Chaos & the Geek (Grace Grayson Security #1) - Elizabeth Stevens Page 0,43
back to the kitchen.
Brent pulled his arm out from Dannie’s and went to follow her. My hand rose from years of practise to stop him. He glared at me but didn’t fight me. “Amber!” he pleaded. “Come on. Can we at least talk about this?”
“Brent?” Dannie cried, frowning at his back.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Amber said, barely looking up from the mug she was wrapping.
“There is. Let me explain. Apologise properly. Please. I love you.”
The whole room went deadly still. Amber lowered her hands, the cup still half-wrapped in it, and looked at him over the rims of her glasses.
“You loved me, but you couldn’t go a few months without sex for me?”
He shrugged wildly. “It was a mistake. An accident.”
“Brent, closing your hand in the door is a mistake. That’s an accident–”
“But I love you.”
“And you think that makes it all better? Three words don’t excuse cheating, Brent.”
“Don’t you love me?”
I felt like I was at the tennis. Heads swivelled one side to the other to see what the next person would say.
“No,” Amber said simply.
“What? Not at all?”
Amber shrugged gently. “Nope.”
“Of course, she’d say that now,” Dannie scoffed.
Amber looked totally calm, totally confident; she was in charge here. “You believe whatever you want to. I know my truth and that is, quite frankly, all that matters. What the two of you think of me is no longer my problem.”
Brent sniffed. “So, that’s it? It’s over?”
Amber laughed, but it was humourless. “It was over when I found you under my best friend.”
“Amber…babe–”
I stepped closer to him. “You heard her,” I growled.
“Kit, leave him be,” Amber told me. “I’ll be done here soon, Dannie. I’ll leave the key when I lock up.”
“You’re kicking me out of my own apartment?”
“You’re welcome to stay. Just don’t get in the boys’ way.”
Dannie looked like she was going to argue. For about five seconds. She then stormed out. Brent had no choice but to follow her, what with not only me but Hawk scowling at him like looks could kill. As soon as they were in the hallway, they started arguing.
“You love her?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“Not that you love her!”
“It was always her.”
“It wasn’t her when you had your dick in me.”
“You’re a mistake, Dannie!”
“Well…” Rollie chuckled awkwardly as he pushed the door closed exaggeratedly. “Wasn’t that fun?”
“You okay, Bert?” Hawk asked.
She nodded, a little shaky but still confident. “Yeah. I’m okay.”
“For real?”
She smiled at him. “For real.”
He nodded. “Okay. Let’s be here for as little time as possible.”
We finished packing up all of Amber’s stuff and loaded it in the truck. We didn’t see Dannie or Brent again, but Amber did really seem okay. All I wanted was to console her, to wrap my arms around her and make sure she was okay. But that wasn’t something we did and I was going to keep reminding myself of that.
The guys helped us get the boxes and furniture loaded up in the lift at the Mayhew, while Donald held the doors open for us – it took a good few trips. I knew what this looked like to him and I knew what gossip was going to be spread around the rest of the staff as soon as his shift ended. But I didn’t care. As long as Amber was safe, I didn’t care.
“Fuck me, that was a lot of shit, Bert,” Hawk sighed after all her belongings were in the penthouse as he helped himself to a beer out of my fridge.
“I’m a collector,” was her defence.
“Chaos is gonna need to let you put some of it out here. It’s not all fitting in your room.”
I’d spoken to Hawk about the living arrangements. I’d told him Amber was planning to live with me until she finished studying at least. He’d been fine with it. But he wouldn’t have if he knew what thoughts my traitorous head was entertaining about her.
I looked to Amber and saw she was looking at me. Too many things passed between us unsaid. I felt every single one to the depths of my soul. I wanted to take all her hurt away and make sure it never came near her again. I wanted to make sure she never felt small or used ever again. Now I’d seen so much of it, I couldn’t bear for her to ever doubt her confidence again.
“Of…of course,” I finally said. “Re-decorating power and all. Unpack whatever wherever. Make yourself at home.”