Page 123 of Play Me
I start to step forward, my heart in my throat and words touch my tongue, but I recoil when I realize it’s not Astrid greeting me. It’s taser girl.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, dressed in pajama pants and a tank top. Her hair is wild and her eyes groggy like she’s been asleep.
“Is Astrid home?” I narrow my eyes, stopping myself. “I’m sorry. What’s your name again?”
She sighs. “I’m Gianna, and you aren’t seeing Astrid tonight, so fuck off.” She starts to close the door, but I catch the edge with my hand.
“Excuse me?” I ask, flinching. “What do you mean that I’m not seeing Astrid tonight? She’s expecting me. I told her that I was going to come by when I got back to town.”
“Cool story, bro.”
“Gianna,please,” I say, unnerved by the look in her eyes. I’ve been through far too much today to deal with her. “I need to talk to Astrid.”
She glances over her shoulder, then turns to me. The icicles she throws my way would kill a lesser man. “I’ll tell you what you need, Gray, and that’s to get in your truck and go home. I just got Astrid to fall asleep, which was no small feat tonight since you left her a fucking mess. She’s finally resting, and you aren’t waking her up. Period.”
I left her a fucking mess?I lick my lips, as my mind spins. Yes, I talked fast on the phone and it probably could’ve been construed to be suspicious, but she should know I’d come back and explain …right?“Is she mad that I left town?”
“The fact that you’re asking that question is indicative of the problem.” She lifts a brow. “Is she mad that you left town? Theoretically, I’d say no. But when you don’t tell her and flee inthe middle of the night, and she discovers on her own that you were not flying to an emergency like you said, but were rather meeting a woman named Liza in Colorado … yeah, Gray. It’s a little suspicious.” Her jaw flexes. “If you know anything about Astrid at all, you can deduce why this is a problem.”
The porch drops out from under me. I blink once, then twice, trying to wrap my head around what Gianna just said.
There’s no way that anyone knows where I went today. I told no one—not a single soul.So, how does Astrid know about Liza?
I gulp.
What else does she know?
I swallow a surge of panic and try to control my breathing. Getting frantic won’t do anyone, least of all me, any good.Oh, God.Bile creeps up my throat as the gravity of the situation lands on my head. She thinks I’m lying to her. She thinks there’s another woman.
She probably thinks I’ve been playing her like every other man in her life has played her in the past.
I’m going to be sick.
“In order to expedite this conversation and get you out of my face, I’ll throw you a bone since you seem to be … perplexed,” Gianna says. “You left a letter on your kitchen counter.”
“Oh, fuck.” I hiss a breath, my heart pounding erratically. “She doesn’t know what she read. Please, Gianna, let me see her. Let me explain.”
“If I had my taser, I’d tase you for fun.”
I growl. “I’m not in the mood for your dark humor.”
“Well, I’m not in the mood for you. So kick rocks, dude.”
“I just need to explain …Astrid!”
She steps into the hallway behind her friend, looking shocked to see me. Her eyes are swollen, and her lips are puckered together.She’s been crying.
My beautiful spitfire is broken because of me.
“Hey,” I say, sidestepping an unhappy Gianna. “Hey, sweetheart. Let me explain.”
“What is going on, Gray?” Astrid asks, the sound muffled by the emotion in her throat. It’s as if she’s uncertain whether she wants to hear me out or not. Like maybe her mind is already made up.
“Want me to kick his ass out?” Gianna crosses her arms over her chest. “Give me the signal and I’ll dropkick him to his truck.”
I glare at her. “Stop it.”
“You don’t get to come in here and?—”
