Don't Need You - Lilian Monroe Page 0,39

head. She ducks away from me, groaning. In the apartment, I can see Esme’s influence. A few of her drawings are hung up on the wall, with a couple of extra candles on the coffee table and windowsills. There’s a new rug on the floor—black, of course—and the whole place feels, well, nicer. It’s not a bachelor pad above the skydiving shop anymore. It’s a home.

Esme and Finn’s home.

Finn appears in the hallway, his eyes wide. “Kit,” he says, surprised.

I take a deep breath, shifting my eyes between the two of them. “I wanted to apologize. I’ve been an ass.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Esme quips.

“Shut up, Es.” I grin, hooking my arm around her neck. I rub my knuckles over her head as she squeals, laughing. She pushes me away and I stumble, letting out a laugh as my whole soul sighs in relief.

Serena’s right. I’ve been pushing them away and it’s only caused pain. Forgiveness feels harder, but it’s the easier path in the end.

Roughing my hands through my hair, I glance at Finn. “You love her?”

“Desperately,” Finn answers, completely serious. Esme smiles, hooking her arm around his waist. Her head barely reaches his shoulder, and he leans over to lay a soft kiss on her short hair.

Sighing, I nod. “Okay. I don’t want to fight. I’m sorry I didn’t get it.”

“What changed?” Finn says, his eyes shining.

“Maybe it was the plane ride yesterday.” I shrug. “Made me realize what I was missing.”

“Maybe it’s your new roommate.” Esme grins, arching a brow. “Nothing like a little female intuition to show you where you’re going wrong.”

A flush creeps up my neck as I shake my head, remembering the conversation Serena and I had last night. “It’s not Serena.”

Esme doesn’t look convinced. She jerks her head to the kitchen. “You want some breakfast?”

“I’m good,” I say, even though my stomach is grumbling. I’d planned on grabbing some coffees and pastries on my way home, as a way of saying thank you to Serena for knocking some sense into me. Seeing Finn and Esme together only makes me want to do it more.

I bid them goodbye and promise to come over for dinner next time I have a day off, then head back out of their apartment. When I get home, two coffees and a couple of muffins in hand, Serena is already up and emptying the dishwasher.

As much as I thought I enjoyed living by myself, I can’t deny how nice it is to have someone here. When she sees the coffees, her eyes light up. She takes a sip, letting out a low moan that makes my cock swell. I watch the way her throat bobs as she swallows. How she tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. How the graceful column of her neck looks so deliciously inviting, begging for the brush of my lips.

I turn away from her as the heat in my core becomes unbearable. “I went to see Finn and Esme this morning,” I say, stealing a glance her way again.

Serena’s eyes widen. “Yeah?”

“I apologized.”

“You did?”

“Why is that so surprising?” I laugh.

Serena shrugs, chuckling. “I don’t know very many men who would have the balls to do that, is all.”

I tilt my head, staring at her, and I wonder again what type of guy her ex-boyfriend was. I can see in her eyes that she’s been through a lot. She knows pain. She’s wise, and caring, and thoughtful, but she still doesn’t seem like the kind of girl who would take anyone’s shit.

How would a guy like Angelo get under her skin like that? Make her smaller? Scared?

Not for the first time, I wonder what exactly happened in her last relationship. It’s not that it matters, really, but I just want to make it all disappear. Make it all better. Make her forget about him and look to the future.

Maybe a future with me.

“You’re back at work tomorrow?” Serena asks casually. Very casually. She avoids my eye.

“Yeah,” I answer, and I think I see a bit of disappointment in her face.

“When will you be back?”

“In four days,” I say. “I stay at the staff quarters near the airport in Seattle when I’m flying daily.”

“Oh,” she says, forcing a smile as she looks at me. “Okay. I promise I won’t burn the place down while you’re gone.”

I laugh as my heart thumps. The thought of coming home to Serena feels good. Almost too good. It was like coming back to a home-cooked meal