Page 27 of Sunflower Persona (Classic City Romance #2)

Smart kid.

Kori, on the other hand, isn’t the least bit frightened by my possessive posturing.

“Yeah. I didn’t realize I was taken either,” she snarls at me, dropping her hands to her hips.

Her defiance stirs something in me that it definitely shouldn’t be now. It’s almost as tempting as the way she melts under my coaching and the breathy way “yes, Coach” falls from her perfect lips. The same lips that are pressed thin with her barely contained anger.

“You know that isn’t what I meant.”

“Then what the absolute fuck was that display of alphahole douchebaggery?” she shouts.

If the bar was any more crowded, I would be concerned about making a scene, but my friends make up a quarter of the patrons, and I really couldn’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks. They can go next door if they want an undisturbed drink.

“He was touching you.” It’s a miracle the words come out as calm as they do when the thought sends a fresh wave of mindless violence through me.

“And? He asked me first, and I said yes.”

“Why the fuck would you do that?”

“Because I wanted to, and because despite you acting like you own me, we aren’t together, and you made it pretty clear we never would be.”

“That doesn’t mean you should let men touch you whenever they want.”

Nathan winces beside me and whispers, “You fucking idiot.”

“Do you even hear yourself right now?” She takes a step forward, standing straighter as she gives me a piece of her mind. Her face thunders with rage that rivals the storm outside. If her joy was beautiful, then fuck me if her rage isn’t awe-striking.

“I didn’t let anyone do anything. He asked if I wanted to dance, and I said yes. Because I wanted to. He was cute and nice, and if he had asked to kiss me, I probably would have said yes too.”

“The fuck you would have,” I snap.

“I’m not yours, Gage, so stop acting like you own me. Unless you are going to man the fuck up and make me yours for real.”

I open my mouth to meet her challenge, but rational me gains control long enough to stop me from making a promise I can’t keep. She isn’t mine, and she never will be. It doesn’t matter how badly I want to kiss that scowl off her lips.

“That’s what I thought. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I was having fun with my friends before you ruined my night, and I’d like to go back to that.”

“Come on, Kori, I’ll dance with you,” Nathan says, drilling me with a glare as he wraps an arm around her shoulder.

It takes every bit of my willpower not to throttle my friend.

I take a deep breath and put the group behind me. It’s the only way I can bear it. Karis and Morgan are still watching from the bar with pity and disappointment clear on their faces.

“I fucked that one up, didn’t I?” I ask as I make it back behind the counter.

“Yup,” Karis says.

“And what would you have done differently?”

“Kissed the shit out of her, for one.”

“She isn’t mine to kiss.”

“And if you let her walk out of here, she never will be. You know that, right?” she challenges.

“What do you mean?”

“She isn’t going to wait around for you to figure it out. And if tonight is any indicator, she won’t have much trouble finding someone who realizes what they have in front of them.”

I grumble and grab a wineglass from the shelf, dirtying it with the grimy cloth to give my hands something to do.

“She and Nathan seem to get along well, and they would make a cute couple. He deserves to find happiness with someone as sweet as her,” she adds.

Sharp pain flares in my palm as the stem snaps in my clenched fist.

“Shit,” I curse as blood pools from a shallow cut.

“Go take care of that.” Concern overtakes her features, pushing away the antagonistic teasing. “I’ll watch the bar until you get back.”

Pain doesn’t register as I walk into the back office and fish out the old first aid kit that has been here as long as I have.

My heartbeat pulses in the wound, but the sting was brief.

It isn’t until I pour rubbing alcohol on it that the feeling returns with vengeance.

A string of curses spills out as I bandage it and slip on a plastic glove to prevent any biohazard incidents.

When I return, the girls are gone…and so is Nathan.

He wouldn’t have—fuck.

No. No. No. Not him. Not anyone. Yellow is my fucking woman, goddamnit.

My gut hollows with a black hole of devastation as my heart picks up speed in my chest. If he—if they—

There would be no coming back from that. Not only would I lose my girl, but one of my best friends too, and even Karis couldn’t pull me out of that tailspin.

Fear holds me hostage in the doorframe. Stepping back out there means accepting that reality, and that’s more than I can deal with right now. My lungs lock in my chest, constricting tighter with every second that passes.

I start to breathe again when my friend steps out of the bathroom alcove—alone.

“Thank fuck.”

His face falls as he sees my wrecked state. It doesn’t take him long to put two and two together. He shakes his head as he approaches me and drags me back into the office.

“Man, did you really think I was going to fuck your girl? I thought after all these years, you would trust me more than that.”

“I know. I do. I just…”

“Panicked?”

“Yeah.” My shoulders slump with the confession.

“Are you ready to get your head out of your ass now?” he asks, and I give him a defeated nod.

There is no way I can fight this thing. Not while she’s around, and I don’t think my friends will let her go anywhere anytime soon.

“So what are you going to do?”

“Do you think there’s a chance I can still beg her for forgiveness?”

“Only one way to find out.”

***

I don’t give myself time to talk myself out of it as I drive toward her dorm. Never mind the fact that it’s 2 a.m. on a school night and the storm has only gotten worse as the night went on. Or that she’s probably going to tell me to fuck off and that she never wants to see me again.

It’s not until I’m standing in the abandoned lobby of her building that I realize I have no fucking plan here.

My entire shift passed by, and all I could think about was getting to her—not what I was going to do once I got here.

I don’t even know what room she’s in or how I’m supposed to get past the locked security doors.

At least my only obstacle is a half-asleep kid at the front desk.

Calling her is an option, but that risks her turning me away before I can get inside, and I’m not willing to lose this fight before it’s even begun.

I’m done making mistakes where she’s involved.

“Hey,” I bark at the sleepy kid.

He jerks to attention, and his eyes widen as I approach. On a good day, I would try to make myself seem less intimidating, but today is not a good day, and he is the only thing standing between me and my girl.

“How old are you?” I snap.

“Uh…twenty-two,” he says, but it sounds more like a question than a reply.

“Do you like to go downtown?”

He nods, but his eyes are still nervous.

“If you let me through those doors, you and your friends can drink for free at Cutter’s until the end of the year.”

“I’m—what?”

“You heard me. All you have to do is let me inside.”

A bead of sweat forms on his forehead as he looks around, and his throat bobs as he swallows back his nerves.

“Are you a cop?”

I don’t justify his stupidity with an answer.

“Shit. Fine. But if anyone asks, I didn’t let you in. My boss would fire me for this without question.”

A loud click sounds from the door as he hits a button under the desk and the magnetic lock disengages.

I give the kid a two-fingered salute and don’t waste any time jogging over to the door.

Truth be told, the kid deserves to be fired.

It should not be this easy for a strange man to barge his way into the dorms. Part of me wants to report him for his negligence—how dare he put Kori at risk—but I would feel like the worst kind of asshole if I cost him his job.

That doesn’t mean I won’t worry about her every time I think of her here alone now.

I pull out my phone and dial Yellow’s number once I get inside. She doesn’t pick up on the first ring. Or the second.

Fuck.

The hope in my chest crumbles, but my resolve only hardens. I’m fixing things with my woman tonight, goddamnit. Karis was right—if I don’t fix this now, I’ll never be able to.

One more call, and if she doesn’t pick up, I’ll wake Karis up to coerce the information out of Evelyn. I’ll wake the whole building up if I have to, but I’m not leaving here until I see my girl. The only thing that will get me out of this building is the words “fuck off” coming from her lips.

I dial one more time, holding my breath as the line rings in my ear. My heart swells as her groggy voice finally comes through on the other end.

“Hello? Gage? Is everything okay?”

“What room are you in?” I rasp.