Page 14 of Falling for Mr. Corporate

“That who I think it is?” Tate asked softly.

“Yeah,” I answered with a gulp. Keith looked fit to kill. He glared at me and sized up Tate. He returned his gaze to me and the anger burning in their depths was telltale that he still saw me as his twink.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Keith demanded, stopping before us. He ignored Tate to talk directly to me, his hands forming fists at his side.

I hated the confrontation, hated that Tate was witnessing the way Keith treated me.

“You’re on my property,” I heard Tate say. “You may want to approach on friendlier terms.”

“I’m talking to my boyfriend here!” Keith snapped, and I drew in a deep breath.

“Ex-boyfriend,” I reminded him. “We’re no longer in a relationship.”

“We had a fight,” he asserted angrily. “That doesn’t mean we’re not in a relationship. We live together or is that something you forgot?”

“I agree lovers have fights,” I stated, not backing down even though the anger emanating from him was a bit alarming. “And it’s not so much the fight either.” I pointed out. “I’m not going to be the guy you fuck then make fun of.”

“That’s what this is about?” he demanded in disbelief.

“Of course, it’s what this is about,” I remarked in anger. “This thing between us, it’s not going to work. I told you that the last time I saw you.”

“I fucking combed this mountain trying to find you!” he exclaimed. “And you want to tell me this is over because you’ve met somebody else?”

“I told you it was over before I met Tate,” I reminded him. “This has nothing at all to do with him. We aren’t suitable for each other, Keith. You know that. I just wish I’d acknowledged that before I allowed it to get this far.”

“So you run from my bed and find yourself another man?” he shouted at me. I suppose you think he can give you what I can? He lives in the fucking mountains. Have you forgotten how much you hate it here? I’ll make the offer once for you to leave right now with me. If you do, we’ll forget this whole thing happened.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Keith but after everything, I just can’t see you in the light of boyfriend again. Ever again.”

“I think you’ve heard enough,” Tate butted in. “You need to go now. You’ve heard what Bry said. It’s over.”

“Bry?” Keith asked, staring at me. “You let him call you Bry? You listen to me good, Bryan. We’re leaving our camp tomorrow to head back to the city. I give you until tonight to find your ass back where it belongs. Otherwise, don’t bother showing up for work.”

“Get the fuck off my land,” Tate commanded, his voice brooking no argument. My heart galloped in my chest as I thought of the two men coming to fists because of me.

Keith looked him up and down. “I can take you on my own. You think I’m just going to let you steal what’s mine?”

“I’m not yours,” I contradicted, letting him know which side I was on.

Tate cocked his gun and my blood ran cold. Fuck, this was getting out of hand fast.

“You’ve until the count of five to get the hell out of my face and as far away from us as you can.”

“You’ll regret this,” Keith threatened me as he walked backward. “You won’t have him around to protect you all the time. In fact, I’ll be seeing you back at my condo, where your things are stashed. Or, did you forget that?”

He stalked off and I ran fingers through my hair as he disappeared into the trees where he had materialized from.

“You okay?” Tate asked me.

No, I wasn’t okay. I felt like I’d just been in the middle of a war zone and wasn’t sure where to go from here. Keith was right. Tate wouldn’t always be there and I would be heading down the mountains tomorrow. I was worried about the look in Keith’s eyes and hoped he had the sense not to do anything stupid.

“Fuck!” I muttered and stalked towards the cabin.

“Bry!” Tate called to me but I kept walking. I needed some time to figure this shit out.

Chapter Eleven

“Stay with me,” Tate implored me as we lay in bed that last night together. For the first time, we were lying on the opposite sides of the bed and didn’t touch any at all. I hated the space we had created between us but what was the sense of trying to bridge the gap when it was only going to get wider tomorrow after I leave?

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