Page 160 of Merciless
I’ve no idea why I do it. I blame the sweet scent of the fresh pastry and the mouthwatering rich coffee, but the second he steps forward, I immediately move back, inviting him in.
Goddamn it.
“You’ve got ten minutes.” I growl, closing the door and following him down the hallway and into the open-plan living area.
“Dude, this place is insane,” he says, his eyes glued to the wall of windows that look out over our yard, pool, and then nothing but woodland. “No wonder you don’t want to share.”
Ignoring him, I take one of the coffees from the take-out tray and steal the bag of pastries.
“Hey, who said I was sharing?” he whines like a little bitch as I hop up onto a kitchen stool at the island and take a sip.
Fuck, I needed that.
I continue drinking, letting the caffeine rush through my system as JD takes himself on a tour of our living space.
I tense when he pauses to look at photographs of me and Alana over the years, the ones she put up like a collage on the wall.
My teeth grind and my grip on the coffee makes the cup crumple in on itself as he continues staring.
“JD,” I bark, hating that he has his eyes on my wife.
“She’s really quite beautiful. Such a shame to keep her locked up here.”
“I don’t.” I spit. It’s true. Before we got married, yes, she was under some kind of house arrest, but it wasn’t enforced by me. She knew that if any other Hawk saw her that they’d report it to her father and she’d be dragged straight back to hell. But since we said our vows, she’s been free to roam wherever she pleases. She just chooses not to most of the time. And I can’t say I blame her. I’d rather be here than in our shithole of a town any day. “She’s free to do whatever she wants.”
“Bet you’re regretting that now, huh?” he says, finally ripping his eyes from the photos and walking toward me.
He takes a sip of his coffee before stealing one of the pastries and resting his ass on the other stool.
“Gotta be honest, man. You’ve looked better.”
Irritation rolls through me. Even more so because he’s also rocking a black eye and split lip.
“Could say the same to you,” I mutter.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to take one for the team, and help your bro burn off some steam.”
If he wants me to ask about Reid, then he’s got another thing coming because the less I have to think or talk about that prick, the better.
“So no broken bones or anything then?” he asks when I don’t respond.
“Sorry to disappoint. He’ll have to try harder next time.”
“You know, I don’t think you two are all that different, really. You have a lot of things in common. The same kinds of taste.”
“JD,” I snap. “Why are you here?”
“Following orders,” he repeats from earlier.
I study him, suspicious as fuck.
“Well, you can report back that I’m fine.”
“Aside from the hangover, the battered body, and the bleeding foot?”
“Why the fuck do you care? Wouldn’t you prefer if he’d ended me on Friday night?”
He shrugs. “Jury’s still out. Just because Reid and I are tight, it doesn’t mean I have to have the same opinion as him.”