Page 125 of Reckless Storm
Mouth agape, I stare at the TV, alone in my hotel room, stunned as tears prick my eyes.
They lost.
Storm lost their final playoff game and I’m on the other side of the goddamn world when Reed really needs me. Twenty-four hours before I’m due to fly home.
My phone buzzes on the desk beside the bed, and I dive across the mattress to check it, crying out when my wrist hits the wooden edge.
My heart pounds as I check the screen, desperate to speak to Reed. But of course it’s not him. It’s Amelia. Reed’s barely even walked off the field.
Amelia: They lost, Hayls. They lost
My stomach sinks as the reality of the loss sinks in.
Hayley: I’m watching and I feel sick. I’m not there, Amelia. I should be there. What do I do?
I picture Amelia’s soft smile as she types her response, and I know before I’ve even received it that she’s going to say it’s fine. But it’s not. It’s far from it.
Amelia: Reed understands, if that’s what you’re worried about. You can’t beat yourself up over this. Who knows, maybe Bria will step up and reach out?
Bria?I groan and immediately curse myself for reacting that way. I shouldwantBria to step up. I should be hopeful of that, for Reed’s sake. Because deep down, it’s what he wants. I have a strong sense that he’s in denial about his feelings, hoping it will help him move on.
And if that’s the case, I’m terrified she has the power to hurt him even more.
She had her chance.
When Reed told her about us,thatwas her time to step up, to show herself as the true best friend she always claimed to be. But she failed. She pulled back the second their friendship stopped going the way she wanted it to go. She’s supposed to support him througheverything. She should be the one picking up the pieces. We shouldn’t be questioning if she’s going to reach out. She should be there. On the sidelines.Ready.
She should have always been doing that.
Hayley: If she doesn’t? Can you give him a hug for me?
Amelia: Of course. We’re all here. We’ll make sure he’s okay
The tightness in my chest builds until I bite my cheek to shift the pain, finding it more comfortable to focus on the physical than the emotional. I can’t do anything from here. But when I get home, I’m going to make it up to him.
My eyes roll into the back of my head, but I force myself awake. I’m almost at Reed’s. So what if I haven’t slept in the last eighteen hours. He needs me, and if I’m being honest, I need him too.
The second the Uber pulls up to the curb, I rush out a thanks and grab my bags, power walking up Reed’s driveway, knocking with the urgency I feel in my chest.
When I’m met with silence, I bounce on my toes and pray that he’s home. “Come on, come on, come on.”
A female voice calls out, and I freeze, a chill running through me as I instantly regret not giving him notice. I consider turning around, but in the short space of time before she gets to the door, I conjure up so many scenarios that I’m no longer worried. I’m livid.
We may be in a fake relationship, but we had rules andnotfucking around was one of them. Just because I was on the other side of the world doesn’t—
“Hi. Can I help you?” A striking young woman opens the door, her long, dark hair pulled off her face, highlighting her sharp features and resting bitch face. Her cruel dark eyes appraise me from tits to toes, and when she finally makes it to my face,she smiles coldly, undoubtedly registering my tired expression, marking me as harmless.
No competition.
But she’s wrong. I will stake my claim and slap a girl if I have to. Reed is mine, bitch. No one-night stand is going to—
“Hayls?” Reed calls out from the end of the hall, his voice full of wonder. “You’re home?”
He takes off in a slow jog, gently brushing past the woman without even glancing in her direction and pulling me into his arms. “Fuck, you’re a sight for sore eyes. I can’t believe you’re here.” He leans close and whispers in my ear, “Exactly when I need you.”
My brows furrow as he pulls back, but when Miss Thinks-she’s-better-than-me frowns, I smile.
“Who’s your friend?” I ask Reed and the woman scoffs.
