Page 23 of Bound by Destiny
“On it. I’ll have something by the end of the day. Whose car is over at Emery’s?”
My skin prickles at the thought of him with his hands on her. With him breathing the same air as her. He doesn’t deserve to be in the same space as her. The little shit is playing with fire here and the way he looked at me—chin up and shoulders back, he knows it, and he’s ready to do battle with me.
My feelings for Emery grow with every minute we spend together, and I fear that she’s put me in the friend zone. It’s damn time I change that perception and fast. Especially with that twerp here. Who knows how long he’s staying, but considering he bought his house outright, he has money and isn’t going anywhere for a while.
This poses a problem that I need to handle immediately because he wants Emery. He wants her for his own, and that’s not happening.
“Micah.”
Her hands fall to the table with a thump. “He better not be trying to screw with her head. That’s all he’s ever done with her. One minute it’s hot and they are close. The next is cold and he’s pushing her away. She’s had enough and doesn’t need him adding to it.”
“He wants her.” Why I’m talking to Austyn about this, I don’t fucking know.
She laughs. “He’s always wanted her, even when he didn’t pay her any attention. She was always the one in the background that he knew one day he’d be with, but didn’t have to commit to knowing she’d always be there waiting.”
This isn’t what I want to hear. Emery and Micah have this past that I’ll never be able to touch. There are bricks already laying their foundation, whether she wants to admit it or not. Whether or not those bricks are unshakeable, I don’t know.
If Emery wants him, I’ll back down because it’s what she wants. But she’ll see first what I’m about before she ever makes that decision. Friend time is over. Distance is over.
I lean back in the chair, hearing it creak with my weight. “You think she’s still waiting?” It’s a question I really don’t know if I want the answer to, but need to know.
“I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it since he was at the clubhouse the last time. But something in her changed that night. I could tell in her eyes and the way she held herself. I just don’t know what yet.”
A woman’s mind is a battlefield. Trying to sort out what was in her eyes or wasn’t... well, it’s a mystery that may never be solved. “Alright. I’ve gotta head out.” I rise from the table, but Austyn doesn’t.
“You like her.” Her voice is soft and reserved. It’s a statement, not a question. She’s read me.
Not going to deny it, I respond immediately. “Yeah. I like her a fuck of a lot, Austyn.”
She pops her lips, thinking for a moment. “You gonna take her?”
To this, I smile. “I can only take what she’s willing to give.”
“Right.” She smiles, getting up and leading me to the door just as I see Micah leaving Emery’s house. She isn’t waiting for him to leave at the door like she does with me. No, her door is shut. I have the urge to go over and talk to her, make sure she’s okay.
Fuck it.
“Later,” I call out to Austyn as I make my way back to Emery’s house and knock on the door. When she opens it, she’s covered in tears and falls into my arms instantly. Lifting her, I cradle her in my arms and take a seat on the couch, while she shakes with sobs.
I’ll fucking kill him if he touched her.
Doing a quick inventory, she doesn’t appear to be hurt in any way on the outside. It’s what’s on the inside that has me worried. There are so many things that dick could’ve said to her it makes me want to roar with fury.
Rubbing my hand up and down her back, I keep her close to me letting her get out whatever this is. She needs it. We sit there for long minutes and as much as it kills me that she’s crying over another fucking man, I don’t move from my spot. I inhale her hair and try to take on as much of her pain as she’ll allow me.
Her body heaves in deep breaths telling me she’s almost done, but she still clutches on to me. “Want to tell me about it?”
She lifts her head, realizing where she is and what she’s been doing, then starts to get up from my lap. I don’t let her; instead, I hold her tighter. Her face is so damn close to mine as she swipes the tears from her face, yet they leave stains where they were.
“I’m sorry, Jacks. I didn’t mean to…” She huffs out deep. “You don’t want to get involved with my drama, Jacks. It’s okay.” Her smile is so fake it pisses me off. Is that really what she thinks?
“You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t get involved in, Emery. Have I not been at your place at least once a day since you moved in here? Have I not eaten dinner with you several times? Watched movies? Spent time with you? Fuck, Em. I’m so involved and you don’t even realize it.”
“I know you have, and I’m grateful. I’ve enjoyed every minute with you. You’re a great friend that I don’t need to be dumping myself on.”
Friend.A motherfucking friend. Is she serious right now? She can’t be this clueless, or is she friend zoning me because she wants to be with him? Fuck! It’s like the past repeating itself all over again, throwing it in my face. And the sad thing is, I know how this will end.
Only I can change the outcome, or at least, try.
