“HAVE YOU TALKED to Catch?”
I grunted, ignoring Greyson’s question, and lit up a cigarette instead. I inhaled, taking the sweet smoke down deep into my lungs and blowing it out in a slow breath.
“You have to talk to him.”
“And say what? I’m sorry for using you? I’m sorry for falling for a woman instead of you even though you deserve so much better. Oh, how about, I’m sorry for fucking your face for the past six months and not giving anything in return.” I stuck the smoke back between my lips.
“Well you could start with, I’m sorry.” Greyson shrugged. “Listen, clearly I am no relationship expert but if I can find happiness, so can you. And so can he.”
“I like Zillah. A lot. Do I know where this is going to take us? No. Do I want to know? No. Because I’m a firm believer that life is too fucking short and to live each day to its fullest.” Zillah took that moment to come outside. My heart jumped at how stunning she was. She was perfect. Flawless. Everything that I was not but she still welcomed me with open arms anyway.
“So, I met Catch.” She laughed. “He’s a grumpy fucker.”
“On that note.” Greyson clapped my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze and walked up to Zillah. He whispered something to her.
She nodded, her gaze meeting mine.
“Take care of yourself, Tray,” Greyson called out before heading back into the house.
“Come here,” I demanded, needing Zillah’s touch now more than ever.
She closed the distance between us, towering over me, and cupped my face. Brushing her thumb over my bottom lip, she stepped between my knees. “You good?”
No. “Yeah.” Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her against me and brushed my face against her chest.
Zillah sighed, running her fingers through the hair at the back of my neck. “Catch doesn’t like me. Not that I can blame him of course. But yeah, he’s kind of an asshole.”
My chest tightened. I should have felt guiltier, but I didn’t. I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like I didn’t tell him in the beginning that I didn’t want anything more than what he was offering. And even then, it was too much.
“I didn’t mean to be a part of this.”
I looked up.
Zillah chewed her bottom lip. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“This is all on me, Beauty. Don’t blame yourself. I should have been clearer before he and I started messing around.” Before I started being fucking selfish. I kissed the spot between her breasts before pulling her onto my lap.
“What are we going to do about these photos?”
“I don’t know.” I hated not knowing.
“I don’t like the fact that we were being watched.” She shivered. “But I don’t like not knowing what the hell is going on more. Maybe—Maybe we should talk to my dad?”
I grunted. “I don’t think that will help.”
“Maybe he knows something.”
I scoffed.
“Tray, I’m serious. You know who he is.”
“You think I’m pissed over someone taking pictures of you. How the fuck do you think your dad’s going to react, Zillah?” I cupped her cheek.
“He might be able to help. As much as he can be a jerk, he knows people. You know that he knows people. Hell, between him and Greyson, I’m not sure who’s more well-known.”
My heart swelled with pride for my friend. My brother. A man I had known for years but never told how much he meant to me. He was family. They were all family. And I shit on those relationships like they were pieces of garbage. I let out a heavy sigh. “We need to talk to Greyson first. But right now, we need sleep.” Or sex. “At least a couple of hours.”
Zillah took that moment to let out a hard yawn. “I was just going to say that I’m not tired.” She gave me a small smile. “Guess I am.”
“I wore you out.” I kissed her softly on the mouth. “Come. I’ll show you where I stay when I’m not at home.” I gently pushed her off of me and stood, holding out my hand.
She placed her fingers in mine, looking up at me with so much warmth in her dark eyes. I felt like her whole world at that moment but yet, I still felt like a damn failure at the same time.
Sliding my hand down her back, I pulled her flush against me and dropped my mouth to hers.
She sighed, opening up to me, and slipped her arms around my neck.
Cupping her ass, I lifted her off her feet and deepened the kiss.
She moaned, tugging my hair, and devouring the fuck out of my mouth.
My cock stirred, twitching against the fly of my jeans. “Fucking sweet,” I whispered against her mouth.
“Take me inside,” she murmured, her gaze dark with lust.
I would and then I would devour every inch of her. I needed her in ways I never knew were possible.
As soon as we headed into the house, I stopped suddenly, finding Catch sitting at the bar.
“Ah. So we meet again.” He nodded once.
My back stiffened. “You two have already met?”
“Yeah.” Zillah placed a hand on my arm. “I told you that. Remember?”
“Right.” I narrowed my brows.
“He left a very good impression too.” Her hand slid down to mine, linking our fingers.
Catch watched the movement, his jaw ticking.
Releasing Zillah’s hand, I cupped the back of her neck and gently pushed her forward.
“We were just heading back to bed,” I told Catch, not that he cared.
“Right. Bed.” He scoffed, turning away from us.
“Will you give us a moment, Beauty?” I asked, kissing her cheek.
“Oh.” She smiled up at me. “Sure.” She looked around us. “Um, where should I go?”
“Just sit in the booth.” I pointed across the room. “I won’t be long.”
She nodded. “Don’t let him make you feel guiltier than you already do. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
I swallowed hard and nodded once before heading to my best friend. To confront him about … Shit, I didn’t even know anymore. But the mood about him had changed since the last time I saw him. He was no longer happy, and it was all my fault.
“What do you want, Tray?” Catch asked as I neared the bar.
“Just to talk I guess.” I sat beside him. “I’m not sure really. You know I suck at this shit.”
His lips twitched but he didn’t smile. “You happy?”
“I’m happy enough.” I shrugged. “I don’t know what’s going to come of this. Hell, I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow but I know that I like her. I like her a lot. She makes me feel young and damn near keeps me on my ass half the time.”
“You’re not that old, Tray.” Catch rose from the stool and went around the bar. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he leaned against the counter.
“I’m not but I’m older than her. It makes a difference.” I was thirty-eight but half the time, I felt fifty.
“It’s funny. I never actually loved a man before I met Greyson. Fucked them, yes. But never felt anything more.” Catch rubbed his nape. “And then he met Eve and all I had was you.”
“You don’t want to love me, Catch. You deserve better. Someone who can return those feelings for you.”
He grunted. “That’ll never happen again.”
I frowned, not exactly sure what he was getting at, but didn’t press. “I like her.”
“Yeah. I see that. I have to say that she will grow on me, but I do like her sass.”
I chuckled. “She smells like apple pie.”
“I prefer cherry.” He winked. “Although, I do miss that Georgia peach we shared. Fuck me, she was tasty.”
“I forgot about that.” We had gone on a trip and stopped at a tattoo shop because Eve wanted a piercing. While Greyson and her did their thing, Catch and I did ours. And the woman we shared damn near broke our ear drums from how loud she was. It had been fucking perfect.
“How could you forget about her?” Catch groaned, cupping himself. “Maybe I should pay her a visit. See if she can handle me all on my own.”
“I don’t think you should.” I shook my head. “Someone probably snatched her up already anyway.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “Too bad. Guess I’ll have to stick with my cherry pie.”
My heart stuttered, remembering him telling me about someone he had been close with years ago who he had nicknamed Cherry. But I didn’t get any more out of him, so I didn’t know if Cherry was a man or a woman. All I knew was that this Cherry person had damn near destroyed his soul by ripping out his heart.
I cleared my throat. “Well, we all have our preferred flavor.” I turned on the stool, finding Zillah looking at us from the booth she sat in. She gave a small wave.
“Have fun, brother.” Catch clapped my shoulder and headed to the main doors.
“Where are you going this early?” I called after him.
“Out.” He left abruptly, slamming the door closed behind.
Once Zillah and I were alone, I could finally take advantage of what I wanted to do for the next couple of hours. She wanted every part of me. She had been begging for it since the beginning. Well she was going to get it. My inner beast. That darkness. My monster.