East Bound by Nana Malone (big ebook reader txt) 📕

I stared at the robe and the towel that had fallen on the floor. I didn't dare pick them up.

"You should have your bath."

She stared at me as I pulled my shirt from the floor and then yanked it on angrily. My belt. Jesus Christ, this fucking belt. There was no way I was going to be able to buckle it, but I needed to.

It took some rearranging of my dick, but finally I was dressed, just as presentable as before.

"Have a bath. We'll talk when you get out."

And then I left her.

Each step away from her was like being stabbed. What had I almost done? I'd begged. I'd fucking begged. I had begged and begged and begged, and I would have kept begging. Because she was what I needed. She was my destroyer.

Chapter 13

Nyla

I stayed in the bath longer than was really necessary. My skin had started to pucker and prune. The water stayed toasty though, as the thermometer on the side of the tub sent a digital signal that triggered more warm water out of the faucet.

I might have to forgive him just for the tub.

No. There is no forgiving.

The problem was that my brain and my libido were of two minds about what had happened earlier. I craved him on a cellular level. The moment he touched me I lost all rational train of thought. My body wanted what it wanted and if I dared deny it, it threatened to combust on its own.

What the fuck had happened earlier? He’d knocked on the door and presented me with a robe, his gaze raking over me head to toe like he wanted to swallow me whole. Then his mouth was on mine, his hands on my arse, grabbing so tight I knew I’d have fingerprints on my skin.

Then came the groaning and desperation, and I’d wrapped my hand around his cock through his jeans and rubbed just the way he liked. I’d been chasing that high from the lift again. Like a fool.

Luckily, Drew had interrupted. I should have been grateful to him instead of resentful that he’d stopped me from doing something stupid.

East backed up so quickly it was like he thought I was a Venus flytrap.

My head had come online then, and the colossal mistake I’d made had been apparent.

It was only after he’d left the room that I let myself cry. Like properly sob. Letting it all hang out. It was time to let him go.

When I got dressed and stepped out into the hallway, the penthouse was empty. Everyone had left, leaving just me and East. "I'm fine now. I'm going to go."

He looked up from his laptop when I walked into the sitting room. He’d changed into a T-shirt and removed his contacts and put on glasses. Stubble dusted his jaw. The effect was so hot I froze, pinned into position, my body trying to overrule my brain.

His voice was all gravel. “Feel better?”

God, what a loaded question. When in doubt, lie. “Good as new. Barely a scratch."

He frowned. "You could have been badly hurt, Nyla."

And we were back to this. "You think I don't know that?"

His eyes were fierce on mine. “If there's something you're not telling me..."

"Fuck you, East. I got shot at, same as you."

He closed the laptop, setting it aside and pushing to his feet. It was the oddest thing to notice, but he was barefoot, and I realized it was the most relaxed I’d ever seen him.

“East, we've already had this goddamn conversation."

"Well, I take it fucking personally when my people are shot at."

"You know that's funny. A few days ago, I would have counted as one of ‘your people,’ but not so much anymore."

His jaw ticked, but he said nothing.

"You know what, I don't know why I'm bothering. I undoubtedly tripped over some East Hale rule somewhere, but you don't even have the balls to tell me what it is."

"Are you fucking kidding me? You endangered my friends, the people I care about more than anything in the world, and you want to pretend that you don't know why I separated from you?"

"No, I have no fucking clue."

"You're a goddamn liar."

My eyes went wide. "You know full well I don't lie. That is some bullshit. I've never lied to you."

"Yes, you have," he spat.

"I don't even know what you're talking about. I've done nothing to endanger you. All I know is that one day we were on the same page, and the next day you literally shut me out of your life. You went so far as to un-invite me from your place of business, knowing full well I didn't have a badge to get back in and force you into a conversation. Oh no. You went full arsehole. I'll give you one thing. You sure know how to ghost a girl."

His voice went icy cold even as it rose. "Ghost a girl. Are you fucking kidding me? I can’t believe you've seriously painted me as the bad guy.”

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

I was so tired. I just wanted to crawl into my bed and sleep.

"You know what? Never mind. I'm done. I don't have to do this. I don't need this in my life."

He laughed derisively. "Oh right, run. Instead of having a really hard conversation, you either bury it or you run."

"Me, running? You're the one who walked away from me. Locked me out. Didn't speak to me. Do you recall that?"

"I call it fucking self-preservation because you're goddamn dangerous. You had me believing in you. You had me believing that I could trust you, and then you lied to me, right to my face. You exposed me and my mates. How am I supposed to fucking forgive that?"

"Well, if you're so sure that I fucked you over, why wouldn't you talk to me about it? Lay it all out? And you're telling me that I'm running? You’re the greatest coward there is.”

"Fuck you,