“Not now. I’ve got to get to the office.”
“Well, when?”
“I’ll call you later,” I lie, rushing out of the room. I need to immerse myself in work, in finding this asshole who has put me in this fucking mess, and blank out all emotion. I can do it. It’s an art I perfected in my youth to stop myself from hurting whenever my parents chose work instead of me.
So, this will be a cakewalk.
I’ll throw myself into finding this hacker, and I’ll ignore my impending wedding and the deeply wounded look in Xavier’s eyes as he finally drew a line under our relationship.
6
Xavier
I kill the engine and park my overstuffed SUV in front of Abby and Kai’s house. Sadness clings to my body like a second skin, and my heart is heavy. The front door opens, and my bestie comes into view. Abby’s smile is so wide it threatens to overtake her face, and I can’t help responding in kind. Climbing out of the car, I lock the door and walk toward her.
Her pretty head tilts to the side, and little creases appear in her brow as she examines my exhausted features and my slumped shoulders. It feels like I’m carrying the weight of the world, and I’m more than ready to throw the world’s largest pity party for one. Or maybe two. I’m sure my best girl would indulge me.
“Come give me some lovin’,” she says, opening her arms. “You look like you could use some too.”
“That and a monster dick in the ass,” I mumble, collapsing into her welcoming embrace. “I just need to fuck that fucktard out of my system.”
“I take it things didn’t go well today?” She rubs her hand up and down my spine as I cling to her like a pathetic jilted lover.
“That’s the understatement of the millennium. I couldn’t even resign, and now I’m going to be working with the cheating bastard for the foreseeable future.” I lift my head, still clinging to her petite body like a limpet. “Do you see it? The big PGI on my forehead?”
“PGI?”
“Pathetic. Gullible. Idiot.” I shrug. “It’s not my best, but it’s hard to be my usual genius self when my heart is shattered into itty-bitty pieces.”
“Heartbreak hasn’t impacted your dramatic streak in the slightest,” Kaiden says, coming up behind his wife. He leans against the door frame, narrowing his eyes at us. “I’m not completely heartless,” he adds. “But you’ve been clinging to my wife for the last four minutes, and my hands are itching to remove every part of you from her body.”
“Caveman, go out and find some wild animals to wrestle with,” Abby teases, glancing over her shoulder as she continues rubbing my back.
“Were you actually timing us?” I inquire, and he arches a brow. “That is super impressive. I approve.” Reluctantly, I pull away from Abby because I can’t glue myself to her side, no matter how much I might want to.
Kai moves back into the hallway to let us enter the house. “Are you okay?” he asks, in a more serious tone, squeezing my shoulders.
“Honestly, no.” I’m not one to mince my words, and I don’t see the point in lying. Everyone knows how I feel about Hunt, and everyone knows about his supposed fake marriage. “I’ve never felt like this before, and it sucks ass.”
“I thought you liked sucking ass.” Kai smirks.
“I’d like to suck your ass,” I retort because this is our thing.
“In your dreams, Bright One.” His smirk grows until it looks like it’ll split his face in two.
“I am going to fucking kill Jackson. Right after I kill Sawyer for letting that one out of the bag.”
“I think that is so sweet.” Abby loops her arm in mine. “And very un-Sawyer-like.”
“Can we ban his name?” I ask as we enter the large living space. “Sawyer is now Voldemort, and he’s already lost all seven parts of his soul.”
“I know you’re pissed,” Kai says, standing in the space between the living room and the kitchen, “and I don’t blame you, but Hunt is still one of my best friends.”
“You’re taking his side?” Hurt seeps from my pores and underscores my tone.
“I’m not taking sides. And that’s not just because my wife would kick my ass and cockblock me for eternity.” His lips kick up at the corners.
“I so would,” Abby loyally replies, squeezing my arm. “No one treats my bestie like this and gets away with it. Sawyer is on top of my shit list, and he knows it.”
“I can see it from both sides,” Kai adds. “Finding out the way you did was shitty, and that’s on Hunt. But he’s only doing this to stop Techxet from going under.” It’s more than that, but Sawyer obviously hasn’t called Kai to talk to him about it yet. “And he cares about you, man.” His sincere brown eyes level with me. “I know he struggles to articulate his feelings, but Lauder and I have seen the way he is with you. It’s not that he doesn’t care.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the reasons anymore, Kai. We’ve been dating for almost a year, fucking for longer, and the guy has constantly kept me at arm’s length.” I rub at a tense spot between my brows as my tired brain protests the agonizing internal analysis that has been repeating in my head on a loop for days. I’m even boring myself with my repetitive thoughts. “I can’t do it anymore. I need to walk away for my sanity and my self-respect.”
Slowly, Kai nods. Concern shimmers in his eyes, and I’m glad I decided to backtrack and stop here before returning to NYC. I needed a hug from my bestie, and I need both of them to tell me I’m doing the right thing. Because I’ve been swinging back and forth, my resolve weakening despite my determination. It’s damn hard to voluntarily walk away from the guy you know is the love of your life.
“Want a drink?” he asks. “I have beer in the fridge or that cider you like.”
“As much as I’d love one, I have to drive to New York, and I can’t stay long.”
“Make him that hot chocolate he likes,” Abby says, tugging me down beside her on the couch. “With marshmallows.”
“And chocolate sprinkles,” I add. “You can’t forget the chocolate sprinkles.”
Kai purses his lips, fighting a grin. “Anything else, Your Highness?”
“Is ass sucking still off the table because I—”
Abby smushes her hand over my mouth, effectively silencing me. “I know you’re heartsick, but you can’t proposition my husband.” Her eyes twinkle with mirth. “That’s my job. Isn’t it, baby?” she calls out as Kai wanders into the kitchen rolling his eyes. “All joking aside, how are you? Tell me what happened.”
I fill her in on what went down today and how my plans to resign are in the toilet. Then I tell her about my little run-in with Sydney and Hunt’s judgy mom.
“Appearances mean everything to the Hunts,” Kai says, handing me a steaming mug of chocolaty goodness. Bending down, he kisses his wife on the lips before handing her a glass of crisp white wine. He flops into the recliner chair beside us, popping the cap on his beer. “I don’t think they are bad people, per se, not in the way my father is, but they’re selfish cunts. They were happy to toss money at Hunt, let him throw lavish parties, and basically do whatever he wanted because it meant they could focus on their work and convince themselves they were good parents because their son wanted for nothing.”