Page 28 of The Tangle of Awful

Like Spencer.

Ouch. That hurts.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” I huff out. “I just…this place is too stressful. Too beneath you. Come work for me instead. The pay will be a hell of a lot better. That much I can assure you.”

Hiring Aubrey to spend every hour of every day with me, all because I got a little jealous of some college dweeb checking her out, is high on my list of stupid decisions. But it’s a decision I stand by nonetheless.

She’s quiet as we get back into my car. I don’t immediately start the engine, waiting for her to speak again. Finally, she turns her unsure gaze on me, fingers nervously picking at the frayed edges of her jean shorts.

“You seriously want me to work with you?”

Now that I’ve said it, it’s exactly what I want.

Not what I need if I plan on keeping my dick in my pants around her, but it’s what I want, that’s for damn sure.

“Absolutely,” I say with a genuine smile in an effort to warm her to the idea. “With this campaign, everything is a lot busier than usual. And I can’t trust just anyone to fill in those gaps. I want you, Love.”

Her cheeks pinken and she’s unable to hold my stare. She’s fucking adorable. I’d also be lying if I said my ego doesn’t love how she seems to hang on my every word. It feels great even if it is the worst thing to be fixating on.

“I don’t have anything appropriate to wear,” she murmurs, gesturing at her bare, tattooed thighs. “All my clothes are like this.”

I allow myself to linger my stare on her legs since she’s pointing them out and clearly wants me to look. Casually, I rest my hand on my dick to hide the fact I’m getting harder by the second.

“We’ll go shopping today.” My voice is gruffer than usual. “I’ll buy you whatever you need.”

She perks up and grins at me. “Maybe by the end of the summer, I’ll be making enough to buy a car.”

I’ll buy her a car, too, if that’ll make her happy, but I’m not going to overwhelm her right now.

“Is that a yes you’ll accept the job then?”

She nods and then leans over the console to hug me. “Yes. Thank you, Hugo. You really are the best man I know.”

Unable to resist, I give her naked thigh a quick squeeze and kiss the top of her head. “I told you I’d take care of you, Love. You’re my sweet girl who deserves everything good in this world.”

Good, though, would be letting her work at the donut shop, free to date dorky PMU students who awkwardly flirt with her. Good would be removing my hand from her goddamn thigh. Good would be refraining from getting a hard-on every time I’m near her.

She thinks I’m the best man she knows…

Turns out, I’m actually the worst.

Aubrey

Spencer’s still gone by the time we finish our shopping later that afternoon. The house isn’t quieter without him, but it’s something. Less tense. Empty.

I ignore the emptiness and peek into his room after depositing all my bags into mine. As soon as I crack the door, his masculine scent envelops me. It’s annoying that monsters smell good, especially this one.

Though I’d come to his defense earlier when Tasha was here, I couldn’t help but also feel unnerved by his behavior. I’d heard their heated voices and listened in a bit before I intervened.

She was scared.

For Mom.

Like she thought she was dead.

Sickness roils in my gut. Mom and I have had our differences and she’s been less than motherly to me my entire life, but I’d never wish her to die.

Would Spencer have it in him to hurt my mother?

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