Strict (Part Five) by Hannah Ford

Author:Hannah Ford [Ford, Hannah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-17T18:30:00+00:00

The car is silent on the ride to Gage’s apartment.

Gage stares out the window, brooding, and Willow slumps against the window, murmuring to herself intelligibly. I’m desperate to talk to Gage, to ask him what the hell is going on, but I can’t do it with Willow right there.

When we arrive at Gage’s apartment, he whisks Willow down the hall and returns a moment later, walks to the kitchen where he grabs a tumbler and pours himself a drink.

Then he reaches into the refrigerator, pulls out a platter of sandwiches and sets one on a plate in front of me.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“You need to eat.”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

He pours me a glass of almond milk and sets it front of my sandwich. I stare at it, dumbfounded. “Are you kidding me? What am I, six?”

His eyes narrow.

“What’s going on down there? With her?” I raise my chin toward the hallway.

“She’s high, Chloe.”

“I know that,” I say, rolling my eyes and not caring if he has a problem with it. “I mean, why is she high, and why is she here?”

“I wasn’t going to leave her passed out at a restaurant by herself.”

“Doesn’t she have a home?” I’m trying to keep the jealous edge out of my voice, but then it’s like, whatever, fuck it. After what Gage and I did earlier, in that library, the fact that he has Willow here, sleeping in his apartment, well… I’m entitled to some answers.

“Yes, Chloe, she has a home.”

I wait a beat, giving him a chance to say more, and when he doesn’t, I stand up. “Okay,” I say sarcastically. “This was great. Thanks for an amazing night.” I grab my phone to call an Uber.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling an Uber.”

He takes my phone from my hand and sets it down on the island.

“Gage.”

He meets my eye, takes another sip of his drink.

“Why is she here?”

“She’s fucked up.”

“Okay, I feel like this conversation is going in circles,” I say, “so…” I reach for my phone, but he stops me again, his hand wrapping around my wrist.

Immediately, desire ricochets through me, not only at his touch, but at the way he’s touching me, with possession and intent. So then why did you safe word if you like it so much? a voice inside me whispers.

“River fucked her up,” Gage says.

“What does that mean, River fucked her up?”

He releases my wrist and runs his hand through his hair, scrubs at his jaw, the five o’clock shadow that’s bloomed on his skin making him look even more brooding and dark than usual. He drains the rest of his drink, pours himself another. “Just what it sounds like.”

I sit down and take a bite of the sandwich he’s put in front of me, wanting to keep him talking and knowing that might help. “How did River fuck her up?”

“They were engaged. River called it off, and Willow…” He shrugs. “She never recovered.”

“Okay,” I say slowly, turning this new information over in my mind.

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