Page 43 of Craving Francesca

I was still smiling when I opened up the door expecting to see the delivery person, but my face immediately fell when I realized who it was.

“What are you doing here?” I asked flatly.

“It’s Saturday night,” Scott said, holding up a bouquet of lilies. “I figured I’d see what you were up to.”

My skin crawled as he looked me up and down. I wasn’t wearing anything revealing, but I remembered with unfortunate clarity that he’d already seen every inch of my body. I’d never wanted to go back in time so badly.

“You need to leave,” I said woodenly, trying not to raise my voice and alert anyone inside the house.

“Frankie, can’t we just talk? You’ve been avoiding me for weeks.”

“Catch a fucking hint, Scott,” I snapped, gripping the door so hard that the tips of my fingers turned white.

“It’s not like you can avoid me forever. We work together.”

There it was, the insidious implication I better play nice or shit was going to get even worse for me at the office.

“Baby, is the food here?” a familiar voice murmured behind me as a warm hand slid around my back to grip my hip. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

I leaned back against Gray, playing along.

“Come on, Frankie,” Scott muttered, his eyes still on my face. “Come outside so we can talk this out.”

“There’s nothing to talk out,” I replied.

Behind Scott an unfamiliar car double-parked on the street.

“You need to leave,” Gray announced, his hand tightening on my hip.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with you,” Scott replied dismissively. “It’s between me and Frankie.”

Before I could tell him, again, that we didn’t have anything to talk about, Gray was gently pulling me further inside. “Close the door, yeah?” he murmured in my ear before stepping out onto the porch.

“What’s goin’ on?” Rumi asked as I stared at Gray’s back. “Thought the food was here?”

“Um,” I muttered, not sure what to say.

“You’re gonna forget Francesca exists,” Gray was saying, stepping forward slowly and herding Scott backward down the porch stairs.

“I have no issue with you,” Scott protested.

“That your ex-boy toy?” Rumi asked, pushing past me.

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek as both men squared up, side by side.

“You’re gonna have an issue with me if you don’t leave her the fuck alone,” Gray replied to Scott, his voice even.

“Man, I don’t even know you.”

“You don’t wanna know me, but I know you,” Gray countered. “Pretty boy flunked out of college his parents were paying for, so his uncle hired him to push papers around at his construction company. Pay is good, but the work is shit because you’re not actually qualified to do anythin’. Sound familiar?”

“Fuck you,” Scott spat.

“Get the fuck outta here,” Gray ordered. “I don’t want to see you on this street again.”

“I’ll see you at work, Frankie,” Scott called out, assuming I was still listening even though he couldn’t see me. “We’ll talk then.”

I wasn’t sure how Rumi was able to hold Gray back when he lunged for Scott, but I was so thankful he did. If I’d thought work was a nightmare before, I couldn’t imagine how bad it would be if Scott got his ass handed to him by one of my friends.

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