Page 25 of Falling for the Wrong Guy

I closed my eyes and rested my head back against the elevator wall. I nearly fell asleep standing, but the elevator ding woke me. I glanced up to make sure I was getting out on the sixth floor. I could hear low music humming behind Kellan’s door.

He pulled it open before I could knock. “Poor baby. I didn’t realize it was raining. Come in. I have a glass of wine waiting for you.”

I stepped inside and heard the sound of running water through the music. I glanced toward the shiny white kitchen. The sink was off. “Kellan, did you leave the shower running?”

His smile vanished, and his jaw tightened. “My brother asked to use my shower. And boy, did he need it.” He shook his head. “Told you he was a loser. I told him to shower and get out. He’ll be gone soon. In the meantime, cheese and crackers?” He waved his hand toward a platter of cheese and crackers and a glass of wine on the counter.

“This looks wonderful, Kellan. Thank you.” I made myself a cracker with cheese and picked up the glass of wine. I walked to his big front window and looked out. The drizzle was thick, causing the streetlights below to form rainbows in their glow. Those same prisms of color reflected off the windows of the neighboring buildings and the wet, oily roads running between them.

Kellan came up behind me and put an arm around my waist. I rested my head back against his shoulder. “This is nice after such a long day.”

“Still no luck on the cook?” he asked.

I turned my head side to side without lifting it from his shoulder. “This just isn’t the best time of year to hire someone, but I haven’t given up.”

We both turned at the sound of footsteps.

“Hey, Kel, I put the towel—” He stopped mid-sentence when our gazes clashed. Something that seemed to happen every time we met. He was shirtless. A pair of faded jeans hung low on his hips. Every inch of him was muscle. A lion’s face, fangs and all, was tattooed on his forearm. The lion moved every time the muscles in his forearm bunched. “This day just keeps getting worse,” Dex muttered. His jaw was set in anger.

It took me a moment to respond. “Thanks. Couldn’t agree more.”

Kellan stepped away to get a better look at me. “Do you two know each other?”

“Only because of a string of bad luck,” I said.

“Not so sure it was all bad.” Dex’s jaw was still set hard, but he managed to be cocky anyway.

Kellan laughed dryly. “Can one of you please explain what’s going on?” Before I could explain, he continued. “There you are again, Declan, trying to ruin my life. Put on a darn shirt, and get out of here. And leave town, would ya? You are always such a thorn in my side.”

My shock was starting to wear off. “Dex is your brother?” I asked.

Kellan had this unattractive habit of pulling his lips thin and straight when he was angry. “Yes, and I think I’m owed an explanation about why you two know each other,” he said sharply.

“Well, I was about to explain, but you took off on your tirade.” It seemed I’d landed in the middle of “irritating man world,” and the annoyance was coming from both sides of the room. Once again, my explanation was interrupted before I could utter the first words.

“Gus made her fall off the dock, into the water.” Dex gazed only at me, even though he was talking to his brother. “She still hasn’t forgiven me for it.”

“Gus? Who the hell is Gus?” Kellan asked.

Dex finally looked at him. I’d never seen so much distance between two people who were standing in the same room. “You really never open my texts, do you?”

“I don’t have time to hear about your ridiculous existence. The bits that I know are hard enough to absorb.”

“Yeah, Quinn’s still not doin’ great. Thanks for asking.” Dex’s green eyes were mere slits as he looked at Kellan.

“Why would I care to ask? Quinn has been a mess his whole life, and the best thing you could do for yourself is sever all ties.”

Dex stared at him for a long, cold moment. Emotion pulsed around him, and every muscle in his body was tight. “Not all of us can just sever connections like that.” It was obvious there was a much deeper meaning to his words, and while I was on the outside of that meaning, Kellan understood.

“Don’t you see? I had to cut ties,” Kellan blurted. “I wanted more in my life, and you were always there trying to mess things up.”

Dex smiled weakly as he raked his fingers through his wet hair. “Losing Breanna was all your fault. I stepped in to lay that jerk flat because you let him grab her. She was scared, but you were more afraid of losing your precious scholarship. I took the suspension for something you should have taken care of yourself. She walked away because of your inaction. It had nothing to do with me.”

“Just get out. You’ve already mooched off me enough. Don’t come back.”

“Just gonna get my shirt.” His gaze swept over and caught mine again. There was a long, silent moment between us that made me feel as if the floor was moving beneath my feet. I could see his Adam’s apple move up and down as he swallowed. “You’re perfect for each other. Uptight and sensible. Thought there was a wild spark hidden in there somewhere, but I was wrong.” He left the room. His words shouldn’t have felt like a stinging slap, but I was breathless from their impact.

Kellan placed a proprietary hand on my back coaxing me toward the kitchen. I felt dizzy, breathless, and I badly wanted to be back at home. Kellan forced lightness into his tone, but he was clearly angry and stressed after the last few minutes. I managed to sit on the counter stool, but the crackers and cheese no longer looked tempting. I sipped my wine and kept listening forhisfootsteps. My whole body reacted like a case of nerves laced with adrenaline as his heavy steps marched down the hallway and out the door. I should have been relieved he was gone, but I would have been more relieved to be at home alone; then this whole distressing scene would never have happened.

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