Crashing into Love Read Online By Flora Ferrari - Read Crashing into Love(13) Online free

Chapter Eleven

Conrad

We stand at the fire assembly point, in a courtyard behind the high rise, as the building manager walks up and down in front of the crowd, trying to calm people’s outrage. I ignore it all, focusing instead on our little cluster – on my woman with her hand on her mother’s shoulder, squeezing softly.

“It’s going to be fine. It’s just a drill.”

“Not a drill,” somebody pipes up from beside us. He’s a younger man I vaguely recognize, a preppy look about him. A banker. “Apparently someone set it off. Some nutcase I bet. Wanted access to the building.”

I glare at him until he feels my stare and turns away, lowering his gaze. He shuffles away from us after that. He can probably see I’m on the verge of unleashing the feral beast inside of me if he continues to make my woman and her mom anxious.

“Did he say someone’s going to break in?” Mrs. Simpkins mutters.

Callie’s jaw clenches. There’s a battle going on inside her, one that is plain to me but invisible to her mother. She’s trying to be as kind and understanding as possible, trying to be patient, but I can sense the strain inside of her. She’s been doing this on her own for too long.

I move forward, forcing myself to look at Mrs. Simpkins instead of Callie.

If I look at my woman, I won’t be able to stop from consuming her with her eyes, the way her luscious thighs call out to me, the memory of the way her body shivered and quaked when my mouth was filled with the delicious tangy taste of her.

I wish I’d made her put on some pants before we came out here because the idea of any bastard looking too long at her perfect legs makes me want to roar.

“Mrs… Janet.” I remember how she asked me to call her that, in one of her more lucid moments. “I promise everything’s going to be fine. I’m personally going to make sure it is, okay?”

She blinks, looking up at me like she’s a child, even if she must only be a couple of years older than me.

“Yes, yes, you’re right. I just—of course. Of course, it is.”

It’s like talking to someone else reminds her of how she’s supposed to behave, pulls her out of the pit for a few moments. But I’m under no delusions that this normalcy will last without real help.

“We’re just checking the building,” the manager says, lifting her hands over the raised voices, dozens of us gathered at this assembly point. She’s a tall woman with a sharp face. “And then it’ll be safe to go back inside. I’m sure.”

I sigh and stand close to my woman, her shoulder brushing against my side, and then without thinking I lift my hand and put my arm around her shoulder.

She’s still for a moment, frozen.

I glance at her and see that she’s staring at her mom, as though awaiting her reaction.

Mrs. Simpkins only glances at us and then immediately away, as though none of this is of any interest to her. A feeling of rage flurries inside of me at that thought.

How can she not care about her daughter finally finding someone who appreciates her?

But it’s not her fault, the same way it wasn’t dad’s fault after mom died, the way he withdrew, the way he sunk into himself.

Callie leans into me. “At least it’s nice out here.”

I look around the courtyard. There are trellises on the side of the building, controlled creepers moving up the walls, and flowerbeds that show multicolored blooming petals under the fluorescent lights. There’s a gate at the far end, which leads to the street, with more plants interwoven around the railings.

A growl escapes me when I see her standing at the gate, her hands wrapped around the railings.

I’m too far away to tell for sure, but I’m pretty sure she’s smiling, that sickening grin that causes flames to spit and hiss in my stomach.

“Where are you going?” Callie asks when I start toward the gate.

“To talk to the person who set the fire alarm off,” I growl, unsure if she hears me.

Alexis has no damn right to show up like this, not when I’ve finally found someone I want to spend the rest of my life with, not when I’ve finally found the woman everybody thought was a myth. The building manager says something about staying within the assembly zone, but I ignore her, striding toward the gate with my fists clenched at my sides.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I snarl, throwing it open.

Alexis titters and spins out onto the sidewalk. She’s one of those women who think she’s dazzlingly attractive, tall and lean with dyed hair and a thick layer of makeup, yoga leggings, and a tank top meant to display her body.

But she’s never done anything for me.

No onehas apart from Callie, my woman, and Alexis is trying to threaten that.

“Did you enjoy my little game?” She giggles. “Come on. Let’s have a chat.”

She gestures at a nearby alleyway, as though I’m going to follow her.

I shake my head. “How did you get into my building? You don’t have an access card.”

“Oh, because it would be so hard to seduce someone who lives there… and steal theirs, wouldn’t it? Aren’t you proud? I went through all that effort for you, you know.”

I snarl, clenching my fists so hard I feel my nails digging into my skin.

“Alexis, you need to stop. I have a goddamn restraining order against you. You’re in violation of it right now. I know you’re clearly not well—”

She lunges forward, trying to put her hand on my chest.

I leap back, glaring at her. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

She pouts, a sickening sight. I don’t wish this woman any ill will, but I want her gone, out of my damn life, especially now that I’ve found my Callie.

“Don’t be like that, Connie.”

“Don’t fucking call me Connie,” I growl.

She folds her arms, deepening her pout. Everything about her turns me off, makes me sick.

Why can’t she understand I’m not interested?

Is it because she’s so used to ensnaring men that when a man says no she just can’t accept it?

“Who was that girl you had your arm around?”

I laugh, shaking my head. There’s no humor in the laughter, just the need for her to get the fuck away from me. “We’re not going to discuss my personal life.”

I almost add you psycho bitch, but I don’t have it in me to talk to a woman like that. If she were a man this would be going very, very differently.

There would be a war brewing between us if she was capable of defending herself.

“I’ve never seen you with a woman before.”

She looks sick under the streetlamp, ghoulish with the street dead quiet behind her. I can still hear voices raised behind me, beyond the gate, but out here it’s like a horror movie.

“Alexis, you need to leave now. Or I’m going to call the cops.”

“Call them. I don’t care. I’ll be gone before they get here. Unless you restrain me. Hmm. I think I’d like that.”

I growl and step forward, the thought of touching this woman – anyone but Callie, perfect sweet beautiful Callie – sends a maelstrom of rage swirling through me.

But this is what she wants.

She looks up at me with bright wide eyes, eagerly anticipating whatever I’m going to dish out.

I step back, gritting my teeth. “That woman is everything to me, Alexis. I’m going to spend the rest of my life with her. You need to get it into your head… I don’t want you. I’ve never given you any reason to think I wanted you. We’ve never kissed. We’ve never had an intimate moment. We’ve never even done anything. Why can’t you understand that?”

I only want Callie, just her, forever. For the rest of our damn lives.

I’m shaking as anger pumps through me.

For a moment I think my words have had an effect. Tears brim in her eyes.

Maybe this is what I needed to do all along, forget about being nice and hammer her with some cruelty. It brings me no pleasure to speak to her in this way, but if it’s what it takes…

But then she shakes her head, that familiar strange confidence coming over her features. “No. You love me. It was love at first sight. Remember how we looked at each other?”

I bite down, wondering why I even bother.

Turning away, I snap, “Have a nice life, Alexis.”

“Wait.”

She darts forward and grabs my hand.

“Oh my God.”

There’s a croak in Callie’s voice as she stands at the gate, peering through the railings. All she sees is me and Alexis holding hands.

How long has she been standing there?

Did she hear me tell Alexis how I want nothing to do with her, how she is the only woman for me?

“Callie, wait,” I say, pulling my hand roughly away from Alexis.

Callie spins and marches away.

I turn and follow her.

Behind me, Alexis laughs.