Chapter 43
Evan
“What the fuck was that?” Hayes is the first to break the silence, his wide eyes taking in the mess around us. My heart pounds in my chest, as panic grips me by the throat. Not because of Harrison, but because of the look on Anais’s face.
I finally glance around at my friends, noting the confusion on Rowan and Hayes’s expressions.
My gaze shifts to Parker, who watches me knowingly.
To Nathanial, whose lips twitch in amusement.
And then there’s Jameson, shaking his head in disappointment.
Though Parker suspects, only Jameson and Nathanial know something happened between me and Anais, but they don’t know the full story.
“That wasn’t just Anais acting out because you embarrassed her at the office, right?” Rowan asks slowly.
I shake my head.
Parker whistles low. “Man, I knew something was going on. Harrison’s going to kill you.”
A big reason I pushed Anais away was because of my best friend and how he would react.
Right now, I couldn’t give a fuck about Harrison or his feelings.
The only image flashing in my mind is Anais’s face.
The hurt, the absolute devastation as she stared at me, silently begging me to choose her.
My chest tightens painfully, the ache of loss slowly spreading through my body, making me numb.
I squeeze my eyes shut, desperate to erase the memory of her…
but it won’t fucking go. I grit my teeth, trying to stem the unfamiliar emotions swirling inside me and rub at my chest. Jesus Christ. Am I having a heart attack?
And in that moment, something unsettling stirs in my gut. It hits me with a mix of horror and resignation. My brain is slow to engage but when it does, I realize the worst has happened.
I love the fucking brat.
I’m in love with Anais Lauder.
As much as I didn’t want it to be true, Anais is right. No matter how much I tried to fight it, how much I denied it, I have feelings for her. Real, inconvenient, fucking feelings.
I scrub a hand down my tired face.
Well, this wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. I should’ve known better.
There was only one way this was going to end.
And it wasn’t how I initially thought. Fuck.
I have to hand it to the tenacious little thing; she really fucking worked her voodoo on me.
Like a little thief in the night, Anais Lauder slipped past the walls I built and stole my heart without a second thought.
And now? I’m fucking screwed in the worst possible way.
How do I tell her I love her?
How do I admit to my friend that I’ve fallen in love with his little sister?
I shake my head. Harrison is the least of my worries right now.
With the look on Anais’s face when she walked out of here, defeated and a shell of her usual feisty self, she really is done with me.
I need to catch her before she leaves, tell her how I really feel.
Then I can deal with the fallout I know is coming.
I glance at all my friends, grimacing when I once again meet Jameson’s disappointed gaze. He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “You need to fix this.”
I swallow over the lump in my throat. “Yeah.”
“I know he warned us all, but fuck what Harrison thinks, Maxwell,” Nathanial adds bluntly. “Anyone with eyes can see you’re in love with that girl.”
My immediate reaction is to deny it, but what’s the point?
“I’d hate to be you when Harrison gets ahold of you. But if you want to be with Anais, go get her.” Hayes contributes.
I look between them. My friends. Supportive no matter what.
My heart hammers in my chest as I look around at them. Inhaling a breath, I am up out of my seat, my feet pounding the tiled floor as I rush out of the apartment, trying to catch the woman who somehow caught me. I made a mistake not speaking up back there, and now I need her to know the truth.
Anais was brave. I have to be, too.
Sprinting past my best friend, I hit the elevator call button, hoping I’m not too late.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Harrison barks, but I ignore him.
My frantic gaze scans the hall, landing on the door to the stairwell.
When it becomes clear the elevator won’t be making an appearance anytime soon, I rush over, bursting through the door.
As fast as I can - in a suit and dress shoes - I race down the stairs, praying to everything holy, I catch Anais before she leaves the building.
I’m probably being delusional considering I’m thirty floors up, but I at least have to try.
Flying down the stairs, with the grace of a madman, I ignore the sweat trickling down my spine.
Another balustrade blurs past as I descend another flight of stairs.
I hit the landing hard, my dress shoes skidding out from under me.
My hand flies out, grabbing the handrail, barely catching myself before I fall on my ass.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I curse under my breath, laughing sardonically.
If anyone could see me now. The always composed Evan Maxwell, sweating and chasing after a woman.
No one would believe it. It’s unheard of.
Me? A mess? No way. I’m the embodiment of cool, calm and collected.
Yet, here I am, unraveling like an idiot.
I just hope Anais sees what I’m doing, appreciates my efforts, and the lengths I’m going to… all to make her mine.
Maybe it’s too little, too late. That annoying voice whispers, and I growl, shoving it down.
It’s never too late.
Not for me and her.
Composing myself, I race down the remaining flights with the speed of someone looking to represent his country in the Olympics.
Finally, after what feels like hours, I burst into the lobby and freeze, ignoring all alarmed eyes on me, as I frantically scan the area for any sign of my brat. My gaze lands on the glass doors, heart sinking when I see Harrison’s town car pull away into traffic.
Eyes squeezed shut, I fall to my knees, trying to suck in air. My chest tightens, an ache radiating through my body. My palms hit the back of my head, as I stare up at the ceiling. Every little moment, every word, plays over in my mind on a reel. I fucked up.
I really fucked up.
The Funeral, by Band of Horses plays softly in the background. Ironic really, considering it feels like the walls are closing in and the lights are dimming the further Anais gets away from me.
I’m not usually one for dramatics but this feels like an omen of things to come. Like I might have fucked up in the worst way possible and there’s no way back from this.
Swallowing, I shake my head, denying that fleeting thought.
