Page 184 of Unhinged

“Wow. I didn’t know you were sleeping with her.”

“We do little sleeping.” I snort.

“The last time I asked if you were, you said no. You weren’t even attracted to her.”

“I was, Hadley. And she apparently likes looking at me too.” I hear the water stop, and I shift.

“I mean, I guess looking back, she talks about you a lot when she’s here.”

“She never shuts up.” I chuckle, rechecking the door. I don’t need Simone to get the wrong idea after my damn sister put shit into her head.

“Simone has a lot to say. I hope whatever you’re doing with her works out in the end. I just don’t want to see either of you get in over your heads.”

“Too late.” I hear movement in the bathroom. “I need to go. She works early, and I don’t want the hotel room to go to total waste.” I laugh, unsure why I’m implying Simone and I will fuck tonight. We already have, and she blew me, but my body aches like a constant coiled spring. Fucking her relieves it, but then the cycle repeats. Either sex created this paradox, or I’ve always been a coiled spring, and sex is the relief I’ve needed for so damn long. I tend to believe the latter.

“Okay. Thanks for talking to me. I hope we can do this more. Maybe we’ll see each other again too. You’re my in-law for the time being. I miss you, Rod.” When Hadley calls me that name, I don’t want to disembowel her. It’s not a free-for-all anymore. But as long as I control who gets a pass to use the name, I’m okay with it. To be totally real, I don’t give a shit what Amos calls me. He means well, but arguing with him is a daily gift I give to myself. I know the bastard enjoys it too. However, a select few aren’t approved.

“I miss you too, Hadders.”

She cries again but swiftly pulls it together. “Tell Simone I said hi and to have…fun. Oh, wow.”

“I’m sure we will. I’ll let you know how it ends.” When Hadley gasps, I laugh, missing how we used to joke around.

“No, that’s quite all right. Bye.”

“Bye.” Finally breathing again, I drop my phone and rub my face. I didn’t expect to feel everything hit me at once after talking to Hadley. I thought I was over it…and her.

There is so much I want to tell Hadley, but then there’s a lot she doesn’t need to know.

But I guess there are some things Simone shouldn’t know, either.

Chapter 27

Simone

Towel-drying my hair, low mumbling catches my attention from the steamy bathroom. I stand by the door to hear if it’s the TV or if Greg is on the phone. When I only hear his voice, I deduce the phone.

I comb my hair, hearing him laugh. I love that sound. There’s not much about Greg I don’t love, except when he’s not being honest with himself or me. Like when he says he’s never loved another woman. He may be guarded, but I don’t see how he went all these years without experiencing it. I doubt that I’m the one to change that.

After dressing in a long nightshirt and underwear, I blow-dry my hair with the hotel’s dryer. It’s awesome to be alone for the night, even if I feel like a walking blow-up doll for him. Is all the sex I’m giving him good or bad? How will I advise others when I don’t know how to help my husband?

I brush my teeth, and when I’m done, I leave on the light above the sink in case we need the bathroom during the night. Seeing my phone on the counter, I check the time, and it’s only after nine o’clock. It feels later than that, but it’s too early to sleep. When I go to bed, he’ll want me to service his shiny-new, fiery libido. I’ve never had sex with this much intensity before. It’s always been pretty straightforward, with no frills and mostly no thrills. I could take or leave sex but felt I had to put up or shut up to keep the relationship. I had to find my prince. I just didn’t think it’d take so long, which made my quest even more drawn out and never-ending. Until Greg Rodwell, who surpasses all twenty-three, rolled into one impassioned man.

The room is dim, with light only coming from the lamp on my side of the bed. I see Greg sitting up, looking at his phone. I return things to my suitcase, and I feel his eyes on my ass. If not his hands, that’s usually where they hang out. When I turn around, though, his eyes are glued to his phone as he texts.

I set my phone alarm and get into bed, asking, “Were you talking to someone?”

Without looking at me, he mutters, “Amos.”

“Oh. What did he say about us staying here?”

“Nothing.”

“I didn’t tell him we won’t be there tonight. He might worry.”

Greg doesn’t respond or look away from his phone. I thought he’d be more amorous, but his ignoring me is bullshit. I’m not in the mood for his dick or asshole attitude. I turn on my side, stretching for the light. As I lie in the muted darkness with the glow of the bathroom and his phone, I say, “Your family is great. Thank you for introducing me to them. Your sisters gave me a lot to think about.”

He sighs behind me. “What do you mean?”

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