Chapter 3
Pipes groan and rattle from the bathroom as Kyle washes off his excitement.
I stand next to the couch in my underwear, staring at Liam’s closed door and trying to figure out what just happened.
I scrunch my fingers into my hair, tugging at the roots and focusing on the burn to ground me in reality and remind me this is real and not a nightmare.
Mortification burns like fire in my veins, turning my flushed skin a darker shade of red. Did I just screw up years of friendship?
The best friend in me wants to laugh it off. The whole situation is ridiculous and embarrassing and could all be forgotten with a round of I’m-sorry drinks at the bar.
But the girl inside me is flustered and confused. Why did Liam watch?
The last fifteen minutes replay in my mind—the intensity in Liam’s stare, the electricity thrumming through my veins, promising that toe-curling orgasm even if it was on my fingers.
It would have been intense.
What is Liam doing right now, alone in his bedroom?
An image of him hits me, the metal of his zipper pinched between his fingers as he slowly drags it down…
“Stop.” I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. “Friends. Just friends.”
This is Kyle's fault for making me think I need to be more exciting.
Kyle. Shit. What am I going to tell him?
Do I have to tell him? It’s not like he saw Liam; he was too busy with his hand.
My chest aches with tears… or laughter. This situation is so surreal.
I grab Kyle’s bag from the floor and phone off the couch, then dart into my room.
Kyle’s phone vibrates in my hand, a text lighting up the screen.
Jessica: Next time.
Jessica: Miss u.
Jessica from his office? She misses him? I frown at the familiarity in her words.
Another message pings.
Jessica: Can’t wait to break in your new desk on Monday.
A cold trickle of unease slides down my spine—a new desk is scheduled to be delivered to Kyle’s office on Monday.
I drop the bag and type in the code to unlock my boyfriend’s phone. A string of messages between Kyle and Jessica bombards me. One in particular stands out.
Kyle: I wnt 2 cum on ur tits.
It was sent seventeen minutes ago… when I was taking off my dress.
The bathroom door opens, white-hot steam billows out, and Kyle’s smiling face winks at me. “Ready for round two?”
My chest heaves, and my fist clenches tight around the phone. “Jessica? You’re fucking Jessica?”
His smile drops.
I hurl the phone at him.
He ducks. Tiny black shards of plastic and glass splinter across the white tile like confetti.
“What the hell? That was a new phone!”
I glare at him, my body shaking. “That’s all you have to say?”
Kyle bends over, picking up the large chunks and shaking his head. “What did you expect? Twelve months and we’ve only fucked here.”
He flicks his wrist toward the bed, a crease-free duvet smoothed over the mattress and freshly laundered sheets tucked below.
“What did you expect? I was bored.”
Warmth drains from my body, leaving a cold and clammy blanket of nausea coating my skin. That word sucks all the oxygen from the room and melts into my skin, branding me—boring.
Emily. The boring girlfriend who only fucks in a bed.
How long has he felt this way? Why didn’t he say anything, talk to me? I could have had Ally pick out new lingerie months ago.
Anger overtakes the hurt. “I suppose Jessica lets you fuck her in the office? On your desk?”
He flinches but covers it with a shrug. “On the plane.”
My chest spasms. “Today?”
He runs his tongue over his teeth—a nervous habit I recognize after wasting twelve months of my life with him. He moves toward me, sliding his palms over my shoulders and trying to draw me close to his damp body. “I was stupid. But that was before tonight.”
Kyle’s flaccid cock twitches against my hip. “You should have shown me you’ve got a wild side sooner. I’m not bored now. I want to see more of that Emily.”
The sick feeling swirling in my stomach fizzles into a boiling pot of anger. I twist my shoulders and try to shove Kyle away. “Let go of me.”
My bedroom door slams open and smacks into the wall. Liam stands in the doorway; his hair is a tangle of spikes, like he’s spent the last few minutes raking his hands through it.
Liam’s eyes narrow on Kyle, his jaw clenching, fist curling at his side. “She said to let her go.”
Kyle gives an exaggerated eye roll but steps back, both hands up.
“What’s going on?” It’s a question, but the authority in Liam’s tone sounds more like a demand to know everything.
His eyes lock on mine, but I look away, too embarrassed, too worried about what he is thinking. I snatch Kyle’s bag from the floor, give Liam a wide berth, and storm to the front door. “Kyle and his Jessica-fucking dick are leaving.”
I rip the front door open. Cold night air whips over my almost naked skin.
Ugh, I’m still in my underwear. I ignore the chill, toss my ex-boyfriend’s bag down the stairs, and smile as clothes spill everywhere.
Kyle rushes past me in nothing but a towel as he looks at the carnage on the steps. “What are you doing? Aren’t we going to talk?”
I whip my head toward him. “What’s there to talk about? Jessica misses your cock and can’t wait to break in your new desk. Have fun with that.”
I step back inside and slam the door in his face. Blood thunders in my head, and adrenaline thumps through my veins, leaving no room for heartache or the expected tears. I’m not wasting any on him. “Asshole.”
“Em."
Liam’s voice is low and soothing. Instead of calming me, a fresh surge of heat pulses beneath my skin, reminding me of that blissful edge I’d been so close to falling over only minutes ago. “I need a drink.”