Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“Where’d you go?” Bas asked, meeting my eyes over the back of the couch. “Myla’s?”
“Waste of time,” I mumbled, walking past him.
“She still pissed at you?” he asked in surprise. “Figured you went over to clear it up.”
“Worse now,” I replied. I left it at that as I headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time until I couldn’t see him anymore.
I wasn’t sure if I was more pissed at myself for completely fucking shit up or at Myla, who’d put me on the spot in front of Frankie and Lou. I’d been hyperaware of them watching us, hanging on every word, and I’d fumbled that shit big time.
Myla had challenged me since we’d started hanging out the year after she graduated high school. Before that, she hadn’t really been on my radar. I’d seen her around plenty, but she was just another kid that came to the clubhouse for family parties. It wasn’t until later that she and her friends had started hanging with the same crowd. We argued all the damn time. If I said the sky was blue, she corrected me. She never let shit go. She was opinionated. Had a filthy mouth. You never knew what kind of mood she’d be in, and when it was a bad one? Run for fucking cover. But she was also kind. I’d watched her play with her nieces and nephews on the floor for hours. Go out of her way to help her mom with something that she couldn’t care less about personally. She treated old people with reverence and respect. She was the funniest person I’d ever met and could keep up with the shit talking and jokes that her brothers were known for. She made me laugh harder than anyone I’d ever met.
So, it wasn’t that I didn’t want her. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. I fucking craved her. But there were a lot of reasons that jumping into a relationship with her was a bad fucking idea. The fact that her brother was my best friend was just the tip of that particular iceberg.
I also didn’t do well with shit being sprung on me. I never had. After spending my entire childhood waiting for the other shoe to drop, I wasn’t big on surprises.
Myla laying everything out had been one hell of a surprise, even though I’d thought the same shit myself. If I would’ve made my move months ago, it would’ve been clear to anyone around us that she was off-limits. Not just that she was under Aces protection, but that she was mine.
So, when she’d said it—I choked. Having that shit thrown in my face when I knew the truth of it? Brutal. I hadn’t handled it well.
What I’d wanted to do was throw her over my shoulder and claim her like she was practically begging for. But Frankie and Lou had been watching, and I’d been so stunned that Myla had actually called me a coward and blamed me for that guy hassling her, it was like my brain short circuited. I’d gone into damage control mode and made it worse. All of the logical arguments that played in my head when I was around her and trying not to cross any lines flew out the damn window, and all I could think to do was remind her that I cared about her. I’d fucking choked.
I dropped my phone onto the bed and stared at it, wondering if I should text her. She seemed really upset when she walked away from me, and I hadn’t been able to follow her unless I was willing to walk over her best friends. They’d quickly stepped between me and the hallway, making sure that I kept my distance.
They’d had quite a bit to say about what an asshole I was. It was a little surprising when they’d let me leave the house with my balls intact.
Making a quick decision, I picked the phone back up and turned it off completely. If Frankie and Lou wanted to continue ripping me a new asshole, I could deal with it later. Myla deserved better than a phone call—I’d head back over there in the morning to fucking grovel.
I stripped down and climbed in bed, only to stare at the ceiling for hours. It was embarrassing how badly I’d reacted to Myla making the move that both of us had avoided for so long. My gut clenched when I remembered the look of horror on her face when I told her I cared about her. What a fucking asshole.
At some point I must’ve fallen asleep, because I woke up the next morning just as the sun came up. It was early as hell, but I got out of bed anyway. I’d left it all night because I didn’t want to go back over to Myla’s and wake her, but I wasn’t going to wait any longer to clear shit up. If she felt half as bad as I’d felt all night, she wouldn’t care if I showed up early.