Page 135 of Ache for You (Slow Burn 3)
“You’re the one who keeps telling me I need time!”
“You do!” he thunders. “And you’re going to get it!”
I watch in shock as he yanks on his pants and shirt. He stuffs his feet into his shoes without putting his socks on, grabs his keys from the dresser, and stalks out of the room without so much as a See ya later.
“Don’t you dare cry,” I warn myself, listening to Matteo’s car engine roar to life outside. “Don’t you dare.”
I go into the shower and stand with my face turned up to the spray so I have an excuse for all the water pouring down my cheeks.
The rest of the morning without him feels endless and empty. My heart hurts. I don’t know if I should call him or leave him alone to cool down. I suspect he’s right that the only thing that will fix this is a separation, but I hate it.
On the other hand, I’ve finally discovered what other flaws he has besides a gigantic ego: the man has a temper that’s just as fast to flare into dragon mode as my own. I probably shouldn’t be happy about it because I can already see a lot of fights in our future that could’ve been better handled with calm conversation.
But then again, makeup sex is a pretty awesome silver lining.
When I walk into the shop, Clara takes one look at me and starts to judge.
“You chased the sperm, didn’t you?”
“Relationships are more complicated than eggs and sperm, Clara!”
“You want a complicated relation
ship, get a cat. Men are as complex as ferns. Don’t overthink it.”
She goes back to her embroidery, and I go into my office and do a face-plant on my desk. Ten seconds into it my phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Kimber.”
I flatten myself into my chair and stare at the ceiling. “Hi, Brad. Will you do me a favor?”
“Sure! What is it?”
“The next time I develop feelings for someone, just shoot me in the heart and Super Glue my vagina.”
There’s a long concerned pause. “I take it the Matteo situation isn’t improving.”
“Correct.”
“Do you want me to talk to him?”
My eyes almost pop out of my head. “Of course not! Was that a joke?”
“I’m just saying, it might help. I can explain to him about your personality.”
“What about my personality?” I demand, jerking upright in the chair.
He calmly continues on, as if he isn’t in danger of being murdered. “The stubbornness. The temper. The way you always have to win. I won’t tell him about the gas, though. He’s on his own in that department.”
I do another face-plant on the desk, groaning. “How is this my life?”
“In other news . . .” He pauses for dramatic effect. “I’m moving here.”
“Here? Where here? I’m very confused.”
Brad sighs loudly. “To Florence! Isn’t that awesome?”
