Page 63 of Don't Lie to Me

I took the few necessary minutes I needed to wash my face and brush my teeth. I was so dehydrated from the night before, I guzzled water straight from the bathroom tap as if I would never see water again.

Finally, I stopped ignoring the constant buzzing on my cell phone and answered it when Jack called again. I should have known better than think that text would do anything except irritate him further.

“Where are you?” He barked as soon as I answered. Had I been a dog, my teeth would be snarling and the hair on my back would be standing straight up I was so instantly irritated at his tone.

I bit my cheek to keep from snapping back at him.

“What do you want, Jack?” I asked, exhaustion pouring through my voice.

He sighed and I could hear him grinding his teeth through the phone. “You didn’t come home last night and I want to know where you are. That you’re safe.”

I looked around Marcus’ master bathroom and one edge of my lips tilted up. “How did you know I didn’t come home?” I asked as sweetly as possible, even though I knew I was goading him. He was about ready to snap all of his control, and a part of me, liked pissing him off. Served him right.

“Because I’ve been sitting outside your building waiting for you ever since you fucking hung up on me. Now where are you?”

I shook my head, irritation and fury growing within me, but I refused to let him see it. “Stop worrying. I’m fine, and I’ll be home later so you can drop your watch outside my place.”

“Did Dean take you home?”

I pursed my lips. Why would he think that? Oh yes, I had let him believe that before I hung up on him. I knew he wouldn’t be any happier knowing I ended up at Marcus’s so I wisely kept my mouth shut.

“Listen, Jack, I don’t really remember much of what happened last night, but I’m not exactly feeling like telling you everything going on in my life when you think you can throw me over your couch, screw me like I’m some sort of animal, not bother answering one fucking question of mine and then fire me. I don’t owe you anything. And I certainly don’t want to talk to you.”

The sound of a throat clearing made me snap my head to the right. Marcus’s eyes were wide and I instantly paled. Based on the shocked look he wore, I had a feeling he had just heard every single word I threw at Jack.

I rubbed the tips of my fingers across my forehead trying to soothe my pounding headache and hide my embarrassment.

“Breakfast is ready,” he whispered. Before he turned away, I mouthed a silent thank you to him as Jack groaned unhappily into my ear.

“I know I owe you an explanation…” he began saying but I cut him off.

“And an apology. A big fat ass, I’m the world’s biggest asshole apology.”

“I know,” he said with a slight chuckle. I wanted it to piss me off, instead it only calmed me down. I couldn’t believe I was even joking around with him about this, but damn it I loved him and I knew something huge happened to piss him off so badly. Not that it made me want to instantly go another round with him, but I still didn’t hate him, either.

“I’ll make it up to you. But I can’t explain what’s going on. I just need you safe.”

I rolled my eyes in the bathroom mirror before walking out to meet Marcus and Logan for breakfast.

I sat down at the kitchen table while Marcus served me up a plate of eggs and bacon. I plastered on the fakest smile I could muster given the circumstances and squeezed Logan’s hand next to me while he shoveled his eggs in his mouth as fast as his little mouth could open.

“Did you have a fun sleepover with daddy?”

Logan smiled and squeezed out mushy eggs through the gap in his two front teeth. Gross. “We built Legos and he said I could stay over again.”

“Anytime you want to, buddy, you got it.”

We finished our breakfast with an awkward silence filling the table. Now that my headache was disappearing, I was starting to recall even more of my night.

I turned to Marcus. “Did you get fish?”

“We don’t fish, mommy!” Logan said but Marcus choked on his eggs. His shoulders shook with laughter and I stared at him, wondering what in the hell I had just said.

Finally, he drank his orange juice and wiped his drool off the sides of his mouth. He shook his head, still laughing. “No, I don’t have fish here.”

“Why am I thinking you do?”

With a laughing smile he just shook his head. “You don’t want to know. Remember anything else from your night?”

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