Breakaway - Sadie Jacks Page 0,14

waited until she stood upright again. “I was just going to show you how women typically wear these. You’re very considerate of Tag’s feelings, even though he’s an ass.”

She lifted her arms up until she formed the sexiest T I’ve ever seen in my life.

I wrapped the towel around her body. Snugged the extra corner in between her breasts and stepped back as if my hands were on fire. It wasn’t the fire in my hands I was worried about. “Let me get you some clean clothes to wear.”

Her face fell. “I bet you wear clothes all the time, huh?”

I was leaning forward to taste the pout on her lips when another knock sounded on the door behind me. I jerked back, wanted to punch myself in the face. “What?” I called without looking over my shoulder.

“Tag said Ainsley’s on the phone. You weren’t answering,” Toven called.

I winced. Shit. I was supposed to call her back when I got home. I’d been a little preoccupied.

“Thanks, Tove. I’ll call her.”

Hollyn’s eyes were bright. “Do you have another replica?”

I laughed, the knot in my belly dissolving in an instant. “No. Ainsley is my girlfriend. I’ve been meaning to break up with her. Tonight has given me some new clarity on things.”

Hollyn gave me a puzzled smile. “Is a girlfriend like a mate? You guys have sex?”

Heat rushed over my face. Hell, my entire body. I nodded. “Yeah. Do you not have those where you’re from?”

She shook her head. “No. We have mates and bed partners. I’m not sure they are called girlfriends. I’ve never heard that term before.”

“How about boyfriend? Ever heard that one?” I forced myself not to clench my teeth. Or curl my hands into fists.

She shook her head. “No. After—” She cut herself off. Shook her head again. “No. No mate or bed partners. For the most part, I was too weird. Had my head in the clouds or my nose in a book. People tended to leave me alone.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. Gave me a crooked smile. “If you have those clothes, I’ll try to wear them.”

I smiled at the choice of words. She was going to try to wear clothes. I nodded and turned back to my closet. If I were a girl who hated clothes, but had to wear them, what would I choose? I grabbed a set of new boxers. Why Ainsley kept buying them for me, I had no idea. I wore boxer briefs.

I also grabbed a wash-worn A-line tank top. Put it back down, grabbed a black one. I didn’t need to tempt myself any more with being able to see Hollyn’s body through a threadbare white wife-beater.

As I stepped back out into my bedroom, Hollyn was nowhere to be seen. I rushed to the door. If Tag’s run her off, I’m going to beat his–A soft snore had me turning around so fast, I almost lost my towel.

Hollyn was sprawled on the floor. Her dark purple hair in a loose knot at the top of her head. Her towel sliding open as she breathed. Her arms and legs were spread in a giant X.

I smiled as I dropped the clothes at the foot of the bed. Yanking off the thin blanket that covered the foot of my bed, I snapped it open and let it drift down over her supine form.

Her brow wrinkled as the cloth settled on her, but with a soft snort, she curled onto her side and tightened her fists into its material.

“Sleep well, Stretch.”

**

“No, Ainsley, you don’t need to come over here. It’s not going to change my decision. I should have done this months ago.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. I wasn’t sure how many other ways I could tell her I was done. If she didn’t get the message soon though, I was afraid I was going to have to get rude.

“But this has come out of nowhere, Thane. If you were feeling this way for all these months, why are you just now bringing it up? What’s changed between heading out for your run and getting home almost two hours late?” Her high-pitched voice was grating on my nerves.

From the questions, I knew she didn’t really even care, other than the fact that I was the one doing the dumping instead of her. She would have been in tears if she’d had any more feelings than this. Hell, she cried when a child dropped his juice against