Cross (Dark Kingdom, #4) — Chapter no 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CROSS

I PACE MY office back and forth with my cell in my hand. I should call her. But I’m not sure what I would say at this point.

Sorry? Somehow that just doesn’t seem like enough. I’ve had some time to think about last night, and she wasn’t wrong. I just didn’t want to admit that.

I hate how much she’s on my mind. She was supposed to be a fuck, but she consumes me. Why did I allow it to get to this? And how do I stop it?

“You busy?” Titan asks, entering my office.

“What do you want?” I ask, flipping my Zippo open and closed.

“Still pissy, I see?” He laughs softly.

I roll my eyes and turn my back to him.

“Just thought I’d let you know that I just got off the phone with Bones.”

“And?” I spin back around to face him. “What did he say?”

“The girls took the deal.”

I knew Alexa would. It was too good to pass up. I’m happy for her.

Nodding, I tell him, “Thanks.”

“How long are you going to beat yourself up over this?” he asks, plopping down in the seat across from my desk.

I ignore that question and ask my own. “Why are you avoiding going home?” It’s almost midnight. He hasn’t stayed this late in a while.

“I’m not avoiding anything. Emilee is over at Haven and Luca’s right now.” He checks his watch. “I’m picking her up in an hour.”

I nod and fall into my seat behind my desk. “Have you heard from

Grave?”

“No.”

I place my elbows on my desk and run my hands through my dark hair, releasing a sigh. “I haven’t either.”

“He’ll let us know if he needs anything,” he states, standing to walk toward my door.

“Thanks,” I say, making him stop.

He places his hand on the knob and turns to face me. “Just thought you’d like to know. Since she’s not talking to you right now.”

My jaw tightens. Getting in a fight with your girl in front of your friends is never good. “It’s complicated,” I say.

He snorts. “Been there. Good luck figuring it out.” Then he turns and leaves.

I sit back and let out a sigh. This is why I fuck and move on. To avoid this bullshit.

ALEXA

I SIT ACROSS from Bones and Jasmine in his private jet. My mind is going a hundred miles an hour trying to figure out everything that needs to be done once we get back.

“Here you go, sir. Ladies.” His flight attendant stops beside us with a bucket full of ice and champagne.

“Thanks, Nicki,” he says, reaching over and grabbing it. He pops the cork and pours it into three flutes, then hands us each our own. “To you, ladies, and your success.” He lifts his glass.

“Thank you,” I say, smiling up at him. “For helping us out.”

“I don’t believe a person should have a set of balls in order to do what they want,” he states.

I like Bones. The guy has this air about him that totally screams don’t fuck with me. But he also just signed away his life to a two-million-dollar contract to help me and Jasmine start our own business.

“To the three of us and our future.” I lift my glass.

We both look over at Jasmine. She stares down at her champagne; it bubbles in the flute. Her green eyes are intense on the drink, and I wonder if she thinks we’ve made a mistake. If she has doubts about going into business with me.

“Depend on a man to feed you, and you give him the power to starve you.” She looks up at me. A slow and devious smile spreads across her face. “Here’s to us—two women who are going to feed our-fucking-selves.”

She throws back her drink, and Bones laughs.

I drink my champagne in one gulp and know what I just did was the right thing for me. For her. For the three of us.

Things are about to change, and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it.

Bones cell rings, and he gets up to move to the back of the plane to answer it. Jasmine looks out her window at the dark sky, and I pull my cell out. Hovering over Cross’s number, I think about texting him, but I’m not sure what I’d say at this point. Plus, I’ve never been a coward. I’d rather talk to him face-to-face.

I go to pocket my phone when it beeps. I look back down at it to see it’s a message from Mitch. I don’t even open it. Turning it off, I lean back and close my eyes to get some sleep on our flight home.