Only Yours by C. Shell Read Free Book Online Page A

“Thanks again for baby-sitting me tonight,” I say as Tony moves to take his seat.
    He glances down at me and frowns. “Baby girl, I did not stay behind to baby-sit you. This is me spending time with my best friend. I love being around you. Especially when you feed me los of yummy food and provide me with quality entertainment.”
    “You only think the food is yummy because I didn’t have a hand in cooking it,” I retort with narrowed eyes. He snorts and affirmative and takes a seat at the end of the couch, stealing Dimples attention in the process.
    The rest of the night feels just like old times. Well, old times minus Daemon and Sasha. We made it through two movies and enough food to feed at least four people. With a full belly and an exhausted body and mind, I say a quick goodnight to Tony. Instead of climbing into my large bed by all by myself, I grab a pillow and blanket and pass out on the couch.
    I know it sounds childish, but I’m not ready to spend a night alone in a big bed by myself yet. The emptiness reminds me of him , and I’ve had enough thoughts of him for one day.

Chapter 4 - Daemon

    “You look like shit, bro,” Trey grins, not even trying to hide his enjoyment at seeing me bent out of shape, and still strutting around in last nights wrinkled clothes.
    “Can it,” I growl, not in the mood for his normal quips.
    Pushing my briefcase out of my way, I slink down into the chair next to him and run a frustrated hand through my hair. I know I must look horrible. I need a shower and a change of clothes, but I don’t care. I’m tired, hungry, and in one awful night, everything around me crumbled.
    “Why are you hanging out at my place instead of your own?” I growl, palming my tired eyes.
    Trey throws me a cold hard glance that says he is in no mood to deal with my crappy attitude. I sigh heavily. “I screwed everything up. I can’t lose her. Not like this,” I mumble under my breath.
    “Yea you did,” he agrees, taking a long draw from his bottle of beer. “Sasha is threatening to rip your balls off and make a necklace out of them,” he laughs.
    My eyes widen. “Really?” He nods a small yes and we both let out a strangled laugh. “You really like the crazy ones don’t you?” I ask in surprise.
    “She’s not really crazy, just crazy pissed that you hurt her best friend.” Reaching in the cooler by his feet, he pulls out another bottled beer, snaps off the top, and hands it to me. As I take it, he gives me a pointed look. “You’ve got to fix this, brother.”
    “I know. Already working on it,” I murmur, rubbing at the back of my neck. “She finally talked to me,” I add absently. A long silence sits between us while I weigh how much I want to say.
    So many things have come to light tonight and none of them were in my favor. Not only did my old secret come out and kick me in the balls, but I’ve got to someone prove to Kelly that I love her and won’t screw up again. One thing is certain, if I can’t convince Sasha and Tony of the same thing, I’m screwed. The more I think about it, the more I realize, they might be the hardest to win over.
    “ Needless to say, she doesn’t trust me anymore.” I rake a hand down my face and sit back, taking a long pull from the bottle. The smooth bitter flavor does nothing to ease the tension overtaking my body. “I didn’t mean to keep it a secret for so long. There never seemed to be a right time to tell her about Gary. The longer I waited the harder it got until I finally convinced myself it didn’t matter.”
    “You love her right?”
    I don’t spare a moment to answer. “Of course. She’s it for me.”
    “Then stop being a whining pussy and start planning on how you’re going to fix this. Get off your ass and go win your girl back,” he says, with a confidence I wish I felt.
    We drink several more beers over the course of the day. I have a million obligations that are begging for my attention and a handful of phone calls