Book 1 - Page 86 (1/2)

”Oops,” she said, with an unapologetic grin. ”See ya.”

I couldn't hear the door shut behind her over Trey's shouting.

”f.u.c.k you, Cary. We talked about this! You promised!”

”You're blowing this out of proportion,” Cary barked. ”It's not what you think.”

Trey came storming out of Cary's bedroom in such a rush that I plastered myself to the hallway wall to get out of his way. Cary followed, with a sheet slung around his waist. As he pa.s.sed me, I shot him a narrow-eyed glance that earned me a f**k-off middle finger.

I left the two men alone and escaped into my shower, angry at Cary for once again ruining something good in his life. It was a pattern I kept hoping he'd break, but he couldn't seem to kick it.

When I came out to the kitchen a half hour later, the stillness in the apartment was absolute. I focused on cooking dinner, deciding to go with a pork roast and new potatoes with asparagus, one of Cary's favorite dinners, in case he was home for dinner and needed some cheering up.

The sight of Trey stepping into the hallway while I was putting the roast in the oven surprised me, and then it made me sad. I hated to see him leave looking flushed, disheveled, and crying. My pity turned to fierce disappointment when Cary joined me in the kitchen with the scent of male sweat and s.e.x clinging to him. He shot me a scowl as he pa.s.sed me on his way to the wine fridge.

I faced him with my arms crossed. ”s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g a heartbroken lover on the same sheets he's just caught you cheating on isn't going to make things better.”

”Shut up, Eva.”

”He's probably hating himself right now for giving in.”

”I said shut the f**k up.”

”Fine.” I turned away from him and focused on seasoning the potatoes to put in the oven with the roast.

Cary grabbed winegla.s.ses out of the cupboard. ”I can feel you judging me. Stop it. He wouldn't be half as p.i.s.sed if it'd been a man he caught me f**king.”

”It's all his fault, huh?”

”Newsflash: Your love life isn't perfect either.”

”Low blow, Cary. I'm not going to be your punching bag over this. You messed up, and then you made it worse. It's all on you.”

”Don't get on your d.a.m.n high horse. You're sleeping with a man who's going to rape you any day now.”

”It's not like that!”

He snorted and leaned his hip against the counter, his green eyes filled with pain and anger. ”If you're going to make excuses for him because he's sleeping when he attacks you, you'll have to make those same excuses for drunks and druggies. They don't know what they're doing either.”

The truth of his words struck me hard, as did the fact that he was deliberately trying to wound me. ”You can put down a bottle. You can't quit sleeping.”

Straightening, Cary opened the bottle he'd selected and poured two gla.s.ses, sliding one across the counter toward me. ”If anyone knows what it's like to be involved with people who hurt you, it's me. You love him. You want to save him. But who's going to save you, Eva? I'm not always going to be around when you're with him and he's a ticking time bomb.”