Page 9 of Follow Me to Your Heart

I watched Korren as she studied. The eraser of her pencil was resting against those pouty lips of hers as she read over her study guide before jotting something down in her notebook.

Her auburn curls were all over her head, and from the way her brows kept dipping, I figured she was getting overwhelmed.

She’d been studying for the last two hours without taking a break.

Ever since the other night, I’d been keeping a close eye on her.

Korren could fool anyone but me. She could put on a front to make it seem like she was okay, but she wasn’t.

Anytime she randomly started crying or attempted to shut down, it made me want to go kill Jody.

He was suffering enough by losing his scholarship and not being able to play football.

“KoKo?” I called out, tugging on her foot. Korren glanced up at me, then back down at her notes to let me know she heard me. “You need to take a break. Let’s go get something to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Did I ask you if you were hungry? I’ve been with you most of the day, and all you’ve done is snack. You need a real meal, and I know exactly where I’m going to take you.”

Korren whined when I closed her book and took her pencil out her hand. She tried snatching it back, but I was too quick. I placed her things to the side, then held my hands out for her to grab. Her stomach growled, and she rolled her eyes.

I teased, “I thought you weren’t hungry.”

“I’m not. My stomach just be doing the most.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go put your shoes on.”

She turned to walk away, then spun on her heels and tipped her head to the side. “Promise not to have me gone long, Cage. This is my first test in this class, and I really want to do good on it.”

“As much as you’ve been studying, you better make a one hundred on it. I’m going to think you’ve been bullshitting if you don’t.”

Korren gave me the finger and went to her room.

I could bet she would end up doing her hair and changing her clothes, so I sat back down on the couch and scrolled through my phone.

O’Shea had sent me a text, asking to meet up tomorrow for our quarterly meeting.

I confirmed my presence. There was something I needed to chop it up with him about anyway.

Within the next year, I wanted out. It was only right I gave him a heads up instead of blindsiding him.

O’Shea had been good to me. He gave me a chance after I went through somethings with the first person I worked under.

Being young and hungry, I ignored the red flags, only thinking about the money.

I didn’t realize I was putting in more work than I was being paid for until O’Shea stepped to me.

That was when I started seeing big money and guidance.

I owed him the same respect and loyalty he’d given me.

Keith hit me up about a house he’d found for sale. He wanted us to go view it and talk about a few things. If everything went how we wanted, I’d be taking the first step to making a change.

“Fuck.” I griped when I accidentally answered the phone for Lorie. She’d been blowing me up every day, making me regret entertaining her. “What, Lorie?”

“I should’ve known better than to think you would change, Cage. Why have you been ignoring me?”

“Just because I fucked you doesn’t mean I want to be with you. Nothing changed but the number of times we’ve had sex.”

“I told you about messing with her ass, Cage,” Korren expressed from behind me, loud enough for Lorie to hear.

I hung up on her when she let the first curse word slip from her mouth. I wasn’t in the mood to hear them go back and forth nor allow Lorie to call Korren out her name. The conversation was already headed in the wrong direction, so there was no need to let it escalate.

I hopped up from the couch. Korren’s arms were crossed over her chest as she glared at me. She’d brushed her hair into a high, messy bun, showing off her freckle peppered face. Pretty ass. Playfully, I nudged her chin, and she swatted my hand away.

“Don’t do me like that, KoKo.”

“You know how I feel about that girl, Cage. If you choose to continue messing around with her after everything, that’s on you.

Just keep that shit from around me.” Korren tried to walk around me, but I stood in front of her.

“Move. I don’t have time to play with you when I could be studying. Are we getting food or not?”

“Lose the attitude.”

“I don’t have one.”

I reached out to touch her, but she backed away with a slight sway of her head.

A heavy sigh expelled from my mouth as I dragged my hands down my face.

Korren’s energy was off. She could try to act as if everything was sweet, but from the way she acted, it was evident it wasn’t.

Despite my apology, she still harbored some ill feelings.

Lorie was a sore spot for her, and I understood.

“Then why are you acting like you don’t want me to touch you or anything?” I questioned, raising a brow. “You only get like this when something is bothering you. Don’t act as if I don’t know you. It’s because of Lorie, isn’t it?”

“I just think it’s crazy how you can still deal with her after how being with her affected our relationship.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand that I won’t always come first in your life once you get into a serious relationship.

I’m fine with that. It’s just . . .” Korren’s voice trailed off as her tongue slowly crossed over her top row of teeth. “I can’t stand that bitch.”

My head flung back. A hearty laugh rumbled from the pit of my stomach.

I tried holding it in, but the bite in Korren’s tone and the scowl etched on her pretty face let me know how serious she was.

By the time I was done laughing, she allowed me to slide my arms around her and kiss her forehead.

Her stubborn ass didn’t embrace me back. She kept her arms crossed, pouting.

“Fix your face, man.” I chuckled, and she rolled her eyes. “Better stop before they get stuck.”

“Whatever. Can we go eat now so I can study?”

“Not until you tell me you love and forgive me.”

Korren twisted her lips, trying to mask the smile threatening to break free.

She avoided eye contact with me, but I could feel the way her heart thumped against her arms onto me.

Carefully, I parted them and made her wrap them around me.

As I expected, Korren’s stubborn demeanor washed away as she melted into my body.

Her head lay on my chest, bun brushing against my beard, but I didn’t care.

All that mattered was that she was right where I needed her to be.

Finally, after about a minute of silence, she spoke. “You piss me off with some of the shit you do, but you know that’ll never keep me from loving you, Cage. You know I love you. I forgive you too. It’s hard not to get in my feelings when she’s brought up.”

“I get it, KoKo. I do, so I’m going to be cool on her. I already have been, but she caught me slipping. She caught me at a vulnerable time, and I gave in.”

“Like I said before, you can continue messing around with her if that’s what you desire to do, but don’t mention her whenever you’re around me. If you gotta block her number whenever you’re around me, do it, or you’re going to hear my mouth every time.”

All I could do was laugh and agree. “You know I’ll do whatever to make you happy. It’s your world. I’m simply living in it.”

“And my world wouldn’t be complete without you.”

I squeezed her tighter, and she rubbed her hands up and down my back.

Our heartbeats, our breathing, our vibrations, .

. . everything was in sync with us. I’d heard people talk about having soulmates, and I truly believed Korren was mine.

It was a feeling I couldn’t shake, a feeling I’d felt since we’d first met.

Once again, my lips pressed against her forehead before I pulled away.

“You don’t know how upside down my world would be without you.”