“I did.”
“Do you believe it?” He turns and flips something in the pan.
“I do,” I respond with his back turned to me.
“So do I. I just wanted to know what you thought. I never want to take a drug to alter my natural ability to do things.”
I side-eye him. I can see that he's paused. He turns to me, as I give him a “really, is that so” look.
“What?”
“I didn't say anything.”
“I know what you're thinking?”
“No, you don't,” I goad him.
“I do, but I have my reasons for giving Morgan that pill.”
“Why? I need to know what possessed you to do that to him.”
“You,” Cruz simply says.
“Me?”
“Yeah, you possessed me. Morgan doesn't deserve you.”
“What? That's crazy.”
“Maybe, but he takes your friendship for granted.”
“No, he doesn’t, Cruz.”
“He does,” he says as he hands me a plate with an omelet, toast, and potatoes on it. I look at the food and back up to him.
“What? I didn't do anything to your food, Bria.”
“I didn't insinuate that you did, Cruz.”
“You did, with a questioning eye.”
“Here, look.” He stabs the omelet with a fork, and chews it vigorously. He repeats the same thing with the potatoes.
“That doesn't prove anything.” I laugh at his actions.
He laughs back. “You are something else.”
He replaces a fork with another. I don’t mind if we use the same fork. I’m guilty with wanting to know what it tastes like. That’s when I remember his kiss and I stare at him curiously. He sits next to me after he grabs his breakfast. I take the fork he replaced and start to eat. I can't believe I let this man in my house, and his omelet is great. I lose my train of thought as I hum in acceptance.
“Good, huh?”
“Yes, it is.”
He nods in agreement.
“What happened to Bryant last night?”
“I don't know. I texted and called him. He didn't respond until about four this morning. I was already here, so—”
“You stayed?”
“Yeah, was that a problem?”
“No. Well, now it's not.”
“What do you mean now?” he chuckles.
“I mean my clothes are changed, and you were in my house all night.”
“No, not true. I went to my car to leave after you fell asleep to wait for Mr. Loverboy to call back. When he never did, I came back in. When he did finally decide to call… I undressed you after I knew he wasn't coming back.”
“Wait, how did you get back in? And you removed my clothes?”
“Never locked the door. I was going to sit outside until Morgan showed, and yes.” Cruz smiles devilishly.
“You, fucking perv!” I push him from the seat and fall over in the process. He catches me.
“Honey, I'm going to see you naked anyway. I just figured it would be less awkward when I do lay hands on you,” he chuckles. I smack his chest as he's still holding on to me.
“Let go!”
“Why?” Cruz questions.
I do not say anything; I look away from him, because looking at this person makes me feel naked and lightheaded.
He leans over and whispers in my ear.
“Honey, your body is telling me things your mouth can't handle. You may as well give in to the truth.”
I pull away, and struggle to sit back on the barstool.
“Cruz, why did you tell Bryant you were going to fuck me?”
He almost spits out his orange juice and looks over at me.
“He told you that? Wow, that guy's got it bad.”
“Yeah, the night you gave him the pill.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “I did say that; we were both drunk out of our asses. You think he believed me?”
“I don't know; he hasn't mentioned it anymore.”
The look on Cruz’s face is one I cannot describe.
“You really did fuck him that night, didn't you?”
My head is down. I'm not sure why. I'm not embarrassed for sleeping with Bryant. It's how Cruz makes me feel about the situation.
“Your non answer tells me enough.”
I’m still silent as he grabs his empty plate and gets up from the breakfast bar.
“Are you done?” he asks.
I am. My appetite has left me again.
“Can I ask you a question?” Cruz turns to look at me so we are facing each other.
“Go ahead, Bria, try to pick my brain. What do you want to know?”
“Nothing, really. I just want to know why you care so much whether I fuck Bryant or not?”
He shrugs. “I just do,” he replies.
“You said before you didn’t care about this.” I point to my lap. “What’s the difference now?”
