Page 17 of Sugar Coated

“If that’s what she wants, it’s her prerogative—”

Under his breath, Mike growled out, “Are your lips tired from kissing her ass so much?”

“My lips are fine, big guy. My tongue, on the other hand…”

I nearly choked on the pancake piece in my mouth, totally not expecting Fang to go that far. Mike instantly looked like he wanted to grab Fang by the throat and punch him, so as I coughed and cleared my throat, I managed to stop them from saying anything else by admitting, “There is something you should know.”

Mike turned his hazel eyes to me, his mouth a thin line. Fang gave me a look that told me he only egged him on because that’s what he thought I wanted—and it was. I could appreciate it, but I’d delayed for long enough. It was time to come clean to Mike.

I didn’t go for more of the pancakes. Now that the time was here for me to lay it all out, my stomach felt like it was in knots. I decided to tell him the main beats of the story: I’d snuck out with Kelly and went to a college party before I’d been kidnapped.

Mike instantly knew there was a big chunk of the story I passed over. “How did you end up kidnapped? Your friend wasn’t at the house. You were the only one taken. How did you get separated?”

My gaze flicked over to Fang, which Mike noticed.

“What?” Mike asked. “What is it?”

I shifted underneath the blanket, though I couldn’t move much thanks to the tray above my legs. “You… said you got a message. Was it from an unknown number?”

“Restricted,” Mike replied. “A text with the address of the house you were taken to. Why?”

“You aren’t wrong,” I whispered, my voice dropping to a low level… mostly because I didn’t want to say it. “I think I know who sent it to you. The man who took me the first time, my Devil—he found me about to hook up with someone at the party. He must’ve been following me. I think he sent you the message. He, um… has messaged me before from a restricted number.”

Mike practically leaped to his feet, and he whirled around to glare at me. “What the fuck, Laina? Why didn’t you tell me this before? When did he message you? What did he say?”

“He said I was his. It was right after we visited you for the first time.” That part I said while glancing at Fang. “A picture of the alley between your building and the next.” To Mike, I added, “But it wasn’t him. He didn’t take me again.”

“No, of course not. Why would he send me an address if he was the one who took you?” Mike spoke the question with a deep frown. “And… wait. You were going to hook up with someone at the party?” His anger over my Devil and me keeping secrets was well-placed, but the jealousy? Oh, he had no right.

My cheeks flared up with heat when I said, “Yeah, I was. And I would’ve if my Devil wouldn’t have shown up and stopped me.” My voice caught on something in my throat. “He…”

I might not have said it, but Mike pieced it together. “You didn’t hook up with a random guy. You hooked up withyourDevil instead.” His glare flicked over to Fang. “You knew? She told you?”

Fang shrugged. “Most of it, yeah.”

“And you’re okay with it?”

“Whatever the Princess wants, the Princess shall have” was Fang’s easy response.

“Mike,” I said his name, causing his stare to whip back in my direction. “I’m sorry that you’re upset—hold up. No, you know what? I’m not. This goes back to you telling me I’m just a job. You don’t get to be upset with me for being with someone else when I’m nothing but a job to you.” I stabbed another pancake piece with my fork, much harder than necessary. As I brought that piece to my mouth, I gave Mike my best death glare.

Fang said, “She’s not wrong.”

Mike shook his head once. “Fine. I don’t get to be jealous or upset that you hooked up with someone else, but I do getto be pissed that you went out without telling anybody. I get to be furious that you put yourself in danger just to get fucked. If that’s what you wanted, you should’ve had me drive you here so this freak could give you what you wanted.” He gestured off-handedly to Fang.

“Ouch,” Fang muttered half-heartedly, and then to me he said, “but he’s not wrong either. You could’ve come here, Princess. I would’ve gladly offered up every part of me to you.”

A muscle on Mike’s face twitched at hearing that, but he ignored him and his remark entirely, telling me, “You were stupid, Laina. I thought you were better than that.”

If this damned tray wasn’t on my lap, I might’ve gotten up and tried to push the big asshole. As it was, I held onto the fork so tightly I could imagine plunging it into Mike’s neck. A nice, anger-fueled daydream.

“Really?” I asked as I cocked my head. “You think I’m better than that? Liar. You know I’m not better than that, because you know I did this to myself.” I lifted up my left hand, wiggling what was left of my pinky and ring finger.

The look Mike gave me after that was one of pure fury.

Fang coughed awkwardly. “Can you two just kiss and make up already? The bickering was fun for a little bit, but now it’s just getting old. I could leave the room if it would make you two more comfortable—”

“We’re not going to kiss and make up,” Mike growled out. “I’m going to go down to my car and wait for you to decide it’s time to go home, where you and I will sit down with your father and tell him everything.”

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