Mia
My head was throbbing from lack of sleep, and my knee was absolutely killing me, it ached so badly. But the physical pain had nothing on what had taken over my heart.
The bedroom door slammed shut behind Barrick as he crossed to the bed and placed me in the middle. As soon as he straightened, I sat upright, and I would have crawled to the edge of the mattress if my knee didn’t protest the sudden action. Even with the brace on, it was agony.
Dropping onto the edge of the bed, Barrick grabbed my ankles and tugged me carefully toward him. I had on jeans, but they quickly disappeared before he was examining my brace to make sure it was perfectly in place.
Which it wasn’t.
After my shower the night before, I’d just strapped it on, not really paying attention to its positioning.
Once he was satisfied everything was where it needed to be, he released me and stood up once again. Taking off his shirt, he started working on the belt of his jeans.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demanded, my voice coming out strangled.
“How well do you sleep without me, Mia?” he asked casually as he pushed his jeans down his thighs.
My traitorous body instantly responded to seeing him in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. Dear gods, it wasn’t fair that he could look so good when I felt like pure shit.
“I-I guess I’ll just have to learn to sleep alone again.”
He smirked. “Not happening, firecracker.”
“Says who?” I sassed.
“Says the man who loves you.” He climbed into bed, his arms reaching out for me and pulling me in close. My body was already starting to relax, knowing I was safe beside him.
But my heart knew better now.
“And you haven’t returned those words yet,” he reminded me as he pillowed my head on his arm.
“That will never happen,” I bit out. “Whatever I felt for you died a quick death when I heard you in the background when Uncle Drake called last night.”
“So that’s how you figured it out,” he said, choosing to ignore everything else I’d just said. “I was wondering about that.”
“I hate you,” I whispered, fighting back a new wave of tears and soul-crushing heartbreak.
A muscle began to tick in his jaw, and that same damn urge to comb my fingers through his beard made my fingertips itch. “Don’t say things you don’t mean, baby.”
“I mean every wo—”
He moved faster than I’d ever seen him move, flipping me onto my back and crashing his mouth down hard on mine.
I resisted for all of two seconds before I gave in and let him take what he was demanding.
One more time, I told myself as he tore my panties out of his way and thrust two fingers into my already drenched and clenching sex.
Barrick was normally so gentle with me, but there was a desperation to his touch and kisses now. Angrily, I kissed him back, pushing his boxer briefs over his hard ass before wrapping my fist around his massive cock.
He groaned into my mouth, his hips thrusting forward while I stroked him from tip to base. Lifting his head, he locked his dark eyes with mine. “I love you.”
“Liar.”
“Nothing about what I feel for you is a lie,” he growled. “I’ve hated myself for not telling you about any of this, Mia. But I couldn’t risk losing you.”
“You lost me anyway.” My voice was choked with emotion, my heart breaking all over again.
“No,” he breathed. Spreading my thighs wide with his hands on the inside of my knees, he thrust deep into me. “I won’t lose you, baby. We love each other.”
“I…don’t…love…you,” I panted as he began to move inside me.
“Don’t lie,” he commanded, cupping my breasts in both his hands. “I know all your tells. When you lie, your nose scrunches up for just a second.”
“I won’t love you,” I amended, my back arching when he pulled almost all the way out and sank balls deep once more. I dug my nails into his hips, trying to hold on to my anger when my body only wanted to feel the euphoria of release it knew Barrick could give.
With a groan, he grabbed my hips and thrust into me harder, angrily. “I’ll earn it back. Just don’t give up on us, baby.”
“There was never an ‘us,’” I choked out, fighting the orgasm that was already rushing up on me. “It was all pretend.”
“No!” he roared. “I fucking love you, Mia.”
My inner walls clenched around his girth at those words. My release was triggered, and seconds later, he was joining me.
Out of breath, he fell on top of me. I loved these moments after we were both spent. When he was too worn-out to hold his weight off me for a little while, and I was consumed by his entire body.
But this time, I couldn’t enjoy the afterglow or the warmth of his body pressing me into the bed. My tears spilled over once again, and for the first time, I began to sob uncontrollably.
It was over.
