Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Dornan is waiting on the steps to my building with his earbuds in and his eyes closed. He's pretty in the same crazily masculine way Elias is. He's the light to Elias's dark. The easy to Elias's tough. I'm glad he's here.
When I get close enough that he senses me, he opens his gorgeous blue eyes and stands, tugging his earbuds and dropping them into his shirt pocket. "How did it go?" he asks, bending to press a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth.
"They were vague about everything."
"So they're not investigating?" He sounds annoyed, and I shrug because none of this feels important to me now. Eddie's my past. If I keep looking back all the time, I'll never move forward.
All I want is for the video to be taken down and for Dornan, Elias, and Travis to be in my life. I want us to be happy, not bogged down by drama and issues. I want to be able to focus on them because they deserve that.
They deserve love, and I do, too.
My heart swells but then contracts because what I want and can have are two very different things.
"They're looking into it but without evidence…"
"Isn't evidence gathering part of police work? I mean, what the fuck do they want you to do? Turn up with the case wrapped up and present it to them like a Christmas gift? What are they getting paid to do?"
"I think they mean that without witnesses, it will be hard to prove."
"FFS."
"You wanna come up. I have beer."
"I can't. I have classes. I just stopped by on my break on the off chance you might be done."
I rest my hand on his arm, touched that he cared enough to go out of his way for me. "Thanks."
"It's nothing." He waves away my appreciation and then shoves his hands into his pockets. "I spoke to Travis. He's even less sure that he's the father."
"So he's coming home?" I blush at the hopefulness in my voice but make a mental note to message Travis. I can’t tell him to come home for me, but I can be supportive like Dornan is. I can be a friend if nothing else.
"I don't know. Maybe. He's going to call after he does some investigating. I'll keep checking in with him."
"You're such a good man," I tell him, resting my hand at the center of his chest where I can feel his kind heartbeat. "Always looking out for other people."
Dornan waves me off again, then leans in to kiss me again. It's sweet and soft, then deep and searching. Butterflies take flight in my belly, and skittering excitement rushes up my spine. I grip his warm shirt, not wanting him to go, but when he pulls away and says goodbye, I let him leave.
I've lost one of them. I need to get accustomed to losing them all because they'll never all want what I want.
I can't expect three men who were never friends to suddenly want to merge their lives to be a part of mine.
No. This will be over soon, whether I like it or not.
Dornan will go back to being my friend. Travis will come back and slip into his new life, the way he was supposed to. Elias will go back to hiding behind the shield he built to protect him from the world.
I could never choose between them, so I'll have to lose them all.
I have to keep this knowledge in mind and in my heart so that it doesn't burn the way it did when Eddie betrayed me, and I was left all alone.
26
ELIAS
When I park outside my building, all I can think about is how easily Celine chose her commitment to me over her father. She risked a whole lot so that she can keep her promise to come to the hospital with me later. I don't remember when anyone has ever done anything like that for me. Her kindness and loyalty only make the rage inside me swell.
Eddie has to pay for what he did. There is no way I can leave him walking around this campus without a care in the world while people whisper about Celine behind her back. Knowing that so many people are watching her private moment disgusts me.
Her pleasure is something I want to own. Or share, but only with Travis and Dornan, other men who value her as much as I do.
One of Eddie's douchebag friends walks past my car. He glances over his shoulder at me, and before he turns back, his face slips into a sly smile.
My hand flies to the handle but Celine's voice whispers in my ear. Please don't do anything. That's what she said. This asshole isn't the target of my fury. If anyone is going to get a beating, it'll be Eddie.