Page 48 of Mocha Kisses

Rome sighs as he rocks back and forth, running his tongue along his piercings, metal clanking against metal. “Which essentially means that Yana can do whatever the fuck she wants.”

“Right.” I search another cushion and grin at finding my phone, only to lose the smile at the numerous mixed texts clogging up my screen, each one from a different unknown number.

Playing around, girlie? You don’t have time for that.

Two men? Or is it three? Hopefully, they protect you.

Blue doesn’t suit you. Maybe try purple next time.

What happened to the running? I liked the chase.

I frown, my heart beating faster at the obvious disconnect between messages. As if they didn’t all come from the same person. As if there’s more than one person after me, coming from different directions, and different walks of life. Could that be why I never found a spot to settle? Because there was alwayssomeonelooking for me?

And why?

Why was it so damn pertinent that I pay back his loan?

A tortured whine peels from my lips as I continue to read through the texts, the sound a beacon to all three men—even a sleepy Griffin—that I’m about to spiral.

Living with three men isn’t going to save you.

You know you can always come work for us, girlie.

Still another $800k or so to pay off. When are we seeing the next amount? I’ve got a vacation to go on.

Panic swirls in my chest and my lungs constrict. Damn, these pesky emotions. Even after I told myself that I was safe with these men, my brain can’t get on the same page. I gasp for air, clutching the phone to my chest at the thought of multiple people prowling Spring Haven for me. How many of them also think that I’m married to Griffin?

They’ll come after him.

And then-

A knock on the apartment door has my eyes widening as I take a terrified step back. Nova is at my side in the next second when a shriek tears from my throat, the man tucking me into his chest.Is that them? Or someone else?I still can’t breathe as I clutch at the man holding me, my fingers scrabbling for purchase. The phone clatters to the floor, Griffin scooping it up as Rome checks the door.

“Probably just a package,” Rome says but the door doesn’t open. Is he waiting for something or trying to protect me from whatever is truly on the other side?

“Fucking hell. Nova, they’ve sent her over a hundred messages since we got back.”

The need to run is growing even as Nova crushes me tighter against his chest. “Come with me, angel. Breathe. Deep breaths.Angel,” he barks, one of his hands sliding around the front of my neck. He squeezes in pulses, drawing me out of the panic until I take a big gulp of air. It burns but his sudden praise has me taking more breaths until I can breathe again. “There you go. Come on, you’re with me.”

I don’t fight him, mostly because I can’t. My body won’t work on its own, so much so that Nova is scooping me up into his arms and carrying me to the bedroom. I’m not sure what he’s planning as he sets me on the edge of the mattress and starts toward the bathroom.

“Don’t leave me,” I plead softly. Nova turns to face me.

“Angel, I would never leave you. I’m just going to draw up a bath so you can relax, alright? I think we were all working on a timeline that no longer exists but I only want you to focus on that bath.”

He doesn’t understand. He doesn’t get it.

I stand up on shaky legs and wobble over to the bathroom, nearly colliding with his back when he stops short of the toilet, feet from the shower. My thoughts are everywhere as I cling to him, Nova maneuvering me until I’m sitting on the toilet so that he can turn on the water. This scene feels very reminiscent of the one with Griffin, however, I don’t feel in control at this moment.

I don’t feel beautiful.

I don’t feel like there’s a chance that a happy ending exists on the other side.

Nova

She’slikeascaredkitten, big brown eyes following my every movement. Griffin panics too but the way he falls apart is very different. Firmly holding him until he comes back to me usually works. Shoving chocolate or a new idea at him generally pulls him out of that headspace as well. With Luna, I can see the frayed edges of her mind starting to unravel. The soft words and promises won’t work on her. She’s lived alone for too long and fought so hard that trust is hard to come by.

And yet, she needs Griffin. Rome.Me.

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