Loving War(76)

“What’s this?” she asks, looking down at the crisp white envelope.

“It’s from your dad. Dane brought it over.”

Her breath comes out harsh, and she takes a minute to just stare at it. I wait patiently, ready to do whatever I can to make it better no matter what that damn thing says.

“Here,” she says, handing it back to me. “Hold on to it for me. I’m not ready to see what it says.”

I take it, though I’m a little confused. “You’re sure?”

Her dark hair falls over her shoulder, going down past her breasts and touching her top few ribs.

“Positive. If he’s telling me he’s sorry and that he loves me, it’s going to break my heart. It’ll make me feel guilty for all the time we lost because I didn’t try harder. If it’s something cold and indifferent, then it’ll break my heart in a different way. He doesn’t get to speak to me from the grave until I’m ready to listen.”

I nod, folding the envelope and sliding it into my pocket. “Then I’ll keep it until you ask for it.”

She smiles, even though it seems forced now.

“Thank you. Now, I got three movies. You can choose which one we watch.”

I flip through them and choose the only one that doesn’t look like a damn romance. She rolls her eyes at my selection, and then she heads to the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of wine and two glasses.

“How’d the meeting go?” I ask, watching her hips sway in her sexy skirt that hugs her hips and legs all the way down to her knees. Her white shirt is tucked in, and she looks like a dirty dream I want to have.

“Great. You really know how to find some incredible people. It’s going to be a well-oiled machine. They already have all the plans worked out, and they essentially just needed me to sign off. I was so impressed that I almost lost my cool and bounced up and down.”

Her smile is infectious, and I find myself grinning, too, while tossing the movie in. She heads into the bedroom as I drop to the couch and start pouring our wine. She emerges just as the movie previews start, and I waggle my eyebrows at her new attire—just my shirt.

“There’s something to be said about ordering in,” I murmur, trying not to be too pushy.

“Definitely,” she says in agreement, winking at me.

We’ve only had sex a couple of times since she heard about her father. I’m trying to give her whatever she needs right now. If it’s sex, then it’s hers. If it’s quiet time, then I shut the hell up. If she needs a bath, I’m turning on the water.

She sits down beside me and slides a leg over my waist while taking her glass. When she cuddles up against me and rests her head on my arm that is draped over the back of the sofa, it feels so right that it’s almost suffocating me.

“Tria?” I look at her while she sips the wine, her body slowly tangling around mine like she can’t get close enough.

“Mm?”

Instead of saying anything, I just kiss her, a firm kiss that has me wanting more, but not pushing for it. Our glasses go to the table, becoming forgotten as I hold her to me. When she kisses me back and starts pulling me backwards with her, slowly lying down on the sofa while keeping me between her legs, I fight not to rip the buttons off the shirt.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I finally say against her lips.

“So am I,” she says, smiling.

Yeah… I’m pretty fucking in love with Tria Noles.

The damn doorbell rings, announcing the food is here, and Tria laughs as I growl and adjust myself in my jeans. I don’t think it’s funny. At all.

She sits back up, and I go and pay the douche waiting with our food.

We eat and talk about her meeting, and she fills me in on all the details while we both ignore the movie. She’s far more interesting than the screen right now.

When the doorbell rings again, we exchange a confused look. “Kode, Tria, it’s Rain. Open up.”

Rain’s voice is breaking, and Tria scrambles up, stopping by the bedroom to grab shorts while I jog to the front door. Damn glad I didn’t give Rain a key.

I open the door, and a wave of blonde hair is all I see before Rain disappears around the corner, more than likely going to find her sister. The strong scent of alcohol wafts toward me, causing me to frown. Did she drive drunk? That’s not like her.

“Hello to you, too, Rain,” I mumble, sticking my head out the door just in time to see a cab pulling out. Thank fuck she didn’t drive. Now I don’t have to kick her ass.

When I get back into the living room, Rain is crying, and Tria is hugging her, looking over at me with as much confusion as I feel. What the hell? Dane was just here a few hours ago, and everything was… Oh shit. Her dad’s letter.