Chapter 34
Andilyn
Aseries of loud banging noises startles me awake.
My legs are tangled with Briggs’, the covers twisted around us so tightly it takes me several minutes to get myself free.
Out of breath, I shove the tangled mess of my hair out of my face and stomp towards the front door.
Yanking it open, prepared to chew one of the guys a new asshole if Hudson gets woken up from their incessant knocking, I stop short when I find a beautiful woman standing on the other side.
Standing several inches taller than me, her onyx-colored hair is styled in a sleek bob, and her skin is flawlessly bronzed.
I tug the hem of my sleep shirt down, feeling woefully underdressed in comparison to her skin-tight pantsuit.
“Who the hell are you?” she questions bluntly, cocking a hip to the side while eyeing me up and down. I raise an eyebrow at her forwardness, painfully aware that her hostility doesn’t bode well for me in regard to who she is to Raiden.
“I’m Andi,” I respond politely. “And you are?” My tone is even, contradicting the knot in my stomach.
“Mia.” Oh, fuck. Of course she is.
“One second.” I hold a finger up, then spin on my heel, not giving her a chance to question me further.
I make a hasty retreat to the bedroom and close the door behind me.
Rushing to the nightstand, I unplug my phone and press call on Raiden’s contact.
It rings for several seconds before his groggy voice finally answers.
“Minha luz?” he drawls, his sleep-roughened tone making his accent more pronounced and far too sexy. “Is everything okay?”
“We have a situation.” I get straight to the point, sensing that time is of the essence. “There’s a woman named Mia at the front door, and she doesn’t seem very happy to have found me here instead of you.”
“Fuck,” he swears, the sound of shuffling echoing through the line as he rushes to throw some clothes on. “I’ll be right there.” He ends the call without another word.
I pace the floor in front of the bed, resorting to biting the partially healed skin around my thumbnail.
Colsen and Raiden have been great about redirecting the habit, but neither of them is here right now, and my anxiety is through the roof.
Briggs starts to stir, mumbling in his sleep about penguins, of all fucking things.
I kick his foot, needing some moral support.
“Angel,” he grumbles. “Come back to bed. The sun’s not even up yet, so why the hell are you?
” He rolls over to check the video feed on the baby monitor, double-checking that Hudson is still sleeping.
My heart warms at how seamlessly he’s gone from being flaky and detached to this incredibly sweet and thoughtful man.
“Raiden!” The screech-like decibel of Mia’s voice causes Briggs to surge upright, his dark-as-coal eyes flying to the closed bedroom door, then glancing at me in confusion.
I shrug my shoulders, unable to offer an explanation because I’m just as clueless as he is.
“If you don’t get your ass out here right now, I swear on that stupid Anime collection you’ve amassed that I will kick your fucking door in!
” The clicking of her heels against the floor draws closer, forcing Briggs from the bed so he can intercept the enraged woman.
He throws the door open, standing guard in nothing but his black boxer briefs, his chiseled torso on display for her greedy eyes to peruse.
And boy, does she take her fill. I can only chalk my next move up to an abundance of pregnancy hormones and irrational jealousy.
I hook my fingers inside Briggs’ waistband and tug him backward, then slide my hand into his.
The cocky grin stretched across his face when he glances down at me comes as no surprise.
I practically pissed on him to mark my territory.
“Jesus, Mia.” Raiden comes barreling through the front door, bending in half in a vain attempt to catch his breath. “You couldn’t have called like a normal person? It’s 5 AM!” His dark eyes are narrowed in frustration, but it doesn’t escape my notice that he’s yet to throw her out.
“I have called, you little shit,” she hisses. “Maybe if you’d answer the damn phone, I wouldn’t have resorted to booking the next flight out of Houston, which happened to put me here at the ass crack of dawn!” Mia stomps her foot dramatically, causing Raiden to roll his eyes.
“Righhhht,” he mocks. “I’m sure you had no ulterior motive for showing up here completely unannounced. Hoping to catch me with my pants down?” Their verbal sparring match has Briggs and me pinging our gazes between the two of them, trying to decipher their relationship but coming up short.
“Oh, please,” Mia snarks, waving her hand in my and Briggs’ direction. “I definitely caught someone with their pants down. Care to explain what the hell is going on and why you have two randos fucking in your bed?” Raiden groans dramatically, scrubbing at his ears.
