Beautifully Shattered (The Beautifully Series Book 1) (34 page)

All I’m able to do is
gawk at him dumbfounded as he walks into his bathroom and closes his
door. Groaning, I slam my head down, clutch the closest pillow and
scream my frustration into it. Jax’s mouthwatering smell hits me
unexpectedly, which shouldn’t be that big of a surprise since I’m
in his bed clenching his pillow to my face, but it is. I throw the
pillow across the room.

Stupid boy.

Stupid tattoos.

Stupid green eyes.

I hear the shower turn
on so I decide it’s safe to sneak out before he notices. My
emotions run wild, too wild to be around him right now. Everything he
has done confuses the crap out of me. One minute I’m nothing more
than his best friend’s little sister, the next it seems I’m
something more, much more. I can’t deal with this right now.

I open his drawer where
he keeps his workout clothes. I steal a pair of basketball shorts,
then pull down a black hoodie from a hanger and change. I spot my
clothes and shoes from last night on the bench in front of his bed.
After picking up everything, I rush out of his bedroom.

I call down to the
lobby for a cab so I don’t have to hail one in what looks to be the
outfit from a one night stand. After hanging up, I write him a note.

Thanks for last night.

I want to say something
more, but I can’t force myself to go through with it. Everything
about last night was perfect. Because of his insistent pushing, I
have another piece of myself.

After placing the note
on the coffee maker, I leave. Just in time, too, because right when I
reach the elevator I hear him calling my name. As the doors close, I
sigh in relief. I don’t know which Jax I’ll get if I stay. I
can’t deal with the cold and distant Jax, especially after last
night.

An hour later, I lock
myself in my apartment and sag against the door. After a minute of
sitting on the floor, I force myself into the living room. I drop
everything on my coffee table, grab my phone from my clutch and go
into the bathroom for a much needed bath.

I strip out of Jax
clothes, and draw the perfect bath, complete with bath salts and
oils, in record time. Sitting on the edge of the tub, I go to text
Harper. Immediately, I see I have a ton of missed calls and texts.
Crap! Hopefully Harper is okay. I frown at the missed calls from
Kohen. Using my index thumb I scroll up, up, up, and up some more.
Missed calls from him fill my entire call log.

What . . . the . . .
fuck . . .

I have voicemails . . .
all twelve are from Kohen. I tap my foot as I listen to the first
one, hoping he isn’t seriously injured.

Hey babe, just
wondering how your night is going. I miss you. Call me when you get
back. Okay . . . bye.

The next one is ten
minutes later.

Hey still haven’t
heard anything from you. Just checking in to make sure you’re okay.
Call me if you need anything.

How cute, he’s
worried about me which makes me the worst person in the world. While
he worried about me, I ended up at the penthouse of a guy that I
secretly love. Fantastic, I’m an amazing person. They should make a
shrine in my honor. With that sarcastic thought, I press play for the
next voicemail that occurred five minutes later.

You and Harper must
really be having a great time at girls’ night. Why aren’t you
answering any of my calls or returning my texts? I’m worried,
please let me know you’re safe when you get a chance. Okay, well I
guess I’ll talk to you whenever you decide to call me back. Bye.

I listen to the next
one that comes twenty minutes later.

Hey, I know I’ve
called a lot, but I’m just worried about you. I wish you would at
least text me back so I know you aren’t lying in an alley
somewhere. I really hate it when you ignore me like this. Call me
when you get this, or the other messages I’ve left.

When have I ever
ignored him? Oh yeah, that’s right never. Reluctantly I press play
on the next one.

Adalynn, where are you?
It’s almost eleven. Are you planning on staying out all night with
that girl that you just met? Be safe, please.

Okay, if you’re
trying to piss me off it’s worked. Now call me back before I have
to go look for your drunken ass. Thanks!

I’m a little taken
aback from the last voicemail. I know I could have checked my phone
when I was out, but I was having a good time. I didn’t want to be
that chick with her hand glued to her phone all night. I hate that
chick. Plus, I didn’t know he would be so worried about me. It’s
not like I was going out by myself or that I was in a sketchy area.
Whenever I do call him, I need to explain that it’s not okay to
blow up my phone like this. I pinch the bridge of my nose in
frustration while I listen to the rest of the messages.

Addie, I’m sorry for
the last voicemail. I’m a little on edge. I don’t like that
you’re out there drinking without me to protect you. It makes me
nervous. Please, please babe call me back when you get this.

Thank you for not
calling me back all night or even responding to any of my text
messages, I really appreciate it. I guess I’ll see you on Sunday if
you’re not still ignoring me. Hope you and your friend had fun
tonight, at least one of us did.

I just stopped by your
place, why aren’t you answering the door?

It’s three am and
you’re still not back.

Call me.

It’s now five am. I
guess I’ll get off the floor and go to back to my place to wait for
your call. Hopefully you and your best friend that you just met made
it back to her place since you’re obviously not coming back to
yours. Call me.

Slapping my hand over
my face, I groan. Tossing the phone down, I shut off the water before
it overflows. Instead of lowering myself into the tempting bath, I
retrieve my phone to text Kohen.

I don’t bother to
read the several texts he sent last night. There’s no point, I just
listened to it, I don’t need to read it, too. I feel badly enough
for how irresponsible I was last night for not texting him and
letting him know I was okay. Of course he would worry, he’s that
type of guy. The guy that cares deeply and is considerate to others.
Opposite of how I was last night.

I type a few different
responses without sending them. I have no idea what to say. It’s
not like I can tell him I was with Jax. Yeah, I doubt that would go
over well. I want to be honest with him, but at the same time I
don’t. I know I didn’t do anything to feel guilty about, but
after listening to how upset he got, I can’t help but feel remorse
for sharing a bed with Jax.

