Page 61 of Break

Kerrington

Nicole needs to be real with herself and us. If this is truly only going to be a week-long fantasy, then maybe Landon and I should pull the plug on it now. We’re already in too deep with our hearts, and it’s like Nicole doesn’t see it at all.

“Does she really think we can’t see that she loves us?” Landon asks as he dries off. “It’s insulting.”

“You’re reaching, again, Lan.” I’m not sure she loves us at all. She only needs us. We’re a temporary distraction. A reprieve from her sorry ass life. I hate it.

“The only thing I’m reaching is my boiling point,” Landon snaps. He storms out of the bathroom, and I follow because I’m terrified that he’s going to blow up again, which isn’t going to help.

Instead, Landon puts on a pair of sweatpants and heads into the kitchen.

I’ve already cleaned up the mess he accidentally made dropping all the fast food earlier. Most of the burgers and some of the otherfood was salvageable, but the soda-soaked chicken nuggets and fries were not. There’s also a pile of towels where about two liters of drinks spilled all over the cream-colored rug.

That hilarious moment of watching Landon see Nicole all decked out for his pleasure, dropping everything in his hands so he could touch her, and the mess that came from it is…

Reality catching up to all of us.

First the fun. Then the hunger. Then the pleasure. And last… the aftermath and mess.

Nicole is back in her robe, standing outside on the balcony.

The sun has set.

“This burger tastes like shit,” Lan tosses the rest of it in the trash.

I calmly head back to the bedroom to finish getting dressed and snag my cell from the end table. Next to mine is Nicole’s. Temptation wins me over and I tap the screen to see her notifications.

There are so many, it’s insane.

Just one more reminder that she’s a successful and busy woman with a life waiting impatiently for her to get back to it. Meanwhile, Landon and I are in limbo with our careers.

Her screen lights up with an incoming call. The name across the screen readsTW. Figuring it’s a work thing, I let it go to voicemail. Our girl is offline for the foreseeable future.

Plugging it into the charger, I leave herphone in the room and head back out to a cranky Landon chugging bottled water.

“You’re hangry.” Pulling up the map on my cell, I search for a decent restaurant when Mason’s name lights up my screen. “Mason’s calling.”

“Answer it.”

“Hey man,” I turn away from Landon to check on Nicole again.

“Hey man, my ass. Where is she?”

“Still with us.” I’m getting a headache. Sinking onto the couch, I rub my forehead and sigh heavily. “Why?”

“Her parents are looking for her.”

“She’s a grown woman, Mason. Not a teenager with a fucking curfew.”

“She’s aGreystone,” he tosses back. “She’s a power piece in an expensive game.”

I hate that he’s comparing her to a bougie pawn. “Not anymore, she’s not,” I say, like I have any control here.

“Fucking Hell, Kerrington.” Mason catches my drift, then. Good. “What the fuck do you plan to do with her?”

“Keep her. Take care of her. Runaway with her if we have to.”

His silence makes me want to scream. As far as dropping the Hey-bestie-I’ve-been-in-love-with-your-ex-fiancé-for-forever bomb goes, I probably should have handled this with a little more class and respect.

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