Page 89 of Abyss

Approaching our table, I’m about to answer him when Belinda turns around, eyeing me from head to toe and saving me from having to answer Adam. “Did you take a detour through the ranch on your way here?” she quips as I sit beside her.

Adam takes the seat on my other side.

Though I tried salvaging my hair the best I could without a brush, it doesn’t look quite as put together as it did when I arrived. I’m sure my cheeks are stained red and—

“Wait.” She lifts my hair off my shoulder and inspects my neck.Shit!“Is that a—”

With panic coursing through me, I quickly readjust my hair to cover the bite mark on my neck and shoot her a look that tells her not to complete the sentence. I flick a glance at Adam, glad he wasn’t listening.

As we all rise to applaud Brie and Madison on their cake cutting, Belinda grins so wide, I’m worried she’s going to hurt herself. I should have known there was no way any of my attempts at putting myself back together were going to get past her sharp gaze.

She leans over to me under the cover of the noisy room. “We have some things to discuss, don’t we?”

My eyes connect with Hudson’s across the room and from his slight squint, I know he can see my anxiety written all over my face.

But I’ve never been a good liar and, given Belinda is like an FBI agent who could make a stone spill its secrets, I’m not sure it will do me any good to try. Plus, I trust her. She may not approve of what I’m about to tell her, but she’s always been sweet to me, and my champion since day one. Hopefully, she won’t judge me too harshly—although I wouldn’t blame her if she did. Anyway, I just can’t keep it bottled in anymore. I don’t know her much past our professional relationship, but having a girlfriend to talk to right now would be a relief.

Especially one who isn’t related to my boss.

“It’s . . . complicated,” I answer, ensuring I’m keeping my voice low while watching the two brides feed each other pieces of cake to more applause and cheers. “You’re the only one who knows at this point.”

“Hell, yeah, it’s complicated! He’s your boss and your friend’s dad!” She hisses her words near my ear to ensure no one is listening. “I mean, are you even going to tell Madison?”

I wince, looking at Madison across the room, smiling asshe wipes the corner of Brie’s mouth with her finger before lifting it to her mouth. God, what will she think if she ever finds out? My stomach topples, and though I’d lost my buzz a while ago, I’m completely sober now, as the thought of Madison telling me I betrayed her trust sinks in. What if she never speaks to me again after she finds out? What if I lose the only real female friend I’ve ever really had?

“I don’t think either of us has thought that far,” I answer diplomatically, but the words don’t feel right, even on their way out.

We haven’t thought far at all because we have no idea whatfareven is. Is it to the end of summer or is it past that?

And as much as I want that answer, I also want to take things one step at a time. What if by the end of summer—only five weeks from now—whatever this is between us fizzles away?

The thought of anything fizzling away seems almost impossible, given the chemistry between us. The way he ravaged me not only a half hour ago; the way his hands seared my skin and his mouth wrapped around every needy part of me . . .

The way I can still feel him inside me . . .

My cheeks heat again, knowing I’m no longer wearing any underwear, since my last pair is now sitting inside the trash bin in his bathroom.

Could I ever see this fizzling away? This desire, this need, this combustible energy.

But what if it does for him?

“I can’t shake you, Kav.”

His sweet admission, along with the downward tilt of his lips as if he was preparing to have me throw his heart back in his face after he handed it to me, swims through my head.

Yeah, we have chemistry, but do we have more? Itcertainly seems like it. The question is, how far were we both willing to go for it?

I know my answer . . . but is it the same as his?

“It all makes sense now.” Belinda shakes her head, as if shocked it took her so long to figure out. “The way he acted around you, the fact that he never had anything solidly bad to say about you, besides that he just didn’t want you working for Case Geo. The way he constantly tried to make you quit because he couldn’t fire you. And the fact that he’s been glaring at you all night while you talked to—” She motions with her head toward Adam. “It all makes sense now. Old CrankyDick has had it bad for you since day one. I just can’t believe I didn’t see it earlier!”

We get seated as Brie and Madison take to their first dance as a married couple. I smile as Brie whispers something in Madison’s ear, making her throw back her head, laughing. The love between them couldn’t be bigger, and it’s obvious everyone in the room can feel it, too.

I lean over to Belinda, about to tell her another piece of news that’ll probably have her eyes falling out of their sockets—that I’m living with Hudson—when I stop myself. Even though Belinda figured out there was something going on between me and Hudson on her own, something about telling her this bit of information before telling Madison just feels like an even bigger betrayal.

Instead, I opt for something less sensational. “Hey, I wanted to thank you for making those appointments with the apartment complexes in Portland for me to tour.”

Belinda looks at me like I’ve grown another head. “I didn’t make any appointments in Portland for you.”

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