Chapter 19: Her Anger
Aeri stood there in the doorway, hands folded tight across her chest, that big steel soup spoon gripped like she might swing it at me any second. Her dark hair framed her face, a little messy from pacing around, and her eyes bore into me with a fury that made my throat go dry.
I gulped hard, my Adam's apple bobbing as I stood frozen, boots still half-off by the door.
Even pissed as hell, she looked incredible—dashing, sexy, that blue one-piece hugging her curves just right. Fuck, I thought, my mind wandering for a split second—I'd marry her tomorrow if I could. But now wasn't the time for that.
Sweat prickled on my forehead, cold and clammy, and I wiped it with the back of my hand, trying to steady myself.
She raised an eyebrow, her glare sharpening, daring me to say something dumb.
"A-Aeri..." I stammered, my voice cracking as I scrambled for an excuse. "The client wor—" I started, but she cut me off before I could even finish, her voice exploding through the house like a damn thunderclap, rattling the windows.
"THEN AT LEAST YOU CAN PICK UP MY CALL AND UPDATE ME ON HOW YOU'RE DOING!!!???" she yelled, her tone shaking the air, the walls, everything. "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?? DO YOU HAVE EVEN THE SLIGHTEST IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS!!??" Her chest heaved, her grip on the spoon tightening, and I could see the fire in her eyes—13 missed calls' worth of worry spilling out all at once.
I dropped my head, staring at the hardwood, letting her words hit me full force. She wasn't wrong—not even a little. But what was I supposed to say? That I couldn't pick up once the client was in the room with me? That the rules at Heaven's Feel were strict—total focus on them, no distractions, their pleasure above everything? How do I explain that without spilling the whole ugly truth? Still, 13 missed calls wasn't a joke—she'd been scared out of her mind, and I'd left her hanging. Guilt twisted in my gut, heavy and sour.
"Aeri..." I said soft, lifting my eyes to meet hers, locking in. "I'm sorry." My voice was low, genuine, cutting through the echo of her shouting. I stepped forward, closing the gap, and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a hug. She stiffened for a second, then melted against me, her face pressing into my chest.
I could feel her heartbeat slowing, her breath warm through my shirt. Her cheeks flushed red, the anger draining fast, replaced by something softer.
She pulled back just enough to look up at me, her lips pursed like she was fighting to stay mad. "I'm not letting you off the hook just because you do this," she said, forcing the words out, her voice quieter now but still firm. "And this isn't the first time this has happened, Ezra. You can't keep pulling this."
"I know," I said, my hands still on her shoulders, rubbing gently