Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“And now she’s in your apartment,” Willa says with a saccharine-sweet voice, turning to face me fully and crossing her arms.
The accusation hangs in the air. What in the world did I do to make Emily feel so comfortable that she could come over?
Sadly, Willa won’t believe that I did nothing to encourage this and it’s going to take a longer conversation. I turn to Emily. “I’m sorry but Willa and I have plans today, so—”
“No, we don’t,” Willa cuts in and starts for the door. She glances at Emily. “Stay as long as you want. Nice to meet you.”
There’s a flash of triumph on Emily’s face as Willa breezes by and that has me jumping into action. She’s out the door and halfway down the hall to the elevator before I catch up to her.
I take her by the arm to halt her progress but she jerks free, spinning on me and hissing, “How could you have dinner with your ex and not tell me?”
“Because it was inconsequential. I never thought I’d see her again.”
Willa points back toward my condo. “And yet she’s inside your home.”
“I didn’t invite her here,” I point out. “She just showed up.”
“She clearly felt comfortable enough to do that,” she accuses.
“You can’t lay on my doorstep how Emily feels or perceives things. I’m telling you, I did nothing to encourage any of this.”
“Really? How can I trust that? You say it was inconsequential, yet something made you want to hide it from me. So why didn’t you really tell me?” she demands.
I throw my hands out in frustration. “I don’t know. I just didn’t.”
“Not good enough,” she growls and spins away.
I lunge again, taking her arm, but she jerks free with a glare. “Don’t touch me. I’m leaving and I want you to leave me alone, okay?”
Desperately, I chase after her down the hallway. “Willa, please listen. It’s not what you think. I’m not cheating on you. She called about her mom and I told her that I’m with you. We didn’t do anything wrong,” I insist, hoping she will believe me and forgive my mistake.
“I trusted you,” she accuses, her eyes blazing with hurt and disappointment. “But you couldn’t even be honest about something as important as this. Scott warned me about people like you.”
Surprised by her mention of Scott, anger bubbles inside me. “You talked to Scott about me?”
She nods. “He came by my house two days ago. He was concerned about me dating a professional athlete.”
That fucking pisses me off in more than one way. “So it’s okay for your ex to come to your place and you don’t tell me about it, but not okay for me?”
She looks momentarily abashed but her chin lifts. “I actually was going to tell you today because his comments bothered me. I wanted to talk to you about them, but I didn’t want to bother you while you were on a road trip.”
Well, shit. I can’t be mad about that. But I am angry that her ex sought to interfere. “What exactly were Scott’s concerns?”
“He said you’d cheat on me. That professional athletes use away games to hook up with the women who throw themselves at them. And I saw firsthand that women do that, King.”
“For sure that happens, but I don’t take advantage of it.”
“You didn’t tell me about Emily coming to see you. You can understand how that looks when I take into account Scott’s worries.”
“Fuck Scott,” I growl. “He doesn’t give a shit about you. He just wants to cause you angst.”
Willa’s eyes flash with fury. “No, fuck you. You’re the one with a woman in your condo. A woman you’ve clearly talked to on more than one occasion since we’ve been together, including a secret dinner. And you’re right. Scott doesn’t give a shit about me, but you know what… you’re just like Scott. Keeping secrets that involve other women.”
That’s a low fucking blow. “Don’t you dare ever compare me to him. It’s not fair. I never demeaned you, verbally abused you, and I sure as fuck never cheated on you. You know, you’re so focused on all the ways you’ve been hurt before, you want to just write off everything I’ve been to you because I made a mistake. Well, you know what, I find it ironic.”
“How’s that?” she grits out.
“Because you’re the one always worried that I’m too young for you, but you’re the one showing a clear lack of maturity here.”
Willa gasps and her face flushes red. She opens her mouth to retort, then snaps it shut. Without a word, she spins and heads toward the elevator. This time, I don’t try to stop her. I watch silently as the doors open and she enters, her head downturned and refusing to meet my stare. The doors slide shut and with a sigh, I walk back to my condo.