Page 32 of Forever Mine

“Hey, Gabriel? I’m going to go walk outside. I need to make a few calls,” I call out as I grab my purse and throw open the door. I hear Gabriel call for me as I take off running down the hallway.

I don’t have calls to make. But I need to get out of here. I’m not myself, and I need to get a reality check. I decide I need to call Em and have her talk me off the ledge. Once outside, I find a bench beside a cute pond with a beautiful mountain view. I take a deep breath and call Em.

“Hey, girl! I thought you were in Boulder with the hot boss,” she answers.

“I am. I need advice and help,” I tell her.

“Yes, you should sleep with him,” Em teases. I throw my head back in laughter.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say!” I counter.

“Mon. You’re my best friend. I know you. You’ve been circling around this issue for months. Have some fun. You deserve a good rutting,” she says.

“Jesus, Emily. Typically I’m the one with no filter,” I say dryly.

“What can I say? This pregnancy is doing me in. I don’t have time for bullshit and games. Just telling you like it is, my friend,” Em says.

“Nice.”

“Is what it is. So tell me what your issue is.”

“He’s myboss, Em. One quick dicking doesn’t change that. I’ll have to interact with him constantly.”

“So? And how do you know it’ll bequick?”

“Shit. I don’t know. I’m just saying it could get really messy. Plus, I’ve got issues with Marcus, and I don’t want to involve Gabriel in that any more than he is.”

“What do you mean by that? What’s going on with Marcus? I thought he was just a fuck buddy,” Em says.

“Fuck buddy, funk bucky, funny buddy,” I hear from the background.

“Rose, no, no. You don’t say those things,” Emily says.

“Nathan still making you do the swear jar?”

“Yeah, but he’s not here, so I’m not putting money in there,” Em tells me.

“Rose is gonna tattle on you,” I tease her.

“Yeah, I know. Little narc,” she mutters. “Don’t change the subject. What’s going on with Marcus?”

I take a deep breath and decide to tell her about my concerns. How Marcus has been invading my apartment and made himself a key. How he’s been getting angrier and seems much more volatile.

“You need to end it, Mon.”

“I don’t know how to,” I admit. “I thought we were just having some fun. Suddenly it feels like I’m in a relationship with him that I don’t want, and I don’t know how to end it. He fucking made a copy of my apartment key, Em. He goes in there whenever he wants. I’m apprehensive about really upsetting him.”

“Okay,” she says slowly. “Can we maybe ask Liam for some advice? He can ask around, see if there are things you can do to protect yourself.”

“Yeah, I guess. Maybe,” I say. I sigh. I really didn’t want to involve anyone else.

“Shit! Poppy just threw a toy at Rose. I gotta go. Enjoy the hot boss, girlie! Carpe diem, seize the day! Wait, no. Phallus. Carpe phallus! Jeez, that sounds awful. Seize thedick!” she shouts as she ends the call. I chuckle. Em may not have eased my mind about my attraction to Gabriel, but she at least made me laugh.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Gabriel

She watched me.

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