Free Needing Her by Molly McAdams Page B

But on my way there, I saw something attached to my door, and knew that I wouldn’t find her purse where I had left it last night. Stepping up to the note hanging there, I clenched my fists as I read her words.
Hey . . . so I don’t know how I ended up in your apartment last night, but I’m so sorry. I hope I didn’t make an ass out of myself, and if I puked anywhere, uh . . . can we just pretend like that didn’t happen?
Regardless if I did or didn’t throw up anywhere, thanks for taking care of me. I know you didn’t have to do that.
See you around.
Maci
    She didn’t remember a goddamn thing from last night, including the kiss. I’d known she wouldn’t, but that bothered me more than I’d thought it would. From the words on her note, the cryptic words she’d said to me in my bed last night were something she hadn’t meant for me to ever hear.
    But it was too late. I’d heard them. She’d kissed me. I’d had the smallest taste of what having Maci would be like.
    Grabbing my keys, I walked over to her door, and unlocked it when it didn’t automatically open.
    “Maci?” I called as I walked around her empty place. “Fuck!”
    I locked up and ran back to my place to grab my phone.
When are you coming home? We need to talk.
    I sat there staring at the screen, waiting for her response.
Maci Price: Like I said, I’m really sorry if I threw up or did something stupid.
It’s not about that. When are you coming home?
Maci Price: I don’t know . . . later? I’m having a late breakfast with Amber right now, and then I’m supposed to go meet up with Bryce.
    That fucker from the other night? She was still seeing him? God, I’d never even found out what had happened with his fucked-up proposal. Not bothering to respond, I let my phone fall to the couch and fought the urge to punch something as I went to take a shower.
    Last night, I’d stayed up for hours, finally deciding that when Maci woke up this morning, she and I were going to talk, and I was going to find out what was happening between us. But if she thought so little of herself that she would stay with that asshole, then what was the point? I’d tried to get her away from him without being as bad as her brothers, and a little over a day later, she was going back to him.
    Fuck it. This was a good thing, wasn’t it? I needed to stay away from her. So if her staying with Bryce was what kept me from her . . . then I needed to stay out of it and be happy she was making this easier on me.
    Who was I kidding? I’d just realized that I wanted the girl next door more than I’d wanted anything since Cassidy; nothing was about to make this easier.

 
    Chapter Six

    Maci
    I ’D SUCCESSFULLY AVOIDED actually speaking to Connor for two days. Two days that felt like years. Okay, successfully avoiding might not be the right words to use here. He wasn’t exactly talking to me, and I couldn’t figure out what to say whenever I saw him. When I’d gotten home from having breakfast with Amber the other morning, and then going to see my mom for a few hours—since I’d told Connor I was hanging out with Bryce—he was locking up his apartment and turning to leave just as I reached my door.
    He stopped abruptly and just stared at me, his intensity filling the space between us. With two large steps, he closed the distance between us and looked down at me. Those bright blue eyes held mine, the question in them one I still didn’t know. Just as I’d opened my mouth to apologize again for whatever I might have done the night before, he grabbed my left hand, looked at it, and then dropped it before walking past me as he shook his head.
    I’d all but fallen against my door and blown out a large breath I’d been holding when he walked out of sight, and had to sit there trying to catch my breath from one of the more intense interactions I’d ever had with him. And there hadn’t even been any words.
    Since then, we’d crossed paths a few more times as we came