“I never said I didn’t care about your pussy. What I said was I didn’t care that Mr. Lover was in the next room, and he wouldn’t be able to carry out the task properly.”
“Hmmph, I guess you were wrong.”
“I was, and it won’t happen again,” Cruz retorts.
“You’re an ass, Cruz King; what makes you think you can stop Bryant and me from sleeping together?” He shakes his head in disgust.
“You don’t get it, Bria, and you don’t need to get it right now.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“You know for a female, you have a foul mouth.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that you’re the reason for my foul mouth?”
“Yeah, actually, it did occur to me; but how filthy does it really get?” he laughs. “You have anger issues.” Cruz laughs again.
“Get out!”
“This how you treat guests when they take care of you? I cooked, cleaned, and undressed you.” He smiles as he says that last comment. “Fine, I’m leaving, but only because I have a few things to get done. I’ll come check on you later. Okay, honey?”
“No, and stop calling me that!”
“Why, it’s so fitting.” He picks me up from the stool as if I’m a rag doll.
“Put me down, Cruz!”
“Sure I will, when you tell me where. Bedroom or sitting room? Your call. I’m thinking the bedroom. It’s closer to the bathroom. I can set up your laptop for you, if you like.”
“Yes, just hurry and put me down,” I interrupt.
“All right,” he chuckles as he sets me down on my bed gently.
As he’s leaving my bedroom, I hear the front door slam shut.
“Bryant?” I yell.
“Yeah, Bree, where are you?” he says as he enters my room at the same time as Cruz is coming back through my bathroom.
“Nice of you to finally show, lover boy.”
“Fuck you, Cruz; you're the one who didn't want me to take her to the ER.” Bryant’s mad. I can hear it in his voice.
“Well, a man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do,” Cruz retorts.
“Piss off, Cruz. I'm not in the mood.”
“Oh, and I am?” Cruz fires back.
“Guys!” I yell as they stare at each other. Bryant is clearly in a piss-poor mood because Cruz is here. And Cruz's piss-poor mood is caused by Bryant's lack of sympathy for the situation.
“Bryant, I'm fine now. Cruz helped me out a lot.” Bryant folds his muscular arms across his chest, and I give an inner sigh to myself just looking at him in the stance he's in.
“So, you two are friends all of a sudden?” Bryant asks.
Cruz folds his even more muscular arms across his chest and I am in awe.
“Define friends, Morgan?” Cruz cocks his head to the side.
“You’re pushing it, King.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, let me push it a little further. While you were busy diving into your ex, your best friend was waiting on you to comfort her last night. But don't you wo
rry your pretty boy head; I took care of that for you.”
“You, fucking perv!” Bryant rushes Cruz; and did I mention that Cruz is a fucking wall? He catches Bryant in a headlock, but Bryant isn't backing down. He lifts Cruz from his feet. I sit on my bed, yelling for the two of them to stop. But it’s too late. They both come crashing down on my bed. My laptop is in my lap and the entire bed collapses.
“BRIA!” both of them yell.
They both rush to try to help me up. I'm on my side. My laptop is cracked in two. All I can do is yell for the two of them to get out... “Now!”
They both wince and leave the room. I muscle up enough strength to get up. I'm not hurt; well, maybe my ego, but physically, I'm fine. “Fucking idiots!” I yell. However, I hear my front door slam shut, so I know neither of them heard me. One month ago, hell, one week ago, Bria Watts was not a thought on any man’s mind. Now she is and worthy of defending? What the hell? I look at the mess that my bed is in. My laptop is a lost cause. I need to get to work. My computer at work doesn't have all my files, but I can get a little accomplished today.
I pick up my crutches and go to the bathroom to get myself together. My ankle is aching now more than before. I make it to the ottoman that has now been pushed about two feet over from the fall. I manage to get dressed in a decent pants outfit to cover up my ankle wrap. I spike my hair because it’s grown out so much from my pixie cut it's not as manageable. I'm out of the house in less than an hour. I'll deal with that cleanup later.
