CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Payton

“Don’t bother. Go home, Hawk.” All manner of emotion flooded me. Irritation that he had ulterior motives to seeing me tonight, anger that he felt I needed to be watched and he’d obviously planned something with Booker… or worse yet, my brother… and then, just plain hurt. This last emotion deflated me somewhat. Partly because I didn’t want to feel hurt by someone I hardly knew. It brought to light that I’d once again misread the situation, something I didn’t do, and thought he felt the same way I did. At this point, I was resigned. If I continued on the path I was on, I’d get dizzy with wondering whether ‘he loves me, he loves me not.’ I had to cut him loose and move on or I’d be in a constant state of emotional nausea.

“Babe.”

“Just go,” I whispered, and pushed past him to go back inside.

Macey was at my side immediately, wrapping an arm around me, and guiding me to her bedroom. “Are you okay?”

“Yep.”

“Then why are you crying?”

I gasped. “I’m not.”

She grinned and pointed to my face. “Okay, not totally, but you have a little wetness there.”

“Bite me, Macey!”

She giggled, which meant I did too. Gotta give it to my best friend, she knew how to get me out of my head.

“So, what happened?” she asked.

I sighed and flopped into the chair by the window. “He lied. No biggie.”

Macey smiled and sat in the matching chair next to mine. “How did he lie?”

“He told me he’d call me. He didn’t. Granted, Lily was sick, so I get why he couldn’t. And I thought he was being super sweet when he showed up on my porch, all romantic and crap, saying he missed me and that he wanted to make this week up to me. But now I find out this watchdog crap was all planned. Planned, Mace. His sweetness was all under the guise of backing up his “brother” to keep Dani and Kim safe.” I shook my head. “And my feelings are hurt. Damn it, Macey, I don’t get my feelings hurt this soon. Boys suck!”

“It had nothin’ to do with Dani and Kim, Payton,” Alex said. He was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed, his face unreadable.

I squeaked. “Stop doing that!”

“I’ll give you a minute, hmm?” Macey said, and rose to her feet.

“No, it’s all good,” I countered, sinking further into the chair. “Hawk was just leaving.”

He smirked. “I’m not goin’ anywhere, Payton.”

Macey smiled down at me and I glared up at her. “If you leave this room, Macey Stone, I will kill you. Like as in dead, dead. Not figuratively, literally. Murder, Macey. Murder. I will commit it.”

“Okay, honey. I only ask you make it quick.” Macey grinned and started toward the door.

“I won’t. I’ll make you suffer.”

She slid past Alex and he closed the distance between us, sitting in the seat Macey had just vacated and settling his ankle on his knee.

“Don’t get comfortable, bub, you’re not staying.”

“Payton, you’re overreacting.”

“Don’t tell me I’m overreacting, Hawk. I get to feel how I feel.” I scowled at him. “Do you know nothing about women? God, you’re infuriating!”

He smiled at me. Smiled! Gah!

“Break it down for me, baby.”

“No.”

“Babe, you gotta work with me here, or this isn’t gonna work.”

I shrugged. “It’s not going to work. I’m calling it.”

Alex chuckled. “You’re callin’ nothin’, baby.”

“I am.” I stood and faced him. “We’re just too different, Alex. It’s okay. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you. I hope we can be friends.”

I watched his face as he stared up at me. His expression gave nothing away, but his eyes. God, his eyes. I bit my lip, hoping the pain would bring me to my senses. It didn’t. Then, he ran his fingers over his sexy moustache and all I could do was imagine those same fingers on me, but I forced the thoughts aside and took a deep breath.

“Friends,” he said.

“Yes. Friends. You’ve heard of those right?” I crossed my arms. “I’m a pretty decent one, I’m told.”

He pushed out of the chair and moved toward me. I stepped back, grabbing for the edge of the bed when I tripped on the rug… not that I needed to. He caught me, which meant he also pulled me against him. The hand attached to the arm not holding me like a vice grip around my waist, slid to my neck and stroked my pulse, and he studied me, his eyes dropping to my mouth, which of course made them dry, so I just had to lick my lips. He smiled again. Damn it!

“What are you doing?” I demanded… okay, demand wasn’t the word, because there was nothing demand-y about my voice. It was shaky and breathy… and might I add, somewhat turned on? God, I was insane!

“Do friends cut off other friends so they can’t get a word in edgewise when trying to explain somethin’ to the other one?” he asked.

“I wasn’t—”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do friends jump to conclusions before askin’ questions in order to understand a situation fully?”

“I didn’t—”

“And tell me, Payton. What kind of friend is consumed twenty-four, seven with the desire to fuck the other one?”

Ohmigod! “I—”

His mouth landed on mine and I was transported somewhere so far out of the friend zone, it might as well have been the moon and this pissed me off, so I pushed at his shoulders and broke the kiss. I laid my fingers against my lips trying to ignore the tingle.

“In answer to your question, handsome. No, friends aren’t consumed with the need to fuck each other,” I snapped. “So maybe we can’t be friends after all.”

“Fuck me, Payton, what the hell do you want me to do?”

“I want you to stop kissing me every time you want to get your point across!”

“Damn it, woman!” He dragged his hands down his face. “You make me fuckin’ crazy, you know that?”

I threw my hands up. “Bite me!”

His gaze swept my body from tip to toe and I shivered.

“Not literally,” I rushed to say.

“Fuckin’ shame, baby. I’d make it good for you.”

“I hate you so much right now.”