her way to the coffee pot. She’s fucking lying. I feel like I’ve been hit by a damn bus even though I turned in early last night. The truth is, I just wanted to be alone. Fuck, that’s a lie. I wanted to get on my damn bike and head back over to Simone’s, but I stayed in my room listening to music and staring at the fucking ceiling.
Rivet pours her coffee before turning and leaning with her back against the counter. “It’s kind of strange for you both to be here all night.”
“What?” My brows furrow.
She angles her head to the hallway, and I look over just in time to see Jinx walking toward us. Only Jinx is supposed to be at Simone’s place and yet here he is with Leslie, the girl I fucked during the orgy we had last month, walking right beside him.
I stand from the table, cracking my neck in both directions, but I somehow maintain my calm until he kisses the girl goodbye and closes the front door on her.
He’s got a lot of fucking nerve. I haven’t gotten fucked since that damn orgy, and if balls could actually turn blue, mine would be navy, and here this fucker is spending his night with another woman when he’s supposed to be sleeping on Simone’s couch. He wants me out of her bed, then he knows the damn score.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I shove him the second he comes into the room, but instead of engaging, he frowns in my direction, heading to the coffee pot. “You’re supposed to be at Simone’s.”
“I can’t fuck Leslie at Simone’s. Do you know how rude that would be?”
“You weren’t supposed to be fucking Leslie, you dickhead.”
Rivet slides along the counter, giving Jinx access to the coffee pot, but she isn’t making any move to leave us alone.
“What’s going on?”
I inwardly groan when Cannon walks in and lines his body against his woman’s.
“Baby momma drama if I had to guess,” Rivet whispers, but it’s loud enough for me to hear.
“Oh, drama. I love drama first thing in the morning.” I can tell Cannon is being sarcastic, but I ignore him.
“I figured you stayed over there,” Jinx says as he turns back around to find me still glaring at him.
“I texted you and told you to go over there.”
“I was going to, but then Leslie texted while I was on my way. I didn’t think it was going to turn into an all-night thing, but you know how she does that thing—”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I roar.
My friend doesn’t even flinch with my outburst, and that only serves to piss me off even more.
Before I know it, my arm is pulled back, fist flying toward his face. We were in this exact same situation a week ago outside Simone’s apartment, only Griffin and Lawson aren’t here to stop it. My knuckles make contact with his chin, and I feel justified as his head snaps back.
His eyes hold all of his anger, and I’m shocked when he doesn’t set his coffee cup down and knock my damn lights out.
“Are you done?” he grits out.
Unsurprisingly, Rivet and Cannon continue to stand to the side, neither one wanting to get in the middle of what’s going on between my friend and me.
I have a million things to say to him, yet my mouth doesn’t seem to want to work. Maybe it’s the audience. Maybe I know saying all the shit I need to say will tear the two of us apart. Maybe I’m a coward and can’t admit my feelings out loud.
I walk away. It’s the only thing I can manage right now.
At what point is a woman worth losing a friend over? My grandfather, God rest his soul, would tell me never, but my grandmother was always his closest friend, so that doesn’t really apply to our situation.
Thankfully, the garage is empty when I enter, but as much as I try, I can’t focus on any of the things that need to be done out here. My bike is in perfect working condition. The oil was changed in the SUV last week. All the vehicles in the lot are spotless. So I sit, staring at the wall like it holds the answers to the millions of questions I’m too afraid to ask.
The garage heats with the rising sun, but I sit idle, guilt washing over me for hitting my friend. As if summoned, Jinx walks in. At first, he doesn’t