Page 33 of Kept By the Loan Shark

“You’re a better person than me,” he said after a moment.

“No,” I disagreed. “I’m just tired of it all. I want to forget it ever happened. All of it.”

Kyle reached for my hand again, and I welcomed his support and friendship. “I’m here to help you however I can. Whatever you need, just ask.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

He smiled at me and merged into the turn lane, dropping my hand so he could turn into the parking lot. We parked and got out of his car. My vision issues made me nervous and unsteady so I kept my gaze focused on the ground, trying to make sure i didn’t stumble or trip. For a Thursday evening, there seemed to be quite a few people going in and out of the restaurants and coffee shop. I was grateful for Kyle’s help as he steered me along.

Suddenly, he grabbed my arm and tugged hard, stopping me right in my tracks. I frowned at him and started to ask him what he was doing, but the expression on his face startled me. I followed his gaze, and my stomach dropped like a runaway elevator.

Hagen. Coming out of the coffee shop. And he wasn’t alone.

It was my nurse. It was Vicky. His one-time ex.

God, she was so pretty. She looked effortlessly sexy in a deep navy dress that highlighted her incredible legs and curves. Seeing them side by side, his hand on the small of her back as he guided her out the door, I was struck by how perfect they seemed to fit together. It was like a knife to the gut as I realized how ridiculous we must have looked, him towering over tiny, skinny little me.

For a very brief and very weak moment, I silently willed him to see me. I wanted him to lock eyes with me, to let me see that he no longer loved me. A part of me, a pathetic and embarrassing part of me, wanted to shout his name, to ask him why he left me like that. How was it so easy to walk away from me? Why hadn’t he fought for me?

I swallowed down the sob that threatened to escape and clung gratefully to Kyle’s hand as he quickly turned us away from the coffee shop. Neither of us said a word as he hurried me back to his car and bundled me inside. He sat with his hands on the wheel as I cried silently next to him. The air conditioner blew across my wet cheeks, leaving my skin as cold as my broken heart.

“Should I take you home?” he asked gently.

“No, please, I don’t want to be alone right now.” I wiped at my face with the cuff of my hoodie. “I don’t care where we go. Just not back to my apartment.”

“Okay.” He grabbed his phone and tapped at the screen. Eventually, he dropped his phone in the console and started to drive. I stared out the window, not really paying attention until he pulled into a Starbucks drive-thru. Somehow, he remembered my preferred drink—grande cinnamon dolce latte, breve, with no whipped cream and extra cinnamon sprinkles. The only other person to ever manage that was Hagen.

Hagen who had left me, wounded and afraid in a hospital, so he could date my nurse.

Not even the soothing warmth and sweetness of the latte could ease the throbbing ache inside me. Objectively, it wasn’t hard to understand why he had sought out the company of an ex-girlfriend. She was familiar. She was kind and had a good heart, if her nursing care toward me was any indication.

My traitorous brain pointed out that Vicky was also settled in her life and had no plans to leave Houston. She matched Hagen’s stage of life. She probably wanted the same things he did, the things I hadn’t been able or ready to give him just yet. She was exactly the sort of partner he needed now. If not her, someone similar.

Kyle parked near the Waterwall, and I was pleasantly surprised by the destination he had chosen. It was quiet this time of night and the lights shining through the towering waterfall sculpture were relaxing. We found a bench close by the water and sat side by side, listening to the soothing sounds. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, glad to be outside in the cool evening and surrounded by the lulling noise of water.

Overcome with gratitude, I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for being such a good friend. I don’t know what I would do without you, Kunal or Taylor.”

He slid his arm around me and gave me a friendly squeeze. Or, at least, it started friendly.

His hand moved from my shoulder to my waist, grasping me and drawing me closer. Even with my double vision, I could see the look on his face wasn’t one of friendship. No, it was something else. Something darker. Lustier.

“Kyle,” I protested, desperate to avert the disaster waiting to happen.

“I know,” he said, as if he understood something I didn’t.

Before I could react, he quickly kissed me, his lips smashing into mine as I tried to pull back. He grabbed the back of my neck to hold me in place and stabbed his tongue against my lips. I pressed them together, refusing to let him taste me in that intimate way. He was too strong for me, and even though I resisted, I couldn’t break free.

When his hand moved toward my still healing injury, I jolted at the sudden shock of pain. I gripped the coffee cup so hard it exploded all over us, scalding us both with the super-heated liquid inside. He howled in pain and jerked away from me. “Cassie! What the fuck?”

“What are you doing?” I scooted away from him, putting as much distance between us as possible without falling off the bench. I gingerly touched my head and glanced at my fingers, relieved not to see blood.

“I was following your lead.”

“What lead?” I gawked at him as if he were a complete idiot. “What are you talking about?”

“Come on, Cassie! You don’t have to keep playing these games, okay? Hagen is gone. You saw him earlier. He’s moved on—and now it’s time for you to do the same.”

“With you?” I guessed, starting to feel so damn stupid. “You think I’m ready to rebound from the most serious relationship of my life in just a few weeks?”

---