Taming Arrogance (MalexMale) 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

It takes almost an hour to put myself back together, most of which is spent pacing around the penthouse suite. Half of my footsteps are spent dishing out a slew of curse words spat in Blake's phantom direction. The other half are spent wiping away unwanted tears as they slide down my warm cheeks.

There's no way in fuck I'll give Blake that message, and there's not an ounce of remorse in me about it. In fact, I hope Phil shows up so late that Blake is already gone.

"Fuckin' asshole," I say through gritted teeth.

I mean, it's not as if I have a right to get upset. We're not together, and just last night we spent the remainder of our first, official date with Cade – a man who is fighting to make me his.

So why do I feel like my heart is being ripped from my chest?

I stomp into the master bedroom, scouring for my suitcase. It's sitting in the corner next to Blake's. My eyes narrow, silently accusing the inanimate object for choosing sides. There's nothing of mine I want left in here. Not a damn thing.

I drag my suitcase back out into the living room and throw it onto the couch. With frantic fingers I begin searching for a new shirt, suddenly hating the one I'm wearing now – the very one Blake said looked nice on me this morning.

The hotel phone begins to ring, the shrill sound stilling my frenzied movements. Who could be calling? Both Blake and Cade have my cellphone number. So is it a hotel worker? Is it the one who gave me Phil's note?

Maybe he wants to see if I've delivered the special note to Mr. Benson. Another fit of rage takes ahold of me as I walk over to the phone and swipe it up.

"Hello?" I shout into the receiver.

"Callum?"

Blake's voice catches me off guard. The familiar and masculine tone stirs up all kinds of emotion and desire I wish I could dismiss. Or even ignore. A fresh batch of tears sting the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill down my cheeks.

When did I start turning into such a pansy?

Just a few months ago I was ready to spend my summer getting lost in drunken nights and meaningless one night stands. I've never had feelings for someone. Well, not any that lasted longer than a few lust-filled hours, anyway. And I certainly have never done a relationship.

Look at me now - keeping my tears at bay and being duped into falling for someone. A dude no less. Fuckin' pathetic. I grit my teeth and blink them away as best I can.

"Callum, are you alright?"

It hurts to swallow, the mixture of embarrassment and sadness digging into my throat. I shake my head and side-step the question, trying to keep a steady voice.

"What do you need?"

Pause.

"I tried calling your cell, but you didn't answer. I was hoping you'd still be at the hotel to let me know if they dropped off my dry cleaning yet? If they have, I might try to swing by and change before my evening appointments."

I pull out my phone, frowning when I notice the two missed calls. Never once did I feel it vibrate. Then again, in my mental state, I don't think I would have noticed anyway. I swipe to unlock it, Blake's number popping up from both missed calls.

"Callum?"

"Yea, I'm here."

He sighs. It's a sigh I have come to learn well, one where I know his patience is running thin. There's another beat of silence and Blake forces out an uncomfortable laugh. It makes me wonder if other people are within ear shot of our conversation.