Page 38 of Tech

I can't get more hurt than this, can I?

I feel like I can't breathe without him. In four months, he's buried himself inside me; he's under my skin, and yet, at the first hurdle, I ran away with my tail between my legs.

Dammit, I should have stormed into his room demanding answers, dragged her away from him, heck, even kneed him in the balls.

Shaking my head, I lean forward to grab my phone.

I want James, and I know he wants me. I can't let his mom or his ex win. I know the kiss was staged, and he doesn't want her, so what the hell have I been doing?

Why did I end things with him?

Dammit, I didn’t even end things, I just left….

Taking a deep breath, I pull my big girl panties up and find his number. I swallow hard, my thumb hovering over the call button, when my office phone rings, and I sigh, knowing it could be an emergency.

Dropping my phone, I answer the office one.

"Summer Vets," I answer.

A woman with a nasal voice says, "Hi, this is Mara. I work at Devils Rose Bar, and there is a cat here with half its tail missing, and quite a bit of blood. One of the customers told me to call you."

Mara?

Huh, maybe they've hired someone new.

I clear my throat. "Okay, I'll come down and check."

The woman thanks me before hanging up, and I sigh, grabbing my phone.

Hopefully, James will be there, and we can talk in person.

Ten minutes later, I'm walking into the bar, looking around. It's busy. Quite a few brothers are here with their women, except the one I want to speak to, making me sigh. Sarah and Liv wave, and I wave back, then head to the bar, hoping to talk to whoever called me.

The sooner I find this cat and help it, the sooner I can find James and hopefully right my wrong, all because I let fear take over. Because a part of me remembers my grandmother’s stories of my drunken father in pain after losing my birth momma.

He's happy now; he's grown his family. Why am I punishing myself?

I get halfway to the bar when someone grabs my arm, making me furrow my brows. My eyes connect with Marcus'.

Great….

He gives me a tight smile and confirms, "You're here for the cat, right?" I furrow my brows but nod, and his shoulders drop in what looks like relief. Then he says, "I have her at my apartment five minutes from here. I wrapped the tail up but don't know if I did a good job." I give him a brow raise in shock, not at all believing him. He chuckles. "Yeah, I know, dickhead Marcus helping an animal. I blame my momma; she gave me a cat when I was little, and this one reminded me of her."

Something heavy settles in my gut. He seems sincere, but this jackass broke my wrist in high school. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, but if he has the cat….

Dammit.

Swallowing hard, I give him a nod, already regretting it, and say, "Okay, I'll follow you," because like hell am I getting in his car.

He gives me a tight smile, and then places his hand on the small of my back, making my skin tighten in disgust, and I quicken my steps, not wanting his touch.

I rush to my truck, climb in and start it, waiting for him to pull out of his space.

Five minutes later, we walked into his ground-floor apartment. I stay near the door even though he's shut it, my eyes looking around for the animal.

Mancave 101, right here…. Black everywhere, dirt, trash. The place is disgusting.

Marcus clears his throat, making me look his way. I don't miss how his eyes look up and down my body, which makes me want to shower immediately.

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