A pang of unease constricted my throat. I didn’t have a fucking clue how we were going to make this work. “You’re probably right.” I blew out a sigh laced with more than a little regret. “I’m going to take a quick shower. You should go back to sleep.”
Evie curled her arms around her torso, making her dancer’s frame look small and delicate. “Okay,” she said, her voice soft and uncertain.
Although my gut clenched and I wanted to take back my words, I didn’t. I couldn’t. I had no clue what to say. I retreated to the bathroom, closing the door behind me, putting up a physical barrier to match the emotional one that never seemed to disappear between us.
A bright light flickered on the bathroom counter, reflecting off the mirror that ran the length of the far wall. I glanced at Evie’s phone, and a text from her ex-fiancé lit up the screen. I knew I shouldn’t read it. I should trust her, but I couldn’t stop myself. I needed to know what he wanted, especially if I didn’t want to hear it secondhand from Nico or that piece of shit Carlo.
I swiped her screen and pulled up her recent texts. She really needed to put a passcode on her phone; however, I wouldn’t lobby her to do that any time in the near future.
Kevin: We weren’t done talking. Why you’d leave today without letting me explain?
Evie: We don’t have anything else to talk about. Stop contacting me. I don’t want to work things out.
Kevin: Because of Carmela’s brother. You can’t trust him.
Evie: It’s none of your business.
Kevin: Are you dating him?
Evie: I already told you we’re friends. He’s helping me out. That’s all you need to know.
Kevin: He’s going to ruin your life. You need to get away from him.
Evie: You lost the right to tell me what to do when I caught you fucking your so-called protégé.
Kevin: I know I screwed up, but please let me explain what happened with Ana. I owe you that. We both deserve closure.
Evie: Fine. What time?
Kevin: Be at my studio at noon. We’ll have lunch.
I sucked in a deep breath, anger simmering inside me, black dots spotting my vision. I couldn’t think straight. I’d let her run around the city for weeks unaccompanied. I gave her freedom. I gave her my trust on a fucking platter, and she repaid me by sneaking around with her ex. Then she crawled in my bed at night like nothing happened. Like she didn’t owe me anything. Like I didn’t have a right to know she’d been talking to that asshole again.
I stormed out the bathroom, flinging open the door with enough force that it banged against the doorstop with loud bang.
“What the fuck is this?” I held up her phone, flashing the screen toward her.
She scrambled out of the bed, her eyes wide, her ponytail seesawing. She held her hands up in surrender, slinking backward until she collided with the wall. “It’s not a big deal. I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. You don’t have any right to be mad.”
“Are you saying I should be happy that you go running when your ex snaps his fingers?”
She toyed the hem of her emerald green nightie. “I can explain.”
I stalked closer to her, my hand squeezing tighter and tighter around her phone with every step. “Then start talking.”
Evie lowered her lashes. She looked so prim, so innocent and easily broken, my heart tripped inside my chest.
“He’s been hounding me to talk to him for more than a week, and I keep ignoring him. He was waiting for me when I came out of the dance studio today.”
“You could’ve kept walking. You don’t owe him a damn thing. He cheated on you, not the other way around.”
“I know, but he held up that juice I like so much, and I didn’t want to be mean to him.”
“He got you bottle of juice. A fucking bottle of juice and you invite him back into your life like nothing happened?” I slammed my hands against the wall next to her head, caging her between my arms. The screen of her phone cracked, and I tossed it on top of the bed. “Are you going to pack your bags and move back in with him now that he’s no longer fucking that woman? This was a fun detour, but now you’re ready to hop beds again. You don’t like to waste time do you?”
Evie blinked and crystal-like tears squeezed from the corners of her eyes. Regret swelled inside my chest, but the distrust and adrenaline surging through me prevented me from backing down. I wouldn’t tolerate being played by her or anyone else.
“How do you know he’s not with her anymore?” she whispered, her dark eyes like pools of ink.
I leaned my hips into hers, and like someone had flipped a switch, I burned for her. It pissed me off as much as it excited me. “It’s my job to know!” I yelled.