Page 180 of The Last Good Man

“Yes. I’ll be fine. Listen…” I start, and he gestures and grabs my elbow gently.

“There's no need to put it into words,” he says. “It’s evident you haven’t had a good time,” he adds, and I bring my eyes to his.

The thing is… I had a lot of fun this evening, just not with him.

And it won’t happen to him. Or Thomas.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that no matter how wrong Jax is for me, Thomas or Emile isn’t the answer.

“Yes. It happens,” I say, dawning on me we can part ways without making a big deal out of it.

“I’m heading inside if you no longer need me,” he says, gesturing to the entrance. “They’re waiting for me.”

“Sure. We’ll talk,” I say, knowing full well we won’t.

“Have a nice evening,” he says.

“You too.”

With that, hedisconnects from me, no longer interested in me, and walks away.

My eyes linger on his back until he vanishes inside.

At least he gave me that. It’s more than Thomas ghosting me.

I spend a few more seconds pondering whether to take the cab or cancel it and walk when a presence closes in on me, and the heat of a male body lines my back.

He leans close to me, his lips pressed on the back of my hair.

“You did good, baby,” Jax murmurs. “Now go home, leave your door open, turn off your lights, and wait for me, naked.”

With that, he takes a whiff of me,laughs quietly, and walks away, leaving a swirl of testosterone, cologne, mint, and a hint of smoke in his wake.

33

MELODY

I hit the bed late, unsure whether what he said would happen or not.It sounded real. But the more I think about it, the more uncertain I become that it can happen.

I don’t even know if it’s a good idea.

He clearly knows how to let himself in––he’s done it before––but paying me a visit in the middle of the night?

I don’t know about that.

Plus, there’s another thing.

I’m not comfortable leaving my door open.The building is safe, but there are neighbors.

At any rate, my hair is damp from the shower, I’mnotnaked under the covers, and the night lamp is on.

My door is locked.

The problem is that I can’t sleep.

I grab the remote and flip through the channels, read the news on my phone, make some tea, and drink half of the cup before going to the bathroom andwashing my teeth again.

I go to the window a few times and check the street.

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