“Don’t ever say that again,” he groans, as if the notion is causing him pain.
Despite it not being true, I take a step forward, wanting to reassure Raiden that I’d never disrespect him like that.
I might’ve made some questionable choices recently, but they didn’t involve another man’s bed.
That’s a step too far, and I’d never spit in the face of his generosity.
“Mia,” Raiden sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face.
“Can we put a pin in this? Please? You can yell at me later. How about a hug for now?” Her face scrunches in agitation, but she ultimately concedes and flings herself into Raiden’s waiting arms.
My heart stutters, feet coming to a screeching halt as I catalog their embrace.
Without even realizing it, my hand has tightened around Briggs’ to the point of making him grunt from the pressure.
If there was ever any doubt about my feelings for Raiden, this moment all but confirms them as I stare unabashedly at the way he presses his lips to her cheek and whispers something in her ear that makes the two of them smile.
I press my hand against my chest, certain I can feel the crack of my heart.
Briggs’ heavy stare watches every movement I make, his jaw ticking in anger.
“Hey, Detective Hardass?” His icy voice interrupts their moment.
“You’ve got about two seconds to get your hands off another woman–while Andi is standing right fucking here, mind you–before I smack your pretty boy face against the goddamn floor.
Repeatedly.” Raiden jerks to attention, his mouth parting in shock, but I wave them both off, pretending I’m not bothered by their open display of affection.
“Shit,” Raiden mutters, looking perturbed yet pleased at the same time.
“Mia, can we meet for lunch later? I swear I’ll explain everything, but I need to speak with Andi first.” A pained noise escapes me against my will, and I wonder how much more I’m going to force myself to listen to.
Deciding I’ve heard enough, I rip my hand from Briggs’ and flee to the comforting privacy of the bathroom, then flip the lock into place.
The sound of raised voices trails after me, and I can faintly hear Hudson’s monitor alerting us that he’s awake.
Briggs calls out that he’s got him and for me to take my time, so I start the shower, hoping it’ll muffle any noise.
As hard as I’m trying to keep them in check, my eyes are brimming with tears.
I’m such a hypocrite, but knowing that does little to stave off the hurt I’m feeling.
I’m so sick of being pregnant.
“Andi?” Raiden implores, the hesitancy in his voice causing my bottom lip to tremble.
I tuck it between my teeth, but I realize how ineffective that is when the first salty tear streaks down my cheek.
“Open the door, minha luz.” I grip the vanity counter with all my might, trying to block out the sweet way he utters those words.
Words I don’t even know the meaning of, but I love them all the same.
Suddenly, the door creaks open, and I spin around to find Raiden standing there, leaning against the jamb with his hands hooked in the front pockets of his dress slacks, one foot crossed over the other.
He looks delectable, the steam from the shower billowing around him, causing his white button-up to grow damp and see-through the longer we stand here, staring at one another in silence.
It’s unfair how attractive he is, his six-foot-one height towering over me as my gaze traces the dark stubble lining his jaw, the image reminding me of my musings from the day Briggs and I hooked up.
“That was locked for a reason,” I croak, my throat tightening with a mixture of hurt and desire.
“If you think I’m going to leave you in here, alone with your tremendously wrong assumptions, you’ve sorely underestimated the man I am, minha luz.
” Raiden saunters closer, his hands never leaving his pockets, which somehow only adds to the effect he’s having on me.
Like he’s completely unbothered; meanwhile, I’m a mixture of conflicting emotions.
“Do you truly believe that I’m entertaining another woman?
” A hint of hurt peeks through his unflappable facade, making me question the last half hour.
“You’re entitled to entertain whoever you’d like,” I respond, keeping my voice monotone. Raiden laughs, but it’s not with amusement.
“Bullshit,” he grinds out, drawing closer and closer, until my back is flush with the edge of the counter and his arms are caging me in.
“I’ve got eyes for one woman, minha luz.
Can you say the same?” I flinch from the harsh but accurate accusation.
My tears run freely now, unable to be contained when I’m staring down the proverbial barrel of the moment I’ve been dreading for weeks.
I’m going to lose him, and the others will likely follow soon after, leaving me all alone.