Page 18 of The Fight for Forever
“What ... Wait. What the fuck is happening right now?” Her gaze darts from me to Gabriel and then back to me. “Did I interrupt something? If so, I’m really fucking sorry, but I didn’t know where else to go.”
“You alone?” Gabriel steps out of the way for her to enter and sticks his head out into the hallway.
“Yeah. Of course.”
He shuts the door and gives me a nod. “I’ll leave you two to it then. Good to see you, Monroe.”
She stares slack-jawed at him as he struts his towel-clad ass in the direction of my bedroom and the master bath.
I take a moment to appreciate the incredible physique of the man who just gave me more of the best orgasms of my life. His shoulders are broad and defined. His muscular back tapers into aVat his narrow waist. I didn’t know it was possible for my mouth to water at the sight of a well-built man, but that’s exactly what I’m doing right now.
“Holy shit,” Monroe whispers as soon as he disappears from sight. She cuts her attention to my face. “You sure as hell snagged yourself onefineman.”
I nod, one eye still trained on the doorway through which he disappeared. “I know. I’ve never lived with a guy before, so this is going to be a bit of an adjustment—but a really, really, really good one, I think.”
“Wait. Hold up. You’reliving together?When did that happen?”
I hold up a finger. “Let’s put that on pause while you tell me what’s wrong.”
Monroe shakes her head. “Mine can wait. When did he move in? Oh my God, who else knows? What is your dad going to say? Scar, this is huge. Like a massively big move.” She goes on to list everyone I know to see if I’ve told anyone. Obviously, that answer isno.
Part of me wishes she’d taken my suggestion to talk about her issues instead of bringing up all the people who are no doubt going to freak out when they find out Gabriel is living here.
While I’m thinking of a way to redirect the conversation, Monroe snaps her fingers in front of my face to get my attention. “Girl. Spill. Now.”
I go to my mug rack and grab two. “You want some coffee?”
“What I want is answers.”
My annoyance is rising, but I don’t know why. Monroe’s acting like I can’t decide anything by myself without first consulting everyone else in my life, and it’s kind of pissing me off. I also don’t know how much to tell her about what happened at the club, so I go with the basics.
“No one knows. We decided last night. We’re just testing it out, seeing how we like it.”
Her golden-brown eyes seem to widen even further. “This is a big move. Like ... huge in relationship terms. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Absolutely. I like being around him. He makes me feel safe. He makes me happy,” I tell her. Even though the situation is supposed to be temporary, there’s another question running through my mind—what if I don’t want it to be temporary?
Monroe bursts into tears, and in a split second, she goes from standing to crumpling into one of my kitchen chairs, sobbing with her head in her hands.
“Monroe!” Her name comes out more like a yell, and footsteps and nails click against the floor as Gabriel and Roux come rushing into the kitchen.
Gabriel’s got his razor in hand, but freezes when he sees the crying woman. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
Roux sniffs along her side before returning to sit at Gabriel’s feet.
“I think I’m ruining my marriage. It’s probably over. And it’s all my fault.”
Gabriel’s blue gaze locks onto mine over Monroe’s head. I drop into the chair beside her and scoot closer, throwing an arm around her shoulders.
“Honey, no. It’s not over. Your marriage isn’t ruined.”
“You ... don’t ... know ... that.” Monroe snuffles each word through sobs.
I grab a handful of tissues. As Gabriel slowly backs out of the room, Monroe’s head pops up and she looks right at him with tear-filled eyes.
“You’re a man. You know how this works. You tell me.”
I have to give Gabriel credit. His expression looks moredeer in the headlightsrather than horrified.
