Page 122 of The Price of Forever

Eli rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, heading for a door. He pushed it open, gesturing for Jordan to enter. She sauntered inside what looked like a dimly lit bedroom.

I surged forward, inserting myself into the doorway. “I’ll need to be inside as well,” I said.

He swung his coke-drunk gaze my way. A smile curled at the corners of his mouth, and when he spoke, the tang of whiskey reached me. “Oh, you like to watch, huh?”

My stomach turned to acid and I gritted my teeth, reminding myself to keep my fist out of his face. No matter how good it might feel. “This was part of the arrangement.”

“We’re just gonna have some quiet time,” he insisted.

“Hey, boys, I need to go to the bathroom, anyway.” Jordan suddenly burst back through the doorway, grabbing my hand. “Eli, I’ll have a word with him.” She started dragging me away down the hallway before she called over her shoulder, “Where’s the bathroom up here?”

“Third door on the right,” Eli said behind us.

Jordan led me to the bathroom, pulled me inside, and slammed the door shut behind me. We stood watching each other for a while. I didn’t even know where to begin.

“Did you…” Her wide eyes told me she was referring to what we’d overheard downstairs.

I nodded. “But we can’t talk about it right now.”

She went to the vanity, arranging her hair in the mirror. “I know.”

I approached her from behind, meeting her gaze in the reflection. “You’re not going in there with him alone.”

She huffed, turning to face me. Our bodies nearly touched, and I had a hard time keeping my frustration at bay.

“But what if he says something else in there? I need to hear it.”

“Let me rephrase. You’re not fucking going in there alone with him,” I repeated. “He’s so high, my being there won’t stop him from talking if he’s going to talk.”

“He’s too drunk to try anything. Besides, you’ll be right outside,” she said softly, finally tipping her head back to meet my gaze.

I dipped my chin, unable to resist making contact. I touched her arms, lifting her butt onto the countertop so that our faces were closer to the same level. “You’re not going in there alone, because you don’t go anywhere without me. You’re mine. Or have you forgotten?”

She tipped her head, curiosity swarming her gaze.

“Or do I need to make cum drip down your leg again to remind you?” I asked, dipping even closer. Our lips were inches apart now.

Her throat bobbed. “I didn’t know you still felt that way.”

The innocence and vulnerability behind her words sliced me in two. I was lost in a sea of conflicting emotions. The only thing I truly knew was that I wanted Jordan—consequences be damned.

“How could I not?” I grabbed her chin between my thumb and forefinger, lifting her head until our lips connected. A soft, sweet, hungry kiss erupted. But she cut it short.

“Nothing sexual is going to happen with him,” she insisted. “You know this. This place is like the club for me. It’s work. I’m going to dance for him in there. He knows that, and we agreed to that. Sex isn’t just off the table with him—it’s off the table with every man who isn’t you. And it’s been that way since the day I met you.”

My heart raced faster even though her words had a calming effect deep inside. Probably because they spoke to the greater truth that I was desperate to ignore.

You’ve fallen in love with her. What happens now?

“Just let me keep my eyes on you,” I told her. “It’s not that I think you’re going to do anything with him. I don’t trust him, even if I’m right outside the door.”

She couldn’t hear how fast my heart raced, couldn’t see how tense my shoulders were or how hard my stomach twisted.

She nibbled on her bottom lip and then nodded. “Okay. I’ll let him know you have to come in.”

Letting her out of my sight in a place like this felt like throwing her to the wolves. She thought he was too drunk to try anything, but I knew the types of terror that lurked in the shadows. The types of things that could ruin a life, even when prepared and ready. I was in too deep to let her go like that. And God knew I couldn’t suffer another heartbreak like the one I’d endured eight years ago.

There was no way I’d survive that a second time.

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