Page 65 of Sizzle
Her laugh sounds watery and it makes my own eyes go suspiciously hot.
If it’s something we did, I’m going to go find Alex and beat the crap out of him. Then I’ll let him beat the crap out of me for good measure.
“Please, Joelle. Did we do something wrong?” I don’t say his name, but the blush creeping up her neck tells me she knows what I’m asking.
“It’s… not about last night,” she whispers. “Last night was…” She rolls her lips together and blows out a shaky breath, blushing harder. “Ah, it was…”
“It was fucking amazing,” I say, looking her straight in the eyes, willing her to agree with me.
She nods, saving me from having to throw myself in front of a bus somewhere in despair.
“It was amazing,” she whispers.
“Good, glad we got that part settled,” I say, like I’m not about to collapse under a wave relief now that I know I didn’t completely fuck things up for us. “So what’s with the tears? Tell me who made you cry so I can go beat the shit out of them for you.”
“You first,” she says, keeping her voice low. “Why did you leave like that last night?”
I swallow, then swallow again before I can get the words out in any kind of reasonable order.
“Alex got a message from his ex last night.”
“Oh.” She’s watching my face carefully, but what she sees there I have no idea. “And that’s a problem.”
“Not that kind of a problem,” I tell her. “At least, not that I know of.” I run my hands through my hair. “You didn’t see him last year, after they broke up.”
“I take it she left him?”
“That stone cold bi—that person, she left him wrecked.”
“What happened? Did she meet someone else?”
I shake my head. I can’t elaborate, not until he’s had a chance to talk to her himself.
“Poor Alex.” Joelle’s sad again, which is the absolute opposite of what I want for her. She should always be smiling.
Now you’ve done it, jackass. Gone and fallen in love with a woman who’s not going to be around past her six-month mark. Genius.
I bury the thought, praying to God it doesn’t show on my face. Fortunately, she’s not looking right at me just now.
“But that still doesn’t explain why you left last night,” says Joelle bringing her gaze back to mine. “What did the message say? I mean, it’s none of my business, of course, but—”
“It is your business, sunshine.” I pin her in place with a look. Her eyes go wide and she nods, the hint of a smile curling one side of her mouth.
“It just asked if they could talk. She said she missed him.”
“Did he write her back?”
“No.” Her silence is pointed, and I shrug.
“What?”
“Oh, Elliot,” she says, stepping toward me to lay her hand against my cheek. She starts to pull her hand back but I grab it and press my lips to her palm. I feel rather than hear the soft gasp she makes.
“Tell me something,” she says.
“Anything.”
“Why do you think that text upset you so much you had to leave?”