Page 48 of Rules Of Our Own

“Mia.” Jason sounds shocked. I have no idea how he can be this delusional.

I push off the door and skirt around Jason, not turning my back to him as I make my way to my apartment. “It’s late. I think you should go.”

“We’re not done talking,” he says through clenched teeth.

“I think you are.” Mark steps fully out of his apartment, revealing his full size. He’s over six feet tall and twice as wide as Jason’s wiry frame. He’s so warm and friendly I’ve always thought of him like a teddy bear, but right now, all tatted up and giant, he’s scary as shit.

Jason must think so, too, because he raises both hands in front of him in a placating motion. “You’re right. It’s late. I’ll talk to you later.” He hits the button for the elevator, and the doors open within seconds.

“Answer your texts next time, Mia,” he shoots over his shoulder as he steps inside.

“Are you going to be okay handling him?” Mark asks the second the doors close.

I rub my palm over my face. What if I said no? “He was just drunk. I’ll talk to him, and I’m sure it’ll sort itself out. If not, I have a friend I can stay with.”

Jax will definitely get arrested if I have to explain why I want to move in there. “I’m fine. Thanks though. Just tired.”

“You need anything, just knock.”

“Will do. Thanks again. Seriously, you really helped me out.”

I shut the door behind me, lock it, then collapse against it, sliding my back down the wood until my ass connects with the floor. Crookshanks meows and weaves around my legs, purring loudly. I stroke his hair and take deep breaths until the adrenaline dissipates enough for me to breathe normally.

My phone vibrates nonstop in my pocket, and I click Accept. River’s face fills my screen, and he scans me back and forth before his eyes meet mine. “Are you alright?”

How the hell did he know?

“Yeah, of course, why wouldn’t I be?” My voice cracks at the end, and the back of my eyes burns.

His brows pull together. “You’re not alright. What happened?”

He sounds so genuinely concerned I nearly crumble right there. I wish I could rewind time. Crawl back into bed between them and just forget about everything else.

“What happened?” Alex shoves his way into frame, and his smile drops when he looks at me. “Mia?” He sounds entirely too serious to be my fun-loving Alex.

“It’s fine. I’m just being silly, really. Nothing happened. He wasn’t even that close.”

“Who wasn’t that close,” River growls low in his throat.

“Um.” Both men watch me through the phone and wait for my answer. “My ex. He…ah…he was at my apartment, wondering why I hadn’t been answering his texts… He was…he was drunk and scared me a little, but it’s not a big deal. Like I said, I was just being silly, overreacting.”

“Mia. Listen to me. First, I want you to check that you locked your door.” River’s voice is a steady command, and I get up and confirm it’s latched.

“It’s locked.”

“Good. Now, I want you to go sit on the couch.” His tone is gentle, like he’s talking to a frightened animal.

I sink into the rough fabric of my sofa and pull my legs up. I flick on the light beside me and look at the two men still filling my screen. “Okay.” I try to change the subject. “What are you up to?”

River lets out a breath. “You’re trembling.”

What? I look at my hand holding my phone, and sure enough, it’s vibrating in the air. I give them a wan smile. “Okay, so maybe I was a little freaked-out.” I punctuate it with a fake laugh, but neither of them matches it. “But I swear, it’s fine. He didn’t even stay long. I’m just tired from the trip.”

“Want me to call Jax?” Alex asks.

“No,” I say too sharply and clear my throat. “The last thing I need is this blowing out of proportion. My ex was drunk. He came to talk, but it’s late. I was alone and uncomfortable. Nothing happened. I’m fine.”

Alex scans my face, and a menacing grin curls his lip. “Want me to talk to him?”

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