Page 81 of Protecting Christina

“No. The bar.”

“Interesting,” she said and poured herself a glass of wine.

“It’s not what you think.”

“It’s not?”

“No. I was just checking in with a friend.”

“I see.” She paused. “A male friend?”

I stopped smiling. Knowing that my answer would seem like something more than it was. But not wanting to lie to her, I said, “No.”

She nodded and pressed her lips together. I knew how this sounded. “It’s not like that.”

She smiled. “Of course not.”

Was she being sarcastic?

“So. You wanted to talk?” she asked.

I leaned against the door frame and watched her sip her wine. This wasn’t how I pictured this conversation. But there was no use delaying it. “I came here to apologize. For last night.”

“Apologize?” she asked, putting her glass down. “Why do you need to apologize?”

I thought about how asking her to stay had ruined the night after having come inside of her harder than I ever had before. “I—”

My cell phone rang, and it distracted me momentarily. The ring was one that I’d programmed. It was Tina.

“Do you need to get that?” she asked.

“No.” I pulled out my phone to silence the call when I felt her eyes on me.

“Who’s Tina?”

I shook my head. “No one.”

I didn’t want to get sidetracked from this conversation.

After ending the call, a message chimed through.

Christina folded her arms. “Sounds like no one really wants to get a hold of you. You should check it.”

I should. For a moment, I worried that something had happened to Tina. “Just give me one second.”

I swiped up on my screen and read the text. “I’m sorry about last night and ignoring you earlier. Can we talk?”

When I looked up, I caught Christina staring at my phone.

“Now, who the fuck is Tina? Did you go to her last night? Or did you try to? Is that why you’re apologizing to me.”

Her eyes blazed hotter than fire. And, while I may have escaped Simon’s house unphased, I knew this one would burn me badly.

Christina crossed her arms and waited for my answer. Her chest rose and fell with every breath, but I couldn’t read her expression.

“Maybe we should sit down,” I suggested, walking toward her sofa.

“I’m fine right here.”

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