Page 29 of With a Broken Wing
I nodded. “Sure, but I don’t promise to answer.”
“You’re still seeing your therapist, right?” My involuntary sigh was all the answer he needed. “Damn it, Andy! You can’t stop seeing her, even if you’re traveling. You need totry. At least set up video chats. Or phone calls!”
“I’m fine, Auston. If I need her, I’ll go. I’m a grown woman, and I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”
“You’re kidding, right?” He was raising his voice. “Andy, howstupidcan you be?”
My heart rate picked up, and I could practically feel my blood pressure raising with his. “How dare you? I’m not stupid. Don’t you dare talk to me like I’m a child.”
He sighed and held his hands up in surrender. “Fine. If you’re so okay, then why have you been home for three days and I’m the first person you’ve seen? You even took a taxi from the airport!”
“Demetri hired a car.”
“Excuse me?” He tilted his head the way my dad did when he was losing his patience, but Auston would never lose his temper like him.
“I said Demetri hired a car. A private driver brought me home. And maybe I just wanted a couple of days to myself? It’s not like I have anyone left in Grand Rapids but you and Katie anyways, and you’ve both been busy. So take your judgements with you and let the door hit you on the way out.” I glared at him, trying to swallow the lump growing in my throat. The lump that told me I’d be crying and inconsolable in a matter of minutes.
“Fine.Fine!But don’t expect me to pick up the pieces this time.” He stood up from the couch, setting his glass on the counter. “I’m out of here.”
“Auston…”
“No, Andy. You can’t just give up and stop doing the work. You didn’t have to see yourself that way. It was the hardest time of my life, and I don’t think I can see it again.” I was frozen to the couch as he opened the door. “Just promise me you’ll call her.”
I huffed, but there was only one answer he’d accept. “I’ll call her.” I hated lying to him. “You don’t need to worry.” It was mostly a whisper.
“I’ll always worry, but I can’t always save you.”
The door closed behind him, and silent tears painted my cheeks. When I stood up from the couch, the room tilted, and I paused to catch my balance before I walked back to the bathroom.
I hated confrontation, and the argument with Auston sat heavy in my gut.I can’t always save you.I never asked to be saved. I didn’twantto be saved.
Sitting on my bed, I swallowed another pill, chasing it with the salty tears I licked off my lips. I fumbled with my phone in my hands. Before I opened my contacts and scrolled, I knew who I was calling. I’d probably regret it in the morning, but as my finger hovered over his name, I thought about the sandwich he’d shared with me on the hotel bed. I thought about the way his presence in the room calmed the panic from Fisher’s threat. I thought about the way he looked at me when he knew I had cried.
He picked up on the third ring. “Andy? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
I looked at the clock. It was after two in the morning. “Yeah, I just… I shouldn’t have called. I’m sorry. I’ll, uh...” My thoughts were scrambled, and suddenly I didn’t know whether to hang up or to tell him every dirty thought I’d had about him over the past several weeks.
“Are you drunk, sunshine?”
When a quiet chuckle came through the phone, a warm heat filled my cheeks.Shit. “Maybe a little.”
“And you chose to call me? Yourboss?”
“I didn’t call you because you’re my boss.” My voice started to crack, and I cleared my throat with a small cough. The tears I thought had dried slid down my cheeks again, and I took a deep breath to steady my voice. “I called you because… I didn’t know who else to call. I needed you.”
“You needed me, hmm? For what?” The amusement was heavy in his voice, and the low rumble of his laugh went straight to my core.
I couldn’t respond. It was like my voice was stuck. How did I tell him I called him because I needed someone who wouldn’t bring up my therapist, worry about how I was handling my new job, or ask me if I was happy?
“What is it you need?” The low grumble in his voice carried through the phone and left goose bumps on my skin.
I gulped, swallowing my nerves and letting the cocktail of wine and pills relax me. “I want to hear you come again.” His low growl sent a rush of wet warmth to the crevice between my legs. I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Please.”
“Fuck.” The sound of his zipper was unmistakable. He was still up. “You’re going to be my undoing, you know that?”
“Mm-hmm,” I murmured, breathing faster at the small grunt he made when he must’ve gripped himself.
I slid my fingers over my nipples, sighing as they hardened. I imagined it was Demetri’s mouth closing around each, and as I moved my hand lower, I pictured him licking his way down my stomach.
