Page 42 of Love Lies Bleeding

“What’s his surname? They have two Jakes at Lungo.”

Frankie is tapping away on his phone and I reach across to swipe it from him. There on the screen is Jake Marshall, my nemesis, and the boy who I’d once thought was the love of my life. He looks good, powerful, and confident with a slightly dangerous air that he hadn’t had ten years ago.

“That’s him.”

Frankie swipes the phone back and smirks. “Oh, yeah, I’d definitely let him get all up in my business.”

“Yeah, well, unlucky for you, he’s straight.”

“Shame.”

“Frankie, what am I going to do?”

My whiney tone must have convinced Frankie how dire my plight is because he sobers, placing his phone on the table face down. “What did, Lexi say?”

“She doesn’t know. I never even told my college roommate, I just left the same day and cut ties with everyone.”

“Why not tell Lexi? I can understand you losing touch with your roommate, she’s a reminder of everything, but Lexi is your ride-or-die. She must know why you came back from Harvard after putting so much work into getting in in the first place.”

I shake my head, wondering why I haven’t told her and knowing deep down it’s because I’m ashamed for falling for his lies. “She thinks I was homesick. She knows nothing about Jake. Only you and my mom know the truth.”

“What happened when you saw him again?”

I toy with a loose thread on the napkin in front of me as I let the memory of seeing him again flood through me. “Lexi had just fainted on the floor of the Lungo office building and I wasn’t expecting to see him. To be fair, he seemed a little surprised too, but then he started to push my buttons with his bullshit so I punched him in the face.”

I flex my fingers as I speak, my hand still aching from making contact with that rock-hard jawline.

“O. M. G. I’d pay good money to see that. I bet it was hot. What did he do?”

Frankie lives for the drama, and he’s practically bouncing in his seat now, clapping his hands in front of him. “Nothing. He just rubbed his jaw and watched me leave with a stupid smirk on his face. Honestly, I walked away from our encounter feeling like he had the upper hand and it doesn’t sit well with me.”

Frankie frowns, confused. “And Lex didn’t ask about it?”

“She did, but I put her off. Told her we’d talk when she felt better, but that was before Hunter came back. Now they’re going to end up married and living a perfect life and I want that so badly for her, she deserves that.”

“But having that means you have to face Jake over and over again.”

“Exactly. I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Now you listen to me, girlie. You’re fierce, you’re strong, and you can do anything you put your mind to. You’ll face him and you’ll make him regret ever even thinking he could treat you like he did. You’ll have that man crawling on his hands and knees begging you to take him back and forgive his fine ass before the summer is out.”

I wish I could agree, but Jake is the one man who made me feel cherished, who made me feel like I could be myself without judgment. He’d been the calm to my storm, but now things are different, he’s different. I hadn’t seen the boy who broke me when I looked at him. I’d seen the man who has ice in his veins, who calculates every single detail and knows the end result before the game is even played.

His power had dominated the room, and I’d fought to stop the feelings he evoked from overpowering me. But I can’t let him. No matter how attractive he is, or how much my body remembers and craves his touch, he’s the enemy now. One I won’t let come between me and my friend.

“I’m gonna downplay it for Lexi. She doesn’t need the drama. Fuck knows she’s had enough already and I don’t want her in the middle of this. I’m a grown woman and I can handle it. I’ll be polite and cordial and avoid the jerk as much as possible.”

“Sounds boring, Cherry Blossom.”

My back snaps straight at the sound of that deep, sexy baritone. Shooting daggers at Frankie for not warning me about his presence, I turn and look up at the man who is now haunting my waking hours as well as my nightmares.

Goddamn, he looks good in a suit. Deep navy and custom-made for his fine form, a crisp white shirt, which probably cost more than my house, and a bright blue tie that brings out the green in his eyes. Even his tan brown shoes look good, making him look untouchable. His jawline holds no evidence of the right hook I’d inflicted, only a light stubble that makes me squirm in my seat as the ghost of feeling it evokes between my thighs assaults me.

I give him a cool withering glare that doesn’t match my inner feelings. “Well, a Neanderthal like you would find politeness and cordiality boring.”

Jake bends close, his lips so near I can smell the mint on his breath as his cologne floods my senses with memories. Goosebumps spot my skin, and I use every acting skill I possess to portray how unaffected I am by him.

“If I remember correctly, you quite liked my primitive side.”

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