Page 32 of Faking it with the Damaged Protector

She sighs, sympathy softening her features. I grit my teeth. I don’t want it.

As she stands, she motions to the kitchen. I follow her, leaving Leo wrapped under his duvet.

“Look, I know he’s Brandon’s best friend, but Roman… are you sure you want to work for him?” Chloe keeps her words hushed.

I switch on the coffee machine, scraping my hair off my face as I weigh up my answer. “Honestly, no, probably not. But Leo needs me.”

“What about… what I saw at your parents’ party?”

“None of your business.”

“Maddie, I’m worried about you.” My breath hitches as she takes my hand, her eyes pleading. “Roman is difficult, complicated. He could hurt you?—”

“He won’t. I won’t let him.” I rip my hands away, turning around so I no longer have to face her. She feels too close, too familiar, when I see her like this, her worry transforming her from a stranger back into my best friend.

“You do realize your fiancé got me this job?” I sneer the word.

She recoils, using the counter for support. “I do, but if he would have told me, I would have warned him against it. I’ve never trusted him, not with all the things I’ve heard. Brandon is naïve; he doesn’t see it like we do. He doesn’t see the impact a man like that can have on a woman.”

I massage my temples, my throat thickening with tears. I wish her warnings were unnecessary, but I keep getting myself into these situations and I don’t know how to escape this time. I care too much about Leo to try, and apparently, Roman cares too much about Leo to let me go.

“He looks at you like he wants to ruin you,” Chloe whispers. “He always has.”

I whip my head around at that, shocked. “What?”

“Every time you’re in the same room, he’s looking at you. Always. And it’s… it’s dangerous.”

Does he really? I never noticed, despite being painfully aware of his presence whenever he’s nearby. I want to say she’s being paranoid, but it would explain why we quickly fell into each other at the party and then again at his office.

There’s something between us. Maybe it’s been brewing for longer than I thought.

“I need the job,” I admit. “I told him we would keep things professional, but I need the job. This isn’t helping me, Chloe. It’s just confusing me.”

“I’m sorry.” She bows her head. “I’m sorry for everything. I miss you, Maddie…”

I miss her too. Right now, with our whispered conversation and her concern, I ache with all the love I once had for her. But I still can’t trust her the way I used to. She isn’t my person anymore. She’s Brandon’s.

I move to change the subject quickly, afraid of the pain her words bring. “Are you sure that Leo will be okay?”

She nods. “I think so. There’s nothing too alarming — except the fact his dad isn’t here.”

“Yeah, well… His dad is an asshole.” I bite the inside of my cheek, allowing myself a small smirk when she laughs.

“Yeah, he is.” She pushes off the counter, checking the time on her phone. “I should head back, but call me if you need anything.”

“Okay. I will.”

She stops at the door to the hallway, shifting from foot to foot until her scrubs whisper against each other. “Please be careful, Maddie. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

You already hurt me, I want to reply, but I bite my tongue and tip my head in acknowledgment instead.

After all, she’s done me a favor today. I’m grateful for that, no matter the wounds she leaves gaping open when she disappears. I hope, one day, they’ll be stitched up and I can forgive her, but that’s the least of my worries right now.

So, I snuggle up with Leo, all the while wondering when his dad might finally come home.

CHAPTER13

Roman

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