My fingers curl into a fist. I want to reach out, tug the damn shirt clear off her sexy body, and lay her out on this fucking table.
I close my eyes and try to pull my mind out of the damn gutter. This isn’t the time for that, and I know it. Fuck, I’m worried as hell about my Stellina. But even now, she tempts me. I want to soak up her innocence as much as I want to devour her sass.
“You gotta be smarter than that, Allegra.” I gentle my tone, wanting her to really hear me. “You didn’t even know that guy who passed you that pill. It could’ve been laced or—”
“I know. It was stupid,” she cuts me off. Her voice is small and her shoulders slump. “I fucked up.”
“You’ve got solid girls in your corner. Why’re you blowing them off?”
“Been busy.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“I work, remember?” she taunts.
“Yeah. You’re breaking your ass to live like this.” I stretch an arm wide to encompass her shitty apartment.
“I—”
“I’m not saying it to be a dick. And I’m not trying to embarrass you or make you feel bad about the life you’re providing for yourself,” I interject, before our civil conversation devolves into name-calling.
“It’s admirable, how hard you work. You’re a fucking hustler, Allegra.
Badass. But you’ve got something that most people in your shoes don’t. ”
She leans back in her chair and crosses her arms over her chest, waiting.
“Friends. People who adore you. Who fucking lo—”
“Don’t say it,” her voice breaks.
Yeah. She’s right. Saying the L word right now would rip both our scabbed-over wounds wide open. I said it last night and I’m not sure if I’m relieved or pissed that she doesn’t remember this morning. “We’re gonna look at apartments today.”
Allegra straightens quickly. Her chest knocks into the edge of the table and some of her coffee splashes over the rim. “I’m not a charity case, Derek.”
“Never said you were.”
“Why are you doing this? Getting involved in my life? I obviously mean nothing to you, so why are you fucking here?” Anger threads through her tone but it’s the pain underneath that squeezes my heart. I hate that I did this to her. That my foolish fucking actions twisted her up so damn badly.
“You mean everything to me,” I admit, my voice hard. Honest.
She scoffs.
I reach over the table and grasp her wrist. “I’m done entertaining your shit. It’s not safe here, Allegra. You can hate my fucking guts, but I won’t have you putting yourself in these dangerous, messed-up situations.”
“Right, because you live like a saint!”
I ignore her. “I already contacted my real estate agent. She’s lined up three places for us to check out. They’re not luxury penthouses so don’t get too excited; they’re neat, normal apartments in safe areas. Pick one without flipping me your attitude, and I’ll help you pack.”
She pulls her arm back and glares at me.
I take a sip of my coffee, waiting for her reaction. No doubt, an outburst.
The Allegra from summer would’ve discussed this like a calm, rational woman. This version is all over the damn map, keeping me on my toes and surprising me at every turn.
“Fine,” she says finally.
I raise my eyebrows, not expecting her to agree.
She stands and takes her coffee cup with her.
“If you want to blow your money on a summer fling, go for it. I know you can afford it and I know this little act of chivalry is more about you appeasing your fucking guilt than it is about me.” She leans closer to me, a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes curling the corners of her mouth.
“But trust me, this act of gallantry won’t help you sleep easier, Reign. It’s too late for that shit.”
She spins on her heel and strides from the kitchen. A moment later, I hear the shower turn on.
“Jesus,” I mutter, running a hand over my hair.
I pull out my phone and tap out a few texts. The first confirms the meeting place and time with my real estate agent. Next, I let Mav know Allegra is moving.
Pulling up my email, I roll my eyes at another fucking message from my agent, Jess, letting me know that my so-called long-lost father, Derek Madden, has reached out via his lawyer yet again.
Why won’t this guy take a fucking hint? One, he’s most likely not my father. Two, I want nothing to do with him either way.
Are you sure you won’t hear him out? Jess’s words annoy me. Why is she pushing this so hard? Derek Madden started contacting me a little over a year ago. Does he think persistence will get me to crack?
No. I type out the response and press send.
“I’m ready,” Allegra announces, standing in the entrance to the kitchen.
I look up at her and almost smile. Right now, with her damp, wavy hair, fresh-face, and dressed in cut-off jeans and a simple T-shirt, she looks like the girl who flipped my world upside down last summer. Minus the blonde hair.
“Let’s go,” I say, standing up. I rinse my coffee mug out in her sink and grab my keys. “I need to swing by my place to rinse off and change. We’re meeting the real estate agent in an hour. If you’re hungry, you can eat while I change.”
“I’m fine,” she replies.
I frown. Is she so low on funds that she’s not eating? I give her a once-over as she waits for me to leave her studio. She’s thinner than she was over the summer. Frailer. Her hearty glow has dissipated into a strung-out brittleness.
“We’ll get lunch afterwards,” I decide. She’s gonna fucking eat something in my presence today, even if I have to shove it down her throat.
“I have work.”
I smirk at her. “We can hit a drive-thru. Come on.”
She kicks the toe of her sneaker against the floor, ignoring me. A moment later, she follows me out and locks up.
Not that it would matter. An amateur could break into her place in under a minute. But…that’s why it’s moving day.
Even if Allegra doesn’t know it yet.