* * *
I called ahead to the café to have my order ready. I'm in and out of the café in three minutes on crutches. I even manage to pick up my boss’s favorite. I'm on a roll... “EFF YOU, CRUTCHES!” I yell in the wind.
I call Lisa to let her know my situation, so that she can help me in. I pull into the office-building parking lot and there she is, sympathetic eyes and all.
“Hey, hon; oh, you look broken.”
I laugh. “So it seems,” I say to her.
“Tell me what happened, please.”
“I will, Lisa; just let me get settled in.”
“Okay, hon. If you need anything, just give me a ring, okay?”
“Okay, I will.”
I turn on my desktop pc and my boss strolls in with a look of fright on his face.
“Sheesh, Bryant said you were injured, but you look like you should have stayed home.” I hold up one hand indicating that he should talk to it. “You could have worked from home, love.”
“Boss, I tried, but dumb and dumber cracked my laptop.”
He looks at me suspiciously. “Dumb and dumber?”
“Bryant and Cruz,” I confirm to him.
“What the hell?” he asks.
“There was an incident.”
“Oh no, Bria. You weren't hurt again, were you? And should I ask who is who?”
“Does it matter?” I laugh.
“At least you're witty and upbeat about it.”
“I'm pissed, boss.”
“Well, I'm not sure I want to know what went on. However, I need to know if this changes any business interactions with the two of them. And how long will you be on crutches?
“I will be completely fine by the weekend; it’s just a twist, no sprain or break.”
“Good, good,” he says.
“You must have something for me this week.”
He wiggles his eyebrows. “I do indeed. I think you'll love it!”
“Yay, something to take my mind off Jack and Ass.” We both laugh. “To answer your other concern, I'm not sure. It was such a stupid, heated incident.”
“Ahh, jealousy,” Mr. Wilke says matter-of-factly.
“How did you know that, boss?”
“Two successful men and a gorgeous, successful woman, it was bound to happen.”
“I don't know what to do, boss.” I put my face in my hands.
“Follow your heart,” my boss responds, and I quickly raise my head.
“No, boss. I'm not feeling like that.”
“I don't know what you mean, Bria.”
“I'm not in love. I mean I care for Bryant, and I don't know Cruz all that well.” I sigh and put my face back in my hands.
“Bria, dear, that's unhealthy.”
“Boss, it’s not that I don't want to be with anyone. I just don't want that now, at this point.”
“What point is that?” he asks.
“I'm busy, boss. I have no time for a social life or a love life.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“Nothing,” I say, but it’s a lie. I'm very afraid. Love is too complicated; pain and disappointment are too harsh. However, the act of any of that doesn't scare me; it's letting a person in. It's exposing yourself to another person. It's worrying about whether or not he or she will like you or fall in love with you for that matter, for who you really are. I like being alone. No façade, no being someone I'm not. Just to be liked. Take me or leave me the way I am, and that's it. If they can't take me the way I am, it fucks with my head. It makes me believe there's something wrong with me. So if I can eliminate that part of exposing myself, relationships will be easier. But then again who wants anything that’s easy...
“Bria, sunshine. Bria, love, come back.”
“Oh crap, yeah, boss?”
He laughs. “I'll leave you alone on this one and let you be. When things slow down, I would like to see you setting up a suite for you and your fantasy lover.”
“Ugh, boss, please, just stop it.” He laughs and gestures a thank you for the coffee as he leaves my office.
I hear my phone chime. I check it, and it is a text from Cruz.
Honey, I want to apologize for my stupidity this morning. I'll take care of your bed and replace your laptop. – C King
Aww, that's sweet of him... wait, no! I am pissed.
However, it does help.
The day goes by quickly; I order in and only have two bathroom trips. I'm doing great.
“Bria, love, will you be available Friday and Saturday evening?” My boss pops his head into my office holding his phone.
