Page 5 of Beautiful Beast

Briggs: Can I come to see you?

Adam: That’s a negative.

Briggs: Let me know when I can. I’m really glad we’re stateside. That was… It was a bad scene, man. We should talk about it.

Adam: I’m constantly reliving it. Don’t want to talk about it.

Briggs: I’ll check in with you tomorrow.

My entire body hurts, and that’s an understatement.

Briggs was with me when shit went down, and we were on the same plane back to the city even though I refused to speak to him. He’s already checking on me, which confirms that I must look as rough as I feel.

Having men you trust enough to willingly go to war with them means a lot, but no amount of talking is going to fix what Syria broke inside me.

But I’ll feel somewhat better when the fresh roses arrive.

Chapter 2

Belle

Holy.Shit.

I can’t believe this is my actual life.

I’ve never been inside a building like the one my grandmother lived in, let alone even dared to dream about owning an apartment inside one. Her place isn’t nearly as large as my jerky new neighbor’s sounds, though.

I mean, how rich do you need to be to havefive levelsin Manhattan?

And my guess is that he lives alone because no one wants to marry an asshole, even if he does have a big wallet.

But my grandmother’s place is still sprawling with an open concept living and dining room that my old place could fit inside of six times, a full kitchen rather than the half-working kitchenette I’m used to, three whole bedrooms, and two full bathrooms.

As I pad around the place, my bare feet smacking against the hardwood and Buster’s nails clicking as he follows me, an uncomfortable sensation of intruding rises in my chest.

I barely remember my grandmother, who my mother told me was dead, and now I’m invading her personal space.

But she left this place to me in addition to a whole heaping platter of guilt. I can’t believe that I never knew she was still alive or got the chance to visit a sick old lady who cared enough about me to leave me everything.

And, man,everythingsure is substantial in this case.

I pause the exploration of my grandmother’s personal photographs, my heart aching that I’m not in any of them, to read the text message that just came through.

My evil bitch of a mother never would have given my grandmother any pictures of me, and I hate my mother so much for everything she’s stolen from me.

Ariel: Do have any idea who lives above you??

My best friend’s words bring a frown to my face because I certainly do know – the biggest jerk on planet earth. Rather than text Ariel back, I decide to settle on the comfortable leather couch, Buster at my side, and call her instead.

“…and he should come with a total hottie alert!” Ariel’s melodic voice is already halfway through a sentence by the time she answers the phone.

“Catch me up.”

Buster’s head is on my lap, and he looks up at me with mournful eyes as though he understands my pain before he starts snoring.

Ariel giggles. “Hi, Buster.”

“Right? He’s so loud, it’s like a freakin’ freight train.”

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