Blended (Redemption #1) (15 page)

“Get the fuck out,” I demand.

“Who the hell are you and why are you with my girl?”

His
girl? Fuck that.

Hadley sits up and gasps, “Holden, get out.”

“Hads, who the hell is this asshole?” He gestures toward me.

“That doesn’t matter, Holden. You need to leave. You can’t just come into my apartment unannounced, expecting to get your dick sucked.”

“You’ve never complained before,” he says as his eyes roam over her and then move to me, sizing me up.

“Leave, Hold.”

“Fuck this,” he says. “Is this the fucker that you were on the phone with when I ate your pussy?”

My entire body goes rigid. This motherfucker has had her? I throw the comforter off of the bed and charge toward him. My hand comes around his neck, and I shove him against the wall as he tries to land a punch on my jaw.

In that frozen second, I see my mistake as his other hand, apparently his dominant one, comes up and hooks my jaw, greeting me with daggers to my face. My head swings to the other side, but I don’t relent or give up my grip on his neck. My other hand comes up, and I bring his head forward and then slam it back against the wall, leaving an indent in the drywall behind him.

“Stop,” Hadley’s voice breaks me from the brawl, and I step back from the fucker who is gripping the back of his bloodied head.

I look over my shoulder at her as a sudden gush of pain hits me in the jaw again, in the same spot as the last. I snap my head to face him and lick the corner of my lip, which is now stained with blood. I charge at him and slam my head into his forehead, not giving a fuck about who he is. He doesn’t see the movement coming, and his head knocks back from my impact. He stumbles backward and hits her dresser.

She runs up to me and puts both of her hands on my chest. “Wade, stop, please,” she begs and the shadows don’t dissolve. The darkness takes over my thoughts.

“You motherfucker,” the shitbag says as the bedroom door opens and Lola stands in the doorframe.

“What is going on?” she cries out and looks from Hadley to me and then to the shitbag leaning against the dresser.

“Lola, get Holden out of here, please,” Hadley says as she looks up at me, pleading with me for something. What, I don’t fucking know. It only ignites my rage, and I want to go after him again. I want to damage him for touching her. I’m about to lunge forward when she pushes on my chest. My eyes dart down to hers, and it’s now that I feel her hands burning into my chest. I’m achingly aware of her presence, and I remind myself of who I am, instead of this agile beast that took over.

“Fuck this,” I say and move away from her, grabbing my shit and striding out of her bedroom. She comes hauling ass around the corner when I swing the apartment door open to walk out.

“Wade, please, don’t leave.”

I turn, hostility on my face. I’m fucking fuming, and I cannot be with her while I can barely contain myself. I’ll hurt her because that’s exactly what tonight just did to me. It fucking destroyed me.

I shake my head and step out, slamming the door behind me as I stride down the hallway. I get to the elevator and punch the down button more times than necessary before the doors open. Once I’m inside, I dress quickly before pacing back and forth in the small space, smashing my fist into one of the oversized mirrors. It cracks underneath the pressure of my fist just as the doors open, and I glide out. Out of the building, down the stairs, and out of her fucking life.

You win, Isla.

Isla is over, and I’m once again thankful for her friendship. I called her while I was walking the three blocks to my place from Hadley’s. I went off on her and told her about everything that happened, and to my surprise, she didn’t tell me off for waking her up, and she hasn’t muttered a thing about
I told you so.

“I can’t believe that he just came into her apartment. Does that mean that he has a key?”

“I have no goddamn clue.”

My phone vibrates again with a text message from Hadley. I look down at it:
I’m so sorry, Wade. Please, just call me?

I toss the device across the couch as Isla applies the icepack to my jaw again, making me flinch.

“He got you good, Brass.”

“Fuck him and to hell with her.”

“Don’t say that, you ass. I saw the way you looked at her at Blended today, and I know that you won’t give up on her that easily. Plus, you owe me another two hundred.”

“It’s in my wallet, and it will be the last.”

“No, it won’t, and I’ll grab it before I go.”