“Friday, definitely. Saturday, I'm going out.” I wiggle my eyebrows.
“Oh, really?”
“No, boss, not what you think. Just a few girls.”
“Oh, right; you and Lisa, wild nights out.”
I slap my hand over my mouth. “How did you know about that?”
“Bria, I have people.” He laughs. “No worries, love.
Go ahead and get out of here. I’ll lock up.”
I eye my boss. “I know that look, boss. What are you up to?”
“Who me? You know, a little of this, a whole lot of that.”
I laugh and pack up as quickly as possible. I don't want to run into Frenchie or wifey. My boss, the stud, I laugh to myself.
“Okay, boss, I'm gone,” I yell down the hall. I don't get a reply; his door is already closed. “I'm not even,” I say under my breath.
* * *
On my drive home, I think about the mess I have to deal with in my room. I really can't do anything until I can walk fully on my foot again. Good thing my room wasn't a total mess, I can pick up a few things to help the situation in there. I definitely will be sleeping in the guest room.
As I drive down my block, I can see a delivery truck near my house. I get closer and notice it’s in front of my house. Both Cruz and Bryant are standing in my doorway as the delivery guys remove what looks like a new bed from the truck.
I park as close as I can without blocking the truck in. Both men come to my car to help me out. Cruz grabs my crutches and handbag, which shocks me, but shock is replaced with a single thought. Typical. He hands them to Bryant who takes them without a word.
“Hi, guys, what's all this?”
“Bree, we replaced your bed and laptop,” Bryant answers.
“We also cleaned up the mess in your room,” Cruz adds. “I can't believe you left your room such a mess,” he says with a silly smirk on his face. I atte
mpt to smack him in the chest, but opt out, knowing I’ll fall over.
“So you two are okay now? You kissed and made up?”
“We're cool,” they both say.
“I'm not too sure about the making up part,” Bryant confesses. “Look, Bria. I was going to tell you about Cassie.”
“Uh.” I hold up one hand to Bryant; he sighs in defeat. I really don't want to hear what he has to say about Cass. “Let's not do this outside, guys,” Cruz picks me up again. I don't even bother telling him I've been getting around fine all day. I think he's just compelled to touch me.
“Honey, have you eaten?” Cruz asks as we bounce up my driveway. Bryant in tow eyeing me like he's clearly upset. We get into the house and the delivery guys look like they are finishing up. I turn to look at Bryant.
“What were you thinking?” I shake my head in disbelief.
Cruz excuses himself to offer help to the deliverymen.
“Bree, I was going to tell you.”
“When? When you two eloped? I can't even look at you right now. I'm not mad because you didn't tell me. I'm pissed because of the consequences. Do you remember what it was like when you found out she was cheating on you?” I try to whisper but my words are louder than a whisper yell. “Bryant, I can't be there for you when you bump your head on this one. I just can't.”
“Bree, it’s not like you want me,” he reminds me a bit too loud.
“Bry, you know what that will be like. Are you getting back with her?” He just stares into the other room.
“Are you?” I yell.
“I don't know.” He pauses and hands me my purse.
“You don't fucking know. You know, Bry. Don’t give me that shit.”
“You know what, Bria. I don't expect you to understand shit about this.”
“What… You and Cass?” I scoff. “Please, that's nothing. You're right. I don't know anything about that twisted relationship.”
“Twisted relationship, Bree? C'mon, really. Like I said, you wouldn't understand. It's not as if you’ve ever been in love with anyone. Shit,” he laughs. “You don't even kiss when you fuck.
“You bastard!” I slap him square across his face. Before I know it, Cruz has grabbed and hoisted me up and away from Bryant.
“That's what she does, man,” Bryant spits. As Cruz carries me to the nearest room away from Bryant, I can hear him still yelling out in my sitting room.
“Be warned, Cruz. Her love is unhealthy!” he yells.
What They Don't Know (Won't Hurt Them Trilogy #1) Page 11