Page 67 of Unconditional

His face that I’d once thought handsome, screwed up into an ugly sneer.I knew what was coming even before his mouth opened.“You’re just a stupid fucking whore, you know that?”

All I could manage to do was sigh, smile, and point to the door.Narcissistic men were incredibly predictable—slut shaming was always the go-to rebuttal to rejection.The poor things could never come up with anything original.“So be it.Now get the fuck out of my apartment.”

He made a sorry attempt to muster up a few more retorts but I ignored him, guiding him to the door and opening it.The sooner he was gone, the sooner I could go to bed.But when the door swung open, we both froze where we stood, my jaw going slack.

Filling out the width of the doorway was Talon, his hair a disheveled mess, his clothes wrinkled, and all our bags from last week stacked at his feet.One of his fists was held up as if he were readying himself to knock.When his eyes, the eyes I’d missed so much since I hopped on that plane out of Oregon, landed on Brantley, I watched as the muscle in his cheek bounced.

“You’re here.”The words came off a little breathless, but I couldn’t help it when I could barely draw in the air.There was a tingling in my chest now that I couldn’t place, an irregular beat that slammed against my bones just a little too hard.

He seemed so tired, this big burly man, so angry and possessive andtired.Instead of demanding to know who the other was that stood beside me, Talon met my gaze again and said in a voice gentler than I’d been prepared for, “I’m here.”

Everything that hid behind those words had emotion clogging my throat.So many things lay unspoken between us, so many questions still unanswered.I heard the apology without him saying it.

“Iknewit.”Brantley made his presence known once again.I suppressed a groan of frustration.“All that and you couldn’t just admit that it was another man.Andthisguy?Seriously?”Brantley scowled at Talon like he was trash, like he was beneath him.Like somehow, he was better than Talon and he was having a hard time comprehending how I had decided he was the better option.I glared holes into Brantley's face, suddenly unsure how I'd ever found him attractive to begin with."It's fine, Misely.I'm better off finding someone who isn't a fucking slut."

I did nothing to stop Talon from pushing himself between Brantley and me, his large frame crowding the unwelcome guest back out my door.I was not going to continue to argue with Brantley about why I did or did not want to continue pursuing any kind of relationship with him, there was no point.Men like him simply would not accept ‘no.’ Anything more was just a waste of time and I was tired.If he decided that I was a slut or a whore or whatever else he wanted to think of me because of it, then oh well.That was his mind to poison, not mine.

“If you ever show up here again, limp dick, I’ll break your fucking knees.Got it?”Talon’s words were a low growl that traveled no further than where Brantley stood, his brown eyes widening at the threat.

“I’ll have you know—” Brantley’s rebuttal died on his lips when, with one swift shove, Talon pushed his body across the hall, slamming into the wall behind him.

“Get thefuckout of here before I make good on that promisenow.”

Brantley stood a little straighter, shock evident in his features.In a sad attempt at mastering himself again, he straightened his button down and began making his way toward the elevator.Glaring toward me he said, “This is a mistake, Misely.”

I rolled my eyes.“No.It's not.Goodbye, Brantley.”

Despite his stinging words, defeat dulled his once bright features as the doors slid shut in front of him, and I wondered if maybe he’d finally given up.

I took my bags from Talon once we were alone inside my apartment and hauled them over to set outside my bedroom door.We still hadn’t said more than the few words we’d exchanged when he’d first arrived.Neither of us seemed to know what to say, both opening and closing our mouths like a couple of gaping fish.

Finally, I cleared my throat.“When did you get in?”I asked while passing him a glass of water.He took it almost timidly, taking a seat on my sofa.How odd to see him there looking so timid and out of place when the last time he was here, he was blackmailing me into going on some ill-fated road trip.

“About an hour ago.”

I blinked.Had he come directly here?

“Ah.”I had to clear my throat again, my cheeks growing warm.

The moments that passed in awkward silence made the unsettling feeling in my gut worse.The unsuredness.

“Talon, if you’re here because you think I’m pregnant, you should know—”

“I know you’re not pregnant.”

Right, Birdie had probably told him.

“You would have told me as soon as you found out.”he said firmly.

I spun, surprised.So, she hadn’t?I was confused.

“How can you be so sure of that?”

One of his shoulders lifted, his eyes never leaving mine.“Because you’re you.And you have a firm moral code and I think jumping on a plane without telling your lover he’s going to be a father probably goes against that code.No matter how shitty I am or how pissed you are at me.”

“Lover?”

“Would you prefer I say ‘man you’re fucking?’”It was a challenge, one I met with my own.

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