Page 119 of Cuffed By Love

I’ve been pacingmy living room restlessly for the past ninety minutes. Shall I call her? I hate the way we left things. I should have gone after her, demanded we talk and work things out, but I didn’t. I fucking didn’t, and I think I just lost her. I’m furious, and I know I don’t have the right to be, but I am. It was bad enough thinking she was sleeping with Levi, but to know she did all the things we did with him is making me crazy. I’ve dealt with this all wrong. I know that. I made her feel like a cheap tart when she’s not. She’s nothing of the sort.

Fuck, I didn’t mean for it to come across like that. I pick up my phone and stare at her number, my finger hovering over the call button. The sound of the elevator doors opening distracts me, and I see Levi walk out, his helmet under his arm, a thunderous look on his face.

He drops his helmet on the kitchen island with a loud thud and walks over to the bar to pour himself a scotch. He doesn’t even acknowledge me.

“What did you do to her?” He questions, lowly pouring himself a drink and knocking it back, then going for another.

I stare at his back, his whole posture stiff with agitation. “What are you talking about?” I utter, bringing the glass in my hand to my lips and taking a gulp.

“I’m talking about Mira!” He growls, turning to face me. What did she go running to my brother straight after our fight? Unbelievable.

I drop my gaze and stare into the glass. “Nothing that concerns you, all right. So stay the fuck out of it, and while you’re at it, stay the fuck away from her, too.”

Levi’s brows shoot up in surprise, and he chuckles darkly. “Pardon?”

“You heard me, Levi,” I utter grimly.

Levi rubs his jaw and nods, “And why the fuck would I do that? Who are you to tell me that I can’t see her? Are you her dad, her brother? Her boyfriend even?”

I lick my lips and fix him with a firm glare. “I’m the one she spent the last three days screwing in Rome.” I declare, setting my glass down. Levi stares at the ground; his jaw set tight, his hands curl into fists by his side. I can feel the anger coming off him in waves. “Take that and do with it what you will, but you stay the fuck away from her. Whatever you two had going is done. I’m sure she’s already told you that too by now.”

“Wow, you didn’t waste any time at all. You broke up with Megan what, two minutes ago? You should have given your dick time to dry before you go sticking it elsewhere, little brother.” Levi states, fisting and un-fisting his hands. “Can’t say I’m surprised. You’ve been waiting a long time to scratch that itch you’ve had for Mira. So congratulations, you finally got to bang her. I hope it was worth the nine-year wait.”

Levi takes a step toward me. I snort, “And you haven’t? You wanted Mira just as much as I did back then, but you never stood a chance. You knew how I felt about her, how I still feel about her, and you still went after her anyway.”

“Yeah, I did. I’ve always wanted Mira.” He confirms gravely, “I knew you were crushing on her, but unlike you, I didn’t pussyfoot around. And it turns out she had a crush on me all those years ago, too, so I stood a very good chance, bro. However, I saw how much she meant to you and how deeply she cared about you, so I let it be.” Levi explains and rubs a hand at the nape of his neck. “I never expected to run into her in Thailand of all places, and those two weeks I spent with Mira were…” He trails off and sighs.

“Were what?” I demand.

“Unforgettable.” He finishes and lifts his gaze to mine. “I fell for her quicker than I could catch myself, and I’ve never fallen for anyone, especially that hard and that fast.”

Don’t say that to me. I can’t stand the thought of you touching Mira let alone loving her. “Mira told me it was just a meaningless fling.”

Levi chuckles and nods, “She would because she doesn’t know how I feel about her. After Thailand, we kept in touch, constant phone calls, text messages, and I knew she felt something for me too, but with the distance, it was impossible, so we decided just to stay friends.”

“And then you show up here with the hopes of picking up where you left off.”

Levi pours himself another drink, “Yeah, and we did. And it was going great until I felt a vibe between the two of you, and she told me you knew about us and wasn’t happy about it. Deep down, I had a feeling that something would happen between you when you went away together. I knew there was no way you’d miss the opportunity to sleep with her after you broke up with Megan, completely disregarding that she was seeing me, and yet a couple of days in, and you fucked it up already.” Levi clarifies with a shake of his head.

I roll my eyes, “We had a fight, that’s all.”

“About me. Mira told you that we slept together, and you, like the selfish little prick you are, hit the roof because how dare anyone touch or play with your little toy.”

“She’s not my fucking toy!” I bellow and take a threatening step toward him. Levi takes one toward me, and we glare at one another.

“No? Then why do you treat her like one? If you genuinely cared about her, it wouldn’t have bothered you who she slept with a year ago. You weren’t even a part of her life back then, so what right do you have to be angry at her. You never could stand the thought of anyone else having her—especially me. That’s what you’re fucked off about, isn’t it? That I got to her first.”

I press my molars together hard while I glower at him. The rage inside me is at the point where it’s boiling over. “Shut the fuck up, Levi.” I hiss darkly.

“Truth hurts, does it, little brother? She tastes good, doesn’t she? I could never get enough of her tight pussy.” Before I could stop myself, I shove him back and swing for him, punching him square in the jaw. Levi shakes off the blow and rubs his jaw, straightening to his full height.

“Typical Devin, throwing a fucking tantrum because things are not going his way. You had the chance, and you screwed it up all on your own. You can punch and scream at me all you want, but I’m going to hit you where it really hurts. If you think this fight is over, you’re wrong. It’s only just beginning. Mira deserves better, and I’ll be damned if I step aside again and let you fucking hurt her.”

I grab him by the shirt and bring his face close to mine. “Mira’s mine, she always has been, and she always will be. You’ll be wasting your time. I can tell you that now. Do yourself a favour and move the fuck on, Levi, because the only one that’s going to get hurt is you.” I warn him sternly.

Levi shoves me forcefully. “What you think because you’ve slept with her a couple of times, you automatically get a certificate of ownership? Some sort of entitlement? She’s a big girl Devin, how about you try and show her some damn respect and let her decide what she wants instead of imposing on her?”

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, all right. You don’t have the slightest inkling of what Mira and I have or what she means to me. She told you she doesn’t want to see you anymore. How about you respect her decision and leave us the hell alone?”

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