Page 2 of Punt

"Hey!" the woman protested.

I whipped back around to see he'd shoved her off him. She threw out her arms and almost tumbled onto the floor. Honestly, I'd be okay with it if she had. She was inmybed, screwingmyboyfriend. She deserved it. Theybothdid.

I squinted. I recognised her. What was her name? I couldn't remember. She wasn't someone I knew well, but I'd seen her around. Her boyfriend was a friend of Kris'. A good friend too.

"Ash, wait." Kris hopped up, naked except for one sock, and reached out a hand to me.

"Don't tell me it's not what it looks like," I snapped.

He hesitated, as though that was exactly what he was going to say. "I— I can explain?"

Was he asking or telling me? Did he even know?

I dashed tears off my cheeks and crossed my arms over my chest. "Well then?"

There was literally nothing he could say which would make this right.Nothing. I shouldn't even try to humour the cheating asshole.

I stood there, staring at him. Who the hell was he? He looked like the guy I lived with, the guy I shared a goldfish with, until it died last week. At the same time, he looked like a total stranger.

"Brandi needed some comfort…" he said uncertainly.

Right, Brandi.

I looked over his shoulder. Brandi stood beside my bed, with Kris' pillow held in front of her, pressed against her bare breast and pussy.

Thank fuck it wasn't my pillow.

Wait, what was I thinking? She was still naked inmyroom. She'd screwed my boyfriend, and she didn't even look sorry for doing it.

She gave me a sweet smile.

Heaven help me, but if she suggested I join them, I'd take that pillow and shove it where the sun don't shine. Yeah, somehow I'd make it fit.

"I was upset." Brandi had one of those voices that sounded like a little girl, even though she was very much a grown woman. "My boyfriend is out of town and I was lonely. Kris was just?—"

My eyes swivelled back to Kris. "While the cat's away, hmmm? I wasn't due back home until tomorrow, so you figured…" My lips twisted bitterly. "What I don't know won't hurt me?"

"It's not like that," he protested. "It just…happened."

"Right," I snapped. "And how many times has it 'just happened' before?"

He looked shocked. "Never. I swear. I wouldn't do that to you, I love you. I just…"

I shook my head. "Yeah, you just… Just cheated. Just fucked up. In. Our. Bed."

I wanted to cry, or throw something heavy. I wanted to turn around and run.

I might do the first later, when I was alone. The last one— I wouldn't be the one to leave. My name was on the mortgage to this place.

"Get your stuff and get out," I growled. "You have an hour. Anything still left, I'll throw out the window."

"But Ash." He reached for me.

I stepped back out of reach.

"One hour." I turned on my heel and walked out of the room. Four steps and I was in the kitchen. I turned on the coffee machine and pretended to be busy while Brandi dressed and scurried out the door.

I rubbed my fingertips over my forehead. The start of a headache was coming on. That was the least surprising thingthat happened today. Walking in on my boyfriend in bed with another woman would give anyone a migraine.

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