Page 71 of Craving the Player

“What do you want?”

“Who is this? Is Sierra there?” Cole asks, his tone cautious. Good, he should be nervous.

“It’sher boyfriend,” Iall but growl at him, surprising myself when Iuse the title. We’ve never really discussed placing alabel on our relationship, but this fucker doesn’tneed to know that.

“Right.” He clears his throat. “Well is Sierra available to talk? We need to discuss her flight times.”

My eyes narrow as my stomach clenches, worry building in my spine. “What do you mean, flight times?” Don’ttell me he’sattempting to take her on atrip somewhere. I’ll break both of his knee caps and push him in abusy street.

“Yes. Flight times. For her move to Toronto next week,” he says, as if I’macomplete idiot for not knowing what he’stalking about. There’san unmissable amount of happiness in his tone that has my fingers curling and nostrils flaring.

“She hasn’tdecided if she’staking your creepy ass offer yet, dickbag,” Igrind out, gripping my jaw tightly. “You’re messing with the wrong fucking girl, Cole Taylor. Don’tthink that Iwon’tbreak you in half just because you’re my girl'sboss. Ipromise you that she would not sympathize with you in the slightest.”

“Is that so?” He sounds bored. And fuck does that piss me off. “I’msorry to be the one to inform you, but she has actually taken my offer. Maybe you should have atalk with your girlfriend before throwing such careless threats around. It seems that you’re not on the same page. Please make sure you tell her to call me after you have your much needed talk.”

The dial tone rings in my ear after he hangs up on me. Isqueeze my eyes shut and dig deep for any ounce of calmness left in my ice cold body.

Iknow that Ihaven’texactly been the most open about what exactly Iwanted from this relationship, but Iassumed she knew me well enough to know that Ididn’tthink of this as afling. Imight not be ready to offer her afuture of forever, but Iwould try and give her something close, if that’swhat she wanted.

The thought of not having her anymore is like being stabbed from front to back with aserrated knife only to have it ripped back out again. The mere idea of it makes bile sting my throat and my heart crack down the middle.

After spending the past couple of months getting to know each other, Iwould have hoped that she would have told me about something as big as her taking ajob across the country. If not for her own conscience, then for me. Because if she is planning on leaving, then Idon’tknow why the fuck we’ve been wasting our time together, building something that would only burn to the ground.

With afire raging in my chest, Itoss her phone on the bed and stand, nearly ripping my door off its hinges as Iopen it. Ispot her leaning against the kitchen counter wearing abaggy shirt and pyjama pants as she laughs at something Clayton must have said.

Unable to hold myself back, Iyank off the bandaid without warning. “When were you going to tell me that you took that fucking job?”

When she spins to stare at me, wide-eyed and tense, Iknow that Cole was telling the truth. That fucking weasel was telling the truth and she’sbeen lying to me for days. What aslap to the face.

“Brade—” she squeaks, but Icut her off with adark chuckle.

“Inever took you for aliar, Sierra. It definitely doesn’tsuit you.”

“Inever lied to you. Ihadn’tdecided yet,” she mumbles, staring at her toes, her neck adark shade of red. Guilt flows off of her in waves, but Idon’tlet it affect me. Irefuse to back down from this. My pride is far too bruised from being played like aGoddamn fiddle to care about how bad she feels.

“That’snot an excuse. You had plenty of time over the past few days to tell me. I’ve been with you constantly. But you were going to wait, right? Until when? The day you left? Well sorry to ruin all of your fun, but Iknow now and I’mdone wasting my time.”

“Wasting your time? Nice,” she scoffs, looking at me again with narrowed, raging eyes.

“If Iwould have known that you would be leaving Iwouldn’thave bothered letting you meet my parents or leave your shit all over my house! You made everything so much more complicated,” Ihiss, running ahand through my hair and pulling at the ends painfully. My vision taints with red, an all-consuming anger tearing at my insides until they’re nothing but ashredded mess.

“Well it’sgreat to know that it’sso easy for you to throw me away and move on with your life. It’snot like I’mmoving to another country! We could always try to make it work.”

“I’mjust going to go,” Clayton mumbles, earning himself aglare from both of us as he scurries off to his bedroom.

When his door shuts behind him, Ispin back to Sierra, adangerous mix of betrayal and ahurt so deep that Ifeel winded building deep in my chest.

“Try to make what work? As much as Ilove fucking you, I’mnot going to fly across the country to have an endless tap of your pussy.” Ilaugh humourlessly, ignoring the ache in my chest when Isee the new shine in her silver eyes. My protective walls slide back up, where they should have been the entire fucking time. Iwas ahelpless idiot to think it was okay to let them down.

“Good to know,” she whispers, shoulders dropping before she’swalking to the front door, not sparing me asecond look.

I’mhot on her heels, aching to push her against the wall and fuck this decision right out of her. Idon’twant her to leave, but the words don’tstop flowing from my fat mouth, deepening the rift that’snow formed between us.

“Iwish you the best of luck. I’msure Cole will be there for all of those lonely nights,” Isay, although Ifind the words burning the entire way up my throat.

She slips her shoes on quickly and opens the door, hesitating in the doorway. “Iknew that you wouldn’tcome with me. That’swhy Ididn’tsay anything. Iknew that telling you Itook the job would have meant the end of us. Ishould have told you, Iknow that. Ijust wanted more time.”

And then she’sgone, stepping into the hallway and disappearing from my life.

Ican’tfind it in myself to chase her, or close the door once she’sgone, no matter how badly Itry. Instead, Isend my fist through the wall and watch the drywall dust float in the air, too numb to care that my blood now drips on the floor.

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