Sighing in defeat, I send him a text
as close to the truth as I can manage. There’s no way I can call
him, I’m a coward. I remind myself that he doesn’t need to know
the rest. I was hanging out with a friend. No big deal.

Me:
Hey! I just checked my phone. I didn’t even think about
checking it last night when I was out. But I had a lot of fun at
girls’ night with Tinkerbell!!! I’m sorry I worried you. I’ll
make it up to you. Promise . . . How about after brunch we go out
just you and I? My treat . . .

Kohen:
Did you spend the night at Harper’s? How does a date
at the carnival sound?

I chew on my lip, contemplating
telling the truth. I ignore his first question and hope he doesn’t
get mad.

Me:
Can’t wait. See you then.

I wait a minute to see
if he texts me back, but he doesn’t.
After setting my phone on a towel near the tub, I finally
step inside. Oh sweet baby Jesus, this feels heavenly. I will my body
to relax, to shut my mind off of the drama that surrounds me, and
relax in the tub.

Saturday has come and
gone with little-to-no stress. Kohen made me dinner at his place and
is taking me to a carnival today after brunch. I’m way too excited.
I haven’t been to a carnival since I was a little girl. I was all
for ditching out on brunch, but Kohen insisted. Plus, I want everyone
to meet Harper.

I lean against Kohen’s
shoulder as we walk to the restaurant. He reaches out to open the
door for me. Always such a gentleman, this one. I see a blur of red
before someone tackles me into a hug. I fall back against Kohen and
he steadies me while Harper hugs me.

“Nice to see you
too,” I say once I’m finally able to breathe air into my lungs.

She lets go, extends
her hand to Kohen and singsongs in her southern accent, “I’m the
best friend, Tinkerbell, but please call me Harper.” I laugh. “You
must be the boyfriend that I’ve heard so much about.” I stop
laughing.

I catch myself from
dropping my jaw on the floor and glare at the traitor in front of me.
I can’t believe she said that to him. Great, now he’ll think I’m
serious about him. Am I? Nope, definitely not . . . at least yet. I
am, however, ready to kill a tiny redhead that I know.

Kohen laughs and pulls
me back to his side. “One day I hope to be introduced as her
boyfriend, but until she’s ready, I’ll just keep her around for
arm candy, Harper.”

I kiss him on the cheek
before glaring at my former best friend. She ignores my obvious
irritation and links her arm with mine as we stroll to our table. I
stop dead in my tracks when I see Jax. Why is he here? Just to
torment me? Probably.

Harper peers back at me
when she notices that I stopped walking. She follows my gaze to Jax,
her mouth pops open.
She
looks back at me with wide eyes and mouths, “Lover?”

I nod. Sighing, I
square my shoulders and grip her arm a lot tighter than necessary.
Here goes nothing.

I can’t hide my shock
from seeing him. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I stayed up
half the night worrying about him coming today. I knew I would get
these stupid butterflies in my stomach. It hurts to see him sitting
here so casually.

“So the lover’s
here, things just got interesting!” Harper whispers into my ear.

Jax is the first to
rise, followed by my brother, and lastly Connor. To my surprise,
Harper stops mid-step and Connor seems confused at first, then
bemused when he glances from Harper to me. Maybe I should have sent
him a picture of her face instead of just her body. Kohen halts with
me. Everyone is deadly silent as we watch the two.

Connor looks as if he
just won some kind of contest while Harper turns a little green. I’m
about to break the tension and ask her what the hell is going on, but
she composes herself. She holds her chin high and introduces herself
to everyone. I stand with Kohen, baffled.

Harper pauses with her
introduction when she gets to Connor. Which of course piques my
interest.
Do they know each
other? What is going on?
The questions run wild in my
head, but I force myself to remain calm and nonchalant.

She keeps her hands
firmly at her sides. What I wouldn’t give to drag her aside and
demand answers.

“You must be the
playboy that I’ve heard so much about,” she practically sneers at
him.

Logan spits his water
all over the table, getting a little on Connor, who doesn’t notice.
The only thing he’s aware of is Harper. This is not good.
Retreat,
retreat,
I want to shout at everyone. Kohen holds my chair
out for me, but I don’t sit. I’m too busy watching the car wreck
happening right in front of me.

“And you must be the
little fireball I’ve heard a lot about.” He rubs his chin with
his thumb and index finger. “Do you go by Elizabeth or Tinkerbell
these days?” he asks in a condescending tone.

Elizabeth?
Who is he talking about? I stare at Harper, wondering why
she would give him a different name. She flexes her hand as if she
wants to punch him. Not a common response from the ladies when it
comes to Connor. They love his easy personality. Then again, he’s
usually nice.

We’re halfway through
brunch when I finally can’t take it anymore. Everything has gone
smoothly, except that Jax refused to pass Kohen the pepper. I steer
all conversation away from Jax and Kohen in an effort to keep the
peace. I restrain myself from kicking Jax in the shins. Doesn’t Jax
realize that he’s being obvious? Luckily Harper and Connor keep the
attention on them. They first made it a point to ignore each other,
but now they’re egging each other on. The elephant in the room
needs to be addressed, now.

“Okay what the hell
is going on? Do you two know each other or something?” I demand.

I’m met with silence.
My brother coughs, covering his laugh. He has insider information, I
know it. Their silence is all the answer I need, but I push anyways.
Patience has never been my thing.

“Well?”

“No,” Harper says
at the same time Connor says, “Yes.”

She glares at him, but
doesn’t elaborate. I cross my arms over my chest. My brother mouths
something to Connor, but I can’t catch what he says. I’m a
horrible lip reader. Another few awkward minutes pass in silence
before Connor sighs dramatically and clears his throat. Harper looks
like she is about to punch him.