Page 56 of Wrecked
And what did he do? Nothing. He limped into his apartment and watched the woman he loved through his kitchen window—because there was no point denying his feelings anymore, not to himself—walk away with a guy who was everything he wasn’t.
Everything he would never be again.
Everything she deserved.
Chapter Seventeen
Piper stared up at the ceiling. So much for an early night. Sleep was not happening, and it was all Cole’s fault. What had he done to himself? Was that from chasing her down the stairs? She’d never seen him use a cane before. And why hadn’t he come to her last night? Why was he still avoiding her?
What the hell was going on?
Sitting up, she turned to plump her pillow by beating the crap out of it, then lay back and tried to get comfortable. He’d been rude to Brian when the guy was only trying to help. His pride had obviously taken a hit—that much was clear. But it still didn’t explain why he hadn’t come to her last night, why he obviously had no intention of coming tonight, either.
Her thoughts cut off when her phone rang on her bedside table. Her pulse did a kind of racy, fluttery dance, and her belly clenched. Anticipation fired through her as she put it to her ear. “Hello?”
“Piper?”
All the racing, fluttering, and clenching came to a screeching halt at the unfamiliar voice. “Um…sorry, who is this?”
“It’s Gerald.”
Gerald?
As if sensing her confusion, he added, “Gerald Clark, we had dinner the other night.”
“Oh, Gerald. Sorry, I was distracted.” She’d really hoped to never hear from the guy again.
“Look I know our date ended…well, abruptly, but I wondered if I could pop by sometime, or take you out for a coffee? I’m right around the corner actually. I could be there in a few minutes, if you’re not doing anything now?”
A few minutes? Who did that? This guy needed a copy of Dating For Dummies ASAP. “I’m actually having an early night tonight. But thanks for asking, Gerald.”
“Maybe another time? Tomorrow? I really think there’s something between us. We had a connection. I know you felt it, too.”
Eeek! Time to tell him straight. Hopefully without hurting his feelings. “Gerald, you’re a great guy. A really, really…great guy. But I don’t think we should see each other again.”
Silence.
“Gerald?”
“You don’t want to see me again?” he whispered.
“I’m sorry if I somehow made you think otherwise.” He breathed heavily down the line for a few minutes, and she started to get weirded out. “Gerald…”
“BITCH!” he screamed, then hung up on her.
She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it in disbelief. Really?
Okay, maybe it was time to admit Alex and Rusty had been right. Gerald was obviously a nut. A nut who she’d brought home. Suddenly, she didn’t feel so bad that Cole had thrown him on his ass.
Cole.
Yep, now he was back in her head.
Putting her phone down, she grabbed her book, gave her pillow another beating, then settled back and tried to focus on the words. Anything to get him out of her head. Anything to stop her body from remembering the way he’d touched her, the way he’d looked at her the last night they spent together, when he laid her down on the table outside and sent her crashing over the edge. That piercing, intense gaze hadn’t left hers, hadn’t faltered as he’d taken her hard, like something had possessed him, like a man who had everything he wanted, everything he needed underneath him.
He’d finally opened up to her. Told her a little about the accident he’d been in. Why was he now trying to put distance between them?
She shook her head. Stop it, Piper. Read your damn book.