I scoff and recoil as she presses the icepack too hard against my jaw.

“You know, I’ve never seen you so riled up about a woman before.”

“And?”

“And . . . I don’t think that you should give up on her that easily. You knew what you were getting into with her, and you decided to go ahead with it anyway.”

When I don’t respond, she pushes the matter further. “She obviously cares for you, because she went after you when you walked out of her bedroom, instead of staying in there with him. He’s probably just a dick she can ride.”

“I want to be the goddamn dick that she rides, the only one she climbs on.”

She laughs and runs a hand through my hair. “Listen to you, getting all possessive over her.”

I shake my head and lean back against the cold leather couch. “She’s not worth it.”

“I think that you’re lying to yourself again. When was the last time you broke your rules and went after a woman like this? Huh?”

“Never.”

“And that is exactly why you shouldn’t give up on her.”

“You don’t understand what I see. She’s hiding something, and it’s what is holding her back from life. It’s the same thing that is holding her back from me.”

“Make her realize that and bring her out of the darkness, Brass.”

“Easier said than done.”

She rolls her eyes and walks into my kitchen. She comes back with a tumbler of amber liquid and a beer for herself; she’s the only reason why there is beer in that damn fridge. I don’t even open it; my staff is in charge of what comes into the penthouse.

“Don’t you have a vital meeting about Australia in the morning?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then you should get some sleep. And by the way, I’m coming with you in your fancy jet next week. I’d like to experience life down under again.”

“I’ve already told you that you are invited.”

“This is me taking you up on that offer,” she says with a smile before drinking from the bottle. “I’m crashing in the guest room until noon, and don’t you dare wake me up again. You’ll be in biting distance this time, and we wouldn’t want to risk your appendage.”

I shake my head and stand up, holding the icepack to my jaw. “I’ll see you later. Stay as long as you want.” I head up the stairs in my duplex penthouse to my master bedroom, where I strip down and crash on my bed.

I pick up my phone and decide to grow a pair by texting her back:
Goodnight, Hadley.

She responds soon afterward:
I’d rather be sleeping in your arms again than in this bed alone.

I’m surprised that shitbag didn’t stay:
Where’s the other guy?

Does it matter? He’s not here. You’re the one that I want to be curled up with, not him.

Now she wants to be normal and not insist on sex and dirty deeds? Her fucking decisions are giving me whiplash.

Goodnight.

I’ve been inundated by myriad issues with the Australian property acquisition since I stepped foot into the office this morning. Adriana has kept herself on her feet with bringing me exactly what I need, when I need it.

I remind myself that I need to give this woman a raise before I leave for Australia.

“Mr. Brass, I took the liberty of clearing your schedule for lunch. I believe that today is going to be a late one,” she says, and she types away at her laptop on the other side of my desk.

“Very well. Arrange for delivery. It will give me time to read through the remainder of the Australian files.”

“Yes, sir.”

My phone goes off, and I glance down at it. Adriana hasn’t kept it in her desk since I broke my rule the first time with Hadley. It’s a text message from Isla:
Brass, she’s here again. Can I kick her to the curb or are you going to give her another chance? She walked in and asked about you.

I sigh, resigned, and reply to her:
I haven’t decided. Have her fill out the membership forms and get her settled. Her drinks are on me.

You’re turning into a softy. What happened to those brass balls?

I raise my eyebrows and chuckle:
Exactly where they should be—alongside my cock.

She sends me a picture of herself flicking me off. She’s undeniably beautiful, she always has been, but she’s more of a sister to me than anything else. We got together at a college party in our senior year when we were too drunk to function, and it hasn’t happened since. Sure the sex was great, but our friendship outweighed the sexual attraction.

“Mr. Brass?” Adriana asks softly.

“Yes?” I look up at her, and she hands me another file.

“I’ve just emailed you the itinerary for Australia next week. Here are the specifics regarding your flight and hotel arrangements.”

“Thank you. Please ensure that Isla Madden has been added to all of the functions that I will be attending.”

“Of course.” She nods and gets up, leaving my office in silence.