Page 20 of Catalyst

But, the hemo-himbo didn’t back down.

“You heard me.” He paused almost as if for dramatic effect, leaning back even further as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You and Sulien are both bona fide chubby chasers.”

Callie cleared her throat as she placed her fork down, grabbing a napkin to wipe her lips. She looked down, and I could practically hear the racing of her thoughts. Embarrassment covered her cheeks, and I wanted to kill Jace. This feeling was made worse by the fact that I enjoyed the way she squirmed under the weight of his accusations.

“You have two seconds to shut the fuck up,” I warned.

“What?” Jace laughed like this was all a joke. “Look at her! She’s fuckinggorgeous.” He gestured wildly to Callie. “You can’t tell me that the extra weight doesn’t look good on her.”

I blew out a breath as I looked between the two. Why the fuck did he have to be right?

Callie had always been stunning. That’s probably why Sul liked her at first. But, something about the way pregnancy softened her curves had turned her from girlishly cute to a beautiful woman. And she was absolutely glowing in a way that made me want to destroy her. Those feelings were easily ignored when I chalked it up to lust or taking care of my best friend’s baby mama. But Jace’s comments had been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I wasn’t lusting after Callie. No, something much worse was happening. I wantedmorefrom her. More than lust or taking care of her out of obligation. I wanted to love her, and I wantedherto loveme. And right now, that was too much to bear. So, with one last breath, I stormed off to my room to give myself time to think.

Chapter 7

Callie

Iwatched as Kane sulked away, his mind loud with thoughts that made my heart skip. Not because he wanted to do filthy things to me, I’d gotten used to that, but because hecared. And not in a way I’d expected from him, not yet, not this soon, possibly not ever.

I blinked, my vision blurring with tears I refused to let fall. The thought of someone who wasn’t Sulienlovingme felt wrong, almost like I was betraying him. How could Kane, of all people, look at me and see something worth caring for? How could anyone?

When Sulien and I first started dating, I deserved to be loved. I was exactly who I needed to be—beautiful, driven, at the top of my classes. My life had been carefully crafted to look flawless from the outside, and at that time, it almost felt like it was. I was worthy of the attention Sulien gave me, worthy of the wayhis eyes lit up when he saw me. Deserving of the way he smiled when he said my name.

But now? I was a shadow of the go-getter I once was. I didn’t have the energy to go above and beyond for any class except for Wearable Combat Systems, and even that felt like I was doing the bare minimum for someone of my pedigree. Every inch of my body had changed, and I couldn’t even bring myself to primp myself for the day as I had before. The confident, capable girl Sulien had fallen in love with was long gone, and what was left…what was left felt like a mess.One that didn’t deserve love. If I did, why would my family abandon me?

I exhaled slowly as I wiped my eyes. I didn’t deserve to cry. Not over this. Not over something that was the direct result of my own decisions. My choices had led me here, and crying about it wouldn’t change a thing.

I stared down at the omelet and bacon Kane had made for me, and instantly, I was torn.

Kane wanted me to eat, and after everything yesterday, I was so hungry that my stomach hurt. But Jace was right about my body. I’d grown too soft, too round, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Sulien would’ve been disappointed in me. Would he still have looked at me the same way? Would he still have smiled the way he used to when I walked into a room?

I knew those thoughts were wrong. I’d been in Sulien’s head. He loved me forme. But, the awful loud, nagging voice in the back of my mind wouldn’t allow me to think about anything other than Jace essentially calling me chubby.

His comment had been intended to be somewhere between a compliment and a joke; unfortunately, Jace wasn’t very funny.

He had perched himself on the countertop, watching my every move. And I had a feeling if I broke down, he’d laugh at me. And while it was what I deserved, I wasn’t ready for that. So, I put on my best fake smile and cleared my throat before digging into myeggs, using the food to fill the weird void in my chest like I always did.

“I guess I pissed Kane off again.” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood even though I knew I wasn’t funny either.

Jace scoffed but didn’t respond. Instead, his green eyes stayed pinned on me. I tried to ignore him as I focused on the routine of eating. I could tell the omelet tasted good, but right now, that wasn’t why I kept going. I needed to feel full, even if just for a moment.

His thoughts buzzed in the background like radio static. I wasn’t particularly paying attention to him, which meant I missed a lot. But I could hear how he was waiting for something to happen. He genuinely felt a little bad for pushing, not bad enough to apologize, though.

I swallowed the bite in my mouth before setting the fork down. I knew my last comment wasn’t funny, but maybe if I tried something a little drier, it’d land better.

“You know… for someone who prides themselves on being good with people, your complimentssuck.”

My comment drew a smirk from Jace. “Oh, come on. That wasn’t an insult, and you knowit.”

I shrugged as I picked up a piece of bacon. “I’ll remember to take being calledchubbyas a compliment next time.”

“Ah, ah, ah. Don’t put words in my mouth, little lady–I called Sulien and Kane chubby chasers–which they are, by the way.” He corrected, his tone reminding me of a professor at school. “I said you’regorgeous, which you are.”

“Mhm,” I smirked, taking a bite of my bacon as I thought. “And the comment aboutextra weightis totally harmlessespecially, after I told you last week I’m pregnant and not to talk about me like that.”

His smirk widened. “I didn’t say it was harmless, Princess. I also never said any of that was a compliment. Just that I wasn’texactlytrying to insult you.”

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