There would be no more Barrick. No waking up beside him every morning. No holding hands as we walked across campus. No more forehead kisses or hour-long baths together. No slow dancing at Jameson’s followed by making love all night long.
“Baby, don’t cry,” he pleaded, kissing my face over and over again. “I’m sorry. So damn sorry. Please stop. You’re killing me.”
Wrapping my arms around his back, I clung to him, knowing once I let go, it would be the end.
--
When I opened my eyes, it was dark outside the window. My eyes felt gritty and swollen, my head still throbbing, only worse this time. Barrick’s heavy arm pinned me to the bed, but he was sleeping so heavily he was snoring, so I knew it would take a bomb going off to wake him.
Rolling away from him, I slid out from under his arm and sat up on the edge of the bed.
I didn’t even remember falling asleep. He’d held me while I’d cried it all out. Gallons of tears had flooded from my eyes, yet they were still close to the surface, and that only pissed me off.
I was stronger than this. I was Emmie Armstrong’s daughter. I could and would get over the heartache trying to engulf me. Something as small as a guy tricking me into loving him wouldn’t break me completely.
Even though it felt like it already was.
Squaring my shoulders, I stood, being cautious in case my knee protested and I fell. It held strong, thankfully, and I grabbed something to wear. I didn’t have a change of clothes with me since I’d left my carry-on back in New York, which also meant I didn’t have any panties to put on since Barrick had shredded mine earlier.
Pulling on my jeans, I grabbed my bra and T-shirt, dressing quickly.
Barrick was still snoring when I opened the door and quietly closed it behind me.
The air felt charged when I walked into the living room, and it was oddly quiet. I glanced around, but only Jagger and Braxton were present. Both of them looked up from the TV when I entered the room.
“Where is everyone?” I asked my brother.
“The uncles all went home. Their wives are more pissed than Ma, if that’s even possible. Uncle Drake looked sick when he walked out, so I can only guess Lana put him in the doghouse.” He grimaced. “Ma and Dad went out. They were still arguing.”
As mad and hurt as I was at my dad for doing this to me, I didn’t want him and Momma to fight because of it. Growing up, they rarely did, but when it happened, it was enough to make everyone pray it never happened again.
“I think I’m going to head back to campus,” I announced. “I really can’t deal with any more this weekend.”
Both Jagger’s and Braxton’s eyes got huge. “You’re just going to leave?” Braxton demanded, getting to his feet.
I shrugged. “I don’t want to see anyone right now. Especially not Barrick or my dad. So, yeah, I’m leaving.”
“Not alone. I’ll come with you.”
“Yeah, no thanks. Regardless of what everyone thinks, I can actually take care of myself and get from Point A to Point B, all without someone holding my hand.” Crossing to Jagger, I hugged him. “Tell Momma I’ll call her. And…that I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.”
“Love you, sis.”
I swallowed roughly around the lump that seemed lodged in my throat now. “Love you, Jags.”
Without even glancing at Braxton—or toward the bedroom I’d just left—I walked away.
Of course, Braxton followed.
“Go away, Brax,” I told him tiredly as I stepped into the elevator.
He only got on with me. “I know you’re pissed at me, but whether you believe me or not, you’re my best friend, Mia.”
If I was being honest, I wasn’t really mad at him. A little, but not as much as I was where Barrick and Daddy were concerned. Mostly, I was just hurt that he hadn’t even hinted at anything going on behind my back. Because Braxton was my friend. Over the months I’d known him, he’d become just as important to me as Jordan was.
Wrapping my arms around myself because I felt chilled all the way to my bones, I leaned back against the elevator wall and remained silent the entire ride down to the lobby. Braxton watched me with cautious eyes until we got outside.
But I didn’t know how I was going to get back to campus.
A grim smile tilting his lips, Braxton handed the valet attendant a ticket. “Figured you wouldn’t mind if we jacked Barrick’s Jeep. You’ll have to drive, though. I’m not up to this traffic with this damn prosthetic.”
“I don’t mind driving,” I murmured.
Some of the strain left his face, and I began to relax a little myself by the time the attendant pulled up the white Jeep in front of us.