Bliss by Kaylee Ryan Page 0,29

to me. However, this girl doesn’t seem to be getting the hint. I might have to use that line to get our food.

“Me and some friends are hanging out at the bar next door tonight. You should stop by.” Again, she bats her eyelashes. They’re fake as hell, and that’s just not sexy. Not to me.

“No, thanks,” I tell her flatly.

“Oh, come. It will be fun.” She winks.

“I’ll be spending the night in with my girlfriend, and since you didn’t catch that the first time, let me break that down for you. I’m not interested. She’s the love of my life. No bat of your eyes or any other offer you have is going to change that.” I give her a hard look.

“Whatever,” she quips. “Your loss.”

“Not hardly,” I say, not giving a fuck if she hears me. She rings up my order and hands it to me. I don’t miss her writing her number on the back of my receipt before she drops it in the bag. Taking my card and sliding it back into my wallet, she smirks, handing me the bag. I reach in, pulling out the receipt and make a show of wadding it up. “Can you toss this for me? No point in bringing home more trash,” I say, and turn to walk out.

I’m seething mad at the audacity of her, and not watching where I’m going, which is why I collide with someone. “Sorry,” I say, looking up to see my victim, and I freeze. “Hunter.”

“Cooper.” He nods.

I don’t have to ask him if he just heard my declaration. I can see it written all over his face. “I’m sorry, I—”

He raises his hand to stop me. “I don’t want to hear it. Give Reese my best,” he says, stepping around me.

I reach out and grab his arm. “She wants to see you.”

“We don’t always get what we want.”

“Don’t take this out on her.” I plead her case.

“No, after your little speech, I concluded you were just as much to blame. Not that I didn’t already know that.”

“We didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“So, what? She runs out on me and now she’s yours?” The anger and the hurt in his question are evident.

She’s always been mine. “Not exactly,” I say instead. “Just let her explain. Please.”

“Yeah, we’ll see. You better get that food to the love of your life. It’s going to get cold.” He turns and rushes down the hall to the restrooms.

I debate going after him, but I’ve caused a big enough scene as it is. People are staring. My only saving grace is that Hunter kept his voice down. No way could anyone hear our conversation. Not that they needed to. The tension was thick and obvious.

I rush out the door and start toward her place. When she hears this, she’s going to be pissed. How was I supposed to know Hunter was going to be there? And the waitress, I told her I was taken, and she kept flapping her jaws about meeting up. I was over that shit and wanted to end it. I’d much rather today’s event occur than it get back to Reese that I was entertaining the idea. Yeah, fuck that. It is what it is, and we’ll deal with it. Together.

Chapter 10

Reese

When Cooper got back to my place yesterday and told me about his run-in with Hunter, my time was officially up. I knew before then, but I needed to reach out to him. It was way past time. I called him, but he didn’t answer, and I had to leave a message. Four hours later, I sent him a text, and three hours after that, he finally replied. I was able to convince him to meet me. He chose his place. Today at six. Which is why I’m standing outside his apartment building, trying to garner up the courage to go inside.

My phone vibrates in my purse, and I’m grateful for the distraction. “Hey,” I greet Cooper.

“Hey, babe. You almost there?”

He wasn’t thrilled about me coming to see Hunter right after work. Something about too long a time without seeing me, but when he found out I was coming to Hunter’s apartment, that complaint was thrown out the window as he tried to convince me to change it to a more central location. I get where he’s coming from, but he doesn’t know Hunter like I do.

He’s a great guy, he would never hurt me. I’m the one who’s been doing that all