Page 43 of Whispered Desire

“If you were handling Bailey, then her number would already be blocked.”

“I did at first. But then I got so anxious about something bad happening to her and not being able to reach me. It felt worse than dealing with her messages, so I unblocked her.”

“Give me your phone, Allie.” My hand rests on her warm thigh, palm up. She’s got ten seconds to hand it over before I pull onto a side street and take it forcefully.

“You blocking her isn't going to make a difference.” Her body becomes a rigid line of angles as she twists away from me.

“That's not what I'm doing. We're going phone shopping, so you won't need that dinosaur anymore.”

“Wait, what?” Surprise has her muscles loosening a fraction.

“You're getting a new number, so Bailey can't contact you anymore. Besides, how old is that thing?” I gesture to the phone clenched in her hand.

“Three years old.”

“Damn, baby, that's fucking ancient in technology.”

She shakes her head defensively. “If it still works, then there's no reason to replace it for a higher definition camera or whatever.”

“Oh, we're replacing it, but if it makes you feel better, we'll ask them to add your old phone to whatever recycling program they have. Now, I’m running out of patience. Are you going to give me your phone, or do you want to test me further?”

A strained minute passes before she reluctantly drops the phone in my hand.

“Thank you,” I murmur, tucking the device into my coat pocket then capturing her free hand with mine.

It’s a short drive to the store, and an associate welcomes us the moment we step foot inside.

I present Allie’s antiquated phone to the man and explain the situation. “Transfer everything over except for the contacts.”

By her own admission, Allison doesn’t have a good support system, which means the only numbers she needs to keep are mine and my brothers in case of an emergency. Everyone else can fuck off.

They weren’t there for my girl when she needed them, so they’re out of her life.

No excuses.

I expect a fight about the contacts thing, but Allie remains silent. Whether it’s because she doesn’t want to cause a scene or not, I accept her hushed acquiescence. It makes this easier.

“Do you know what kind of phone you want to upgrade to?” Zayden the associate asks.

“Same as this one.” I show him my device. When we get back to the manor, Rafe can add our special security apps to Allison’s.

The man nods before setting the old phone on the counter and retreating to the back of the store for a new one. While he’s gone, a text lights up the screen, and automatically, I go to answer it.

Bailey is done fucking with Allie.

But when I open the message, it’s not from a disgruntled roommate, it’s from Allie’s brother, Josh.

There’s a slew of texts from him.

First asking for help to pay his phone bill, then trying to guilt trip her when she refused. They coincide with another message that pops up leading to a conversation with their parents as her mom and dad pile on more guilt in an effort to make her help the family.

And I had no fucking idea this was going on.

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me about this bullshit with your family?” Accusation vibrates throughout my body, along with derision for myself.

For a man who got his secret desire fulfilled with Allie, I’m doing a shit job at earning the privilege of calling her mine. She’s still trying to deal with these stressors alone when I want her to give them to me.

I need to figure out a new game plan for gaining her trust.

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