Loving War(53)

“He’s so different with you than anyone I’ve seen him interact with,” she says, grinning. “You know, the guy says five words to me. But he sees you, and he spills all sorts of things. It’s really sweet. He’s one of those guys girls want to love, but can’t get him to love them back. You’ve landed a white whale, so to speak.”

Smiling, I lean back in the seat.

“Have I told you thank you for hanging out with me so much?” I ask her, turning to look as her light brown hair falls out of her ponytail holder.

She curses while pulling it back up, and then she grins over at me while we sit idly in front of Kode’s home.

“You don’t have to thank me, Tria. Everyone needs someone. If I hadn’t had Maggie when I went through my divorce, I don’t know what I would have done. You’re getting stalked by a psycho, so you need someone. I’m here. Any time you need me.”

It’s hard to picture Brin getting married so young. She married straight out of high school, which seems so rash for someone as grounded as she is.

Out of the blue, I hug her, surprising her. But she hugs me back affectionately.

Smiling, I release her and head inside, making sure to strategically grab all my bags so that I don’t have to make two trips. Kode left earlier and said he probably wouldn’t be home until late, so I had Brin take me out to get groceries. My meal tonight will have him caving. No doubt about it.

My phone has been blowing up with calls from Rain and other random numbers, but I’ve ignored them all. This day is my day. I fully intend to devote all of my attention on Kode and winning this stupid bet.

It takes some finesse, but I manage to get the door open without putting any of the bags down. Moving quickly, I get everything put away. It’ll be a while before he gets home, so I decide to go for a run.

Just as I finish pulling on my workout shorts and sports bra, the door opens and closes, and I grin, though I’m surprised. He made it sound like it would be after dark before he got back.

“Just so you know, you’ll be on your knees and begging—”

My words catch in my throat when I see the wide eyes staring back into mine. Maverick Sterling has one foot still suspended in the air as I shriek and grab a pillow from the sofa to cover my body.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asks on a gasp.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I echo, still reeling from his unexpected visit.

“I couldn’t get ahold of Kode, so I came over to check on him to make sure Dane wasn’t downplaying the damage. Now what the hell are you doing here?”

My blood runs cold as I think about all the calls I’ve ignored.

“What do you mean? What damage? What happe—”

The door opens again, and I drop the pillow to sprint through the house just as Kode rounds the corner. My stomach hits the floor when I see a rough, purplish bruise on his cheek surrounding an angry red gash. He moves like he’s sore, and he grins grimly when he sees me.

I’m immediately in front of him, cupping his face so I can examine any further damage, but that’s all I see.

“What happened to you?” I ask, my voice hoarse and threaded with dread.

He bends and kisses me softly on the lips before stroking my cheek with his open hand. “Pete Mercer is in jail for good. The police will probably be questioning you soon, so be ready to deal with them.”

My stomach lurches, and I barely manage not to vomit. “Pete? This was done by Pete? Kode, I’m so damn sorry. Why did he go after you?”

His grin turns sheepish for some reason. “Probably because I beat his ass after he ran you off the road.”

Before I know it, my lips are on his, and I’m kissing him. Hard. The way I should have been kissing him this whole week. Stupid bet. He can win.

His tongue delves into my mouth as his hand curls around my waist, tugging me closer before wincing. I instantly shift back on my heels, and pull at his shirt until I can see the damage on his torso. Shit.

Bruises are slowly forming in large patterns, and tears form heavily in my eyes. This is all my fault.

“Don’t look at it like that, babe. You look guilty. This is a reason for celebration. Pete is done for. You don’t jump a Sterling and get away with it. He’ll be in jail for a while between the assault charges I filed and the broken restraining order with you.”

Gingerly, I run my fingers over his stomach, still tracing the lines of the purplish colored parts of his abdomen. Then a throat-clearing emerges, forcing Kode to tense and my whole body to go stiff.

Balls. I forgot about Maverick.

“Something you maybe forgot to mention,” Maverick says from the back of the room, gesturing to us, and not looking at all pleased about it.