Page 56 of From the Embers

The grinding gets worse and I’m sure my molars are getting more than a workout right now. I’m two seconds from throwing her out of here. “How fucking dare you,” I seethe.

“There’s no need to be so touchy.” She bends to slide the key on the table and then reaches for her belt. Before I know what’s happening, she’s unfastening her coat and pulling the lapels back to reveal not much underneath other than a whisper of red lacy lingerie.

My eyes nearly bug out of my head, not because of what I’m seeing—her body no longer interests me—but the fact she just waltzes into my apartment unannounced like it’s okay, and now flaunting her body like I’m gonna roll over and drool.

I quickly look away. “You need to leave, Hannah. Now.”

“Are you serious?” She laughs haughtily. “I admit I was a little tipsy the other night, so some parts are hazy. But I thought you were just trying to prove you’ve moved on to piss me off. You can’t be serious about that woman, she’s a bartender for heaven's sake!”

“Fuck you, Hannah.”

She gasps. Nope. This isn’t the Denver she knows. I’ve never behaved like this with her or sworn at her before, but then, she’s never been as big a pain in the ass as she’s being right now. Plus breaking and entering takes things to a whole new level. “You don’t mean that.”

“Can’t you get the hint?” I stride across the living room toward the hall and I hear the clickety clack of heels behind me which tells me she’s following. Good. The closer we get to the door, the sooner I can get her out of here.

“Denver!” she cries. “Don’t do this. We had something.”

“Don’t fucking Denver me. Had being the operative word. You’re making an ass out of yourself. You know it. I know it. Adi is my girlfriend and I’m in love with her, which means you need to go. I don’t want to see you again. It was over a long time ago.”

“She’s your girlfriend?” she scoffs. “Since when? We both know you can’t commit.”

Her words bounce off me. I don’t give a shit what she thinks. “I’m not even going to bother asking you why that’s so hard to believe.”

“We were good together, we both know it. And I want to show you. Why are you being like this?” I grab the door handle and turn toward her. Yep, she’s still holding her jacket open with her offering on full display. Some guys might just go back in for seconds, or for old time’s sake or some shit, but I’m not that guy. I’m committed to Adi. I wouldn’t do that to her, and I wouldn’t do it to myself.

“As I said, it’s over, Hannah.” I swing the door open and gesture to the hallway while Hannah stands aghast. When I turn my head back to the open doorway to shove her out, green eyes meet mine. Adelaide’s hand is curled around about to knock on the door but she air balls it.

Oh, fuck.

seventeen

Adelaide

“OH. MY. GOD,” I gasp. The bag of donuts I’m holding tumbles to the floor, my hand flying to my mouth. Luckily I manage to hang onto the takeout iced coffees in the cardboard holder or I’d be wearing them. The unceremonious sight of seeing Hannah standing in Denver’s entryway at all, let alone dressed in a trench coat and her underwear, is too much.

Way, way too much. I gape at her, hardly daring to believe this is real.

“Fuck, Adi. This isn’t what it looks like,” Denver says when I finally peel my eyes away from the half-clad bikini model that is Hannah.

“It isn’t?” I murmur, suddenly feeling a sting of hurt and rejection, even though I know for sure this isn’t Denver’s doing.

“I was just throwing her out, and reminding her we’ve been over for a long time. Unfortunately, she acquired a key.”

I stand there speechless, wanting the ground to swallow me whole. My eyes flick from Denver’s back to Hannah who is pouting in her usual fashion, but there’s also a glimmer of sass because she honestly still thinks she has a chance.

“Not you again,” she mutters.

“You didn’t get the hint the first time?” I somehow manage to keep my cool, vowing to not douse this woman in cold coffee—nice coffee isn’t cheap after all, it would be a waste— “You just don’t give up, do you?”

She runs a finger over her bottom lip. “Funny that he calls me to get the job finished.” She makes no bones about the fact she means a blow job.

“That’s bullshit!” Denver practically shouts. “For fuck’s sake, Hannah. You’re taking needy to a whole new level. Nothing happened,” he tells me.

“I know,” I whisper. This woman is just the pits.

“Believe what you want,” Hannah goes on.

I want to believe him, I really do.