Breaking Elle by Antoinette Candela

guy—desire and disgust. I think he knows that I’ve heard about his little fling from last night because his eyes lose their spark as he drops his chin to his chest. For a brief second, I see a kink in his armor. Maybe he’s not the conceited ass that he tries to be and there is actually a soft spot deep, deep down. I don’t know, and I shouldn’t care.
    “Need to get to work,” Tyler says, cringing as he glances at the clock. “You coming? Can’t have the boss napping on the job.”
    “Great,” I mumble. Getting up from the sofa, I feel a rush of nausea and immediately sit back down as the room spins around me. “Oh.” I breathe. Both Tyler and Reed rush to my aid. I close my eyes to minimize the dizziness.
    After a few seconds, I hear Tyler say, “Take it easy. I’ll be right back.”
    I feel Reed rubbing my arm. Over and over, he whispers, “Just breathe.”
    Flicking my eyes open, I find Reed’s intense cobalt eyes gazing at me. Shaking my head dismissively, I slowly push his hand away because his touch makes my skin tingle. I have to stay away from him, but he’s making it hard for me to do that.
    He stops, searching my face before sighing and shaking his head, “Are you okay?” His drawl is like sugar, sweet and addicting.
    “I’m fine. I think I just stood up too quickly.” The air between us crackles. Even after finding out what he did last night, the craving is still there and that’s what makes this all so irritating. Why won’t these feelings stop? He means nothing to me. Where’s Cane?
    As if he knows I’m thinking of him, Cane rushes into the lounge, with Tyler following close behind him. His brown eyes are tense, his forehead creased with worry. Reed looks from me to Cane before he quietly rises and steps aside to let him through.
    “What happened, babe?” He asks frantically. He kneels in front of me, placing his hand on my forehead. I smile weakly, gaze into his worried eyes, and then I look around me, noticing that everyone is staring at me.
    “Not sure.” I clutch his arm tightly, wanting to leave. I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. I just want Cane to take me away from their eyes. From him. Maybe it’s him and the fact that what he did makes me nauseous, or it could just be that I feel guilty for thinking about this gorgeous stranger way too much and not grasping what he does to me.
    “Maybe it’s all the running you are doing?” He says, rubbing my thigh.
    “I’ve been running for years, babe.” I half smile, placing my hand over his. “It’s probably nothing. Just a little tired from putting in so many hours here.” I chuckle softly.
    “Are you sure?” His eyebrows pinch together.
    “Yes. Stop treating me like I’m fragile.” I smile, cupping his cheek.” He grins, leaning into my hand and looks up at Reed and Tyler who continue to linger in the room.
    “She’s fine guys; I’ve got it from here,” Cane says. He brushes the hair away from my face, kisses me on the cheek, and pulls me up from the sofa.
    “Let me know if you need anything,” Tyler says emotionless as he glances at Cane. After so many years of friendship, Tyler just can’t help but feel protective of me even with Cane around, and that’s something that annoys Cane about our friendship. My eyes gravitate to Reed, not sure what to make of him. He’s standing quietly with his hands at his sides looking just as gorgeous as he did yesterday. He’s wearing red running shorts and a snug black t-shirt, but now the shiny new toy has a scratch on it.
     

     
    Cane smirks at me as I shove a toasted everything bagel smothered in peanut butter in my mouth from the Starbucks around the corner. I guess this is what they call emotional eating. I smile at him when he swipes some peanut butter from my lip before licking it off his finger.
    “That’s some good peanut butter.” He grins devilishly, his eyes lingering on my lips.
    “Yeah,” I mumble between chews. “I better slow down, or