the same things I did.
A sharp knock on my door roused me from my thoughts. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. Paisley hadn’t been back since last weekend when she’d pranced around here in her underwear. She was obviously avoiding me too, but since I wanted to avoid her, that worked out in my favor. Was she back? Had she decided to try again, or was she coming over to tell me I was an idiot for turning her down?
Or maybe it wasn’t her at all. It was hard to believe she cared enough about me to put in more effort than she already had. I was convinced it wasn’t me she’d been after, just the allure of a guy who was different. She’d been burned enough times that suddenly her best friend’s dorky brother didn’t seem like such a bad alternative.
No thanks. I didn’t want to be alone for the rest of my life, but I didn’t want to be someone’s second choice either.
Whoever it was knocked on the door again, hard. They really beat on it, like they were determined to get an answer.
“Yeah, hang on.”
I got up and thankfully remembered to look down to make sure I was wearing pants before answering the door. I was.
There was another knock right as I grabbed the doorknob. Seriously, who was pounding on my door on a Saturday morning and being such a dick about it? I opened the door and groaned.
It was him again.
This time he wasn’t dressed in a suit, but he still wore a button-down shirt and slacks. He had the sleeves cuffed, and his forearms flexed as he clenched his fists.
I raised an eyebrow. “Hello, Satan.”
Shepherd Calloway’s cold blue eyes narrowed. “Nash.”
“Might as well come in.” I held my arm out and stepped aside.
Without another word, he walked into my apartment. I shut the door behind him.
His gaze swept over the room, lingering on the comic books littering my coffee table. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. His face was hard and expressionless.
Silence stretched out between us. I was pretty sure he was waiting for me to break it. So I didn’t. Just stood my ground, crossed my arms, and waited for him to tell me what the fuck he was doing here.
Finally he spoke. “I thought we had an understanding.”
“Are you here to insist I make an honest woman out of her? Because I’ll let you in on a little secret. Hazel’s the one who’s going to protest that, not me.”
Oh god, I’d just said out loud that I’d marry her. Kind of.
But it was also kind of true.
Fuck.
“I’m here because I made it very clear how I felt about someone hurting her.”
“Yeah, you did. And I didn’t hurt her. Besides, why do you care?”
“Hazel is my wife’s best friend.” His low voice was almost monotone, yet dripping with threat. “She’s important to Everly, therefore she’s important to me. And you did hurt her.”
“What? I got annoyed with her, but all I did is walk away. I don’t think that’s bad enough to warrant you giving me the scary dad speech again.”
“I’m not talking about you being annoyed with her.” He emphasized the word. “I’m talking about you sleeping with another woman.”
“What?”
He didn’t reply. Just raised his eyebrows.
I had no idea what he was talking about. “I’m not sleeping with anyone. I was sleeping with Hazel, we both know that, but obviously that’s never happening again. And you know, maybe that’s better for me anyway. I’m probably just torturing myself. But have you ever been with a woman who feels so perfect you wonder if anything in the world will ever feel good again if you’re not with her?”
His brow furrowed. “Yes, actually.”
“See? That’s the problem. She’s fucking amazing and this whole thing sucks.”
“If she’s so goddamn amazing, why are you fucking your neighbor on the side?”
“What neighbor? I’m not sleeping with—” I stopped and stared at him for a second. “Wait, are you talking about Paisley?”
“That sounds right.”
I cast a quick glance at the wall my apartment shared with hers. “You think I’m sleeping with Paisley?”
His jaw hitched and he raised his eyebrows again. This guy had a stare that could freeze your balls off. It was pretty impressive.
“Who told you I was sleeping with her?”
“My wife. She spent last Saturday evening consoling Hazel after she came here. Your neighbor answered the door in her underwear.”
“What the fuck?” I blurted out. “I didn’t know Hazel came over.”
“So now I have no