There’s always a way back. Always a chance. I won’t accept anything less.
The sound of heavy footsteps behind me pulls me from my depressive thoughts. A shadow falls over me, and I don’t have to look to know who it is. I can feel the anger radiating from him.
“You’ve got some fucking explaining to do,” Harrison growls, his voice laced with fury. I can’t even blame him. If one of my friends messed around with one of my sisters, I’d fucking kill them. Double standards, I know. But it is what it is.
Years ago, when Aria – the oldest out of all the girls - hit eighteen, we all agreed our sisters were off limits.
And now I was so fucking far over that line, it was a dot on my radar.
Finally, I climb to my feet and meet his gaze.
I’m bigger than Harrison, in both height and muscle.
I could easily take him, but I never want it to come to that.
We’ve been friends since we were in the womb.
Though I disrespected our friendship by going behind his back with Anais, I hope we can get past this.
I hope he understands it wasn’t a decision I took lightly. That I love her. I want to be with her.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Harrison grits out. “You look like shit.”
Shaking my head, I snort, running a hand through my hair as if that will make my appearance any better. “Yeah, no shit. I just ran down thirty flights of stairs.”
“And why was that?” His jaw tightens.
He already knows the answer; he just wants confirmation.
With my eyes locked on his, I swallow down the panic as I prepare to say the words I haven’t even said to the person that deserves to hear them. “I-I,” I stammer, and by the way Harrison’s brows jump to his hairline, he’s as shocked as me. I’m a fucking mess right now. “I love her, man.”
The shock on his face morphs into red hot rage. The next thing I see is his fist flying toward me, slamming me right in the face.
Pain explodes through my jaw. I stagger back, collapsing in a heap on the floor.
I’ll allow him one hit.
“What the hell were you thinking? Of all the women in this city, you chose to fuck around with Anais?” Rowan mumbles, handing me a towel filled with ice and a tumbler of whiskey.
We’re back in the privacy of Harrison’s apartment – the women my friend invited long gone - not wanting anyone to witness our fight, or worse, see it splashed across the front pages of some trashy gossip rag. The vultures would love this. I can see the headlines now.
Rift amongst American Gods? What happened?
Nah, as much as Harrison is pissed at me, and deservedly so, he wouldn’t want our issues out for the world to see.
“Clearly, I wasn’t,” I mutter sardonically.
Glancing around, I watch as the housekeeper cleans up the mess.
My gaze flicks to Harrison, who paces the floor, shooting me looks that promise retribution.
Not wanting to get in the middle of our fight, the rest of our friends stand, cautiously waiting for what happens next.
I rub at my jaw, surprised it’s not broken after Harrison’s punch.
Tomorrow, there’ll definitely be a bruise.
Harrison stops dead in his tracks, his gaze swinging to me.
His jaw tightens, and I can almost taste the anger rolling off him.
He steps closer, pointing a finger at me.
“I fucking know you, Maxwell.” He pales, going deathly white.
“If you fucking took my little sister to Elite,” he chokes the name of the club out, “I swear to every fucking god, I will kill you.”
Running a palm across my jaw, I exhale, trying to remain calm.
It’s an honest statement. He does know me.
Harrison’s been with me through it all. From losing my virginity, to threesomes at Elite.
He has every right to be pissed but it still turns my vision red.
“Give me some credit,” I bite out through clenched teeth.
“I never fucking took her there. I’d never disrespect Anais – or you, for that matter – like that. ”
He laughs; the sound humorless as his body vibrates with fury. “You fucking disrespected me the moment you thought sticking your dick in my sister was a good idea.”
“Don’t fucking talk about her like that,” I snap.
He glares. “Well, it’s the fucking truth.”
I shake my head. “It wasn’t like that.” Except it was. At least at the start. “I love her.” Those three words taste foreign on my tongue. “Am in love with her.”
The whole apartment goes silent. So quiet you could hear a pin drop. I’m not sure, because I’m not looking at her, but I think even Mrs. Greer, Harrison’s housekeeper, stares at me with wide eyes.
“No, you’re not,” Harrison retorts. “You don’t know the meaning of that word. After your fucked up relationship with the viper, you said it was something you didn’t believe in.”
I’m out of my seat before I can stop myself. Nathanial and Jameson grab me, stopping me from getting in Harrison’s face. “Don’t tell me what I fucking feel.” I hiss. “I love Anais. More than I love anything in this world.” I inhale a breath. “I know what I said. But things change. She changed me.”
I get that he’s angry, but how dare he tell me how I feel.
Harrison smirks, the look smug. “Well, seems it doesn’t matter.
By the looks of it, my sister wants nothing to do with you.
” He’s goading me. Again, I can’t blame him.
But he needs to stop before my fist meets his face.
No one wants that. Least of all him. Because best friend or not. I will beat his ass.
My whole body goes rigid, and I shoot him a glower. “I’ll fix this.” My voice is filled with determination, though I don’t have the first clue where to start. “And we will be together. So, you better start getting used to it.”
“Good luck with that,” he laughs, mockingly. “You know my sister. When she decides something, it’s final. And she looked pretty damn set on getting you out of her life.”
I glare, tearing myself free of my friends’ grip and straightening. I look Harrison dead in the eye. “I will get her back, Harrison.” I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “You’re my best friend. But Anais… she is my woman. I love her. And at some point, you’ll have to accept that.”
He shakes his head. “My sister deserves better than you.”
“She does.” I agree. “But no one will love her like I do. No one will protect her like I will.” I step forward, moving past him. “I can promise you that.”