Page 68 of Forever and Other Lies

“Wow,” she laughed caustically. “You really are something. Your ego is massive! If you must know, it was the busboy. Duncan makes me nervous. He’s always staring at me. I wanted him to believe I had a boyfriend.”

Now it was his turn to look confused. “Oh, okay.”

“You didn’t honestly think I was kissing you for another reason?”

“Uh, no.” He blinked and shook his head. What was this woman doing to him? She was messing with his head. No one messed with his head.

He stepped closer to her, his hand resting on the top of the truck door, just above her head. “But you’re wrong, Jayna. There is more between us than just nothing. And there is way more going on than just pretend.”

Leaning down, he kissed her. Kissed her thoroughly. Kissed her until he felt her breath catch and her body slacken against his. Then he raised his head, his eyes staring deeply into hers.

He stepped back and chuckled, low and deep. He turned and walked away.

Luckily, she could no longer see his face. Because the laughter did not match his expression. This was turning into way more than ‘fake dating’. It was time to end things.

Chapter 33

It was time to end things. Whatever this confusing situation with Derek had become, it needed to stop. Jayna had spent the entire night tossing and turning, the kiss they shared in the parking lot replaying endlessly in her dreams. Was it a dream or a nightmare? The one thing she knew with all certainty was that she was catching feelings for Derek Brennan. And that was dangerous.

She needed to call it quits. If only there was a pill for this, like the DayQuil she took when she had a cold. There had to be something to overcome these unwanted emotions. Maybe there was a vaccine.

As she drove past Patty’s, she noticed both Lance’s Prius and Derek’s pickup parked outside. The time was now. She signaled and pulled in. Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out on a slow exhale before stepping out of her truck. She walked straight to the door before she lost her nerve.

Her eyes adjusted from the bright sunshine as she entered the dark interior of the bar. Lance, along with two other paramedics, sat in the far corner. Her gaze flickered to the bar where Derek was seated. He wasn’t alone.

Lucy Bellamy sat on the bar stool beside him. Her hand rested on his shoulder, and she leaned close to him. Derek tilted his head, listening intently to whatever she was telling him. He threw his head back and laughed.

A flash of anger surged through Jayna. Why, though? It hadn’t been real between them. Just when had Derek come to mean something to her? He did matter, she realized. In the past few weeks that they had been ‘fake dating,’ their relationship had become real to her. But obviously it hadn’t for him. Derek met her eyes and didn’t acknowledge her. He turned away and leaned in close to Lucy, whispering in her ear.

The woman was even more flawless than she’d been in high school. It came as no surprise that she’d become a successful model. Lucy was tall, rail-thin, but still had an amazing figure. With her dainty features, the camera loved her. And if the rumors were true, she was also recently divorced and apparently on the prowl.

Why did it have to be Lucy?

Lucy had been the one he dated right after he’d broken Jayna’s heart in high school. That following weekend, at the bonfire, would forever be ingrained in her mind. There had been that one vacant look when he’d met her eyes across the fire pit. That had hurt more than his rejection. He’d looked right past her like she hadn’t been the girl he kissed the weekend before.

She shouldn’t be surprised. Derek was just being Derek. The player. She released a slow breath, letting the anger go with it. Her eyes shifted towards Lance, who glanced between Derek and her. Lance’s eyes locked with hers, and she saw compassion and concern in his.

Now, this was just the perfect scenario. Lance would believe that Derek’s flirtation had hurt her. She brushed away the tears that should have been fake yet were all too real. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. It was the perfect scenario to end things with Derek and make Lance believe she was the spurned party instead of the party girl he once thought she was.

On unsteady legs, she walked toward Derek. Hurt filled her voice as she spoke, and it required absolutely no playacting. She felt it. “Seriously, Brennan?”

He looked up, giving her a half smile. “Hey, Jayna.”

“What’s going on here?” she demanded, hands on her hips.

“Nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing,” she exclaimed and brushed away more tears that fell. “Looks very intimate to me. It’s high school all over again.”

“High school?” His brows furrowed.

No way he didn’t remember. Or maybe he didn’t. Maybe she was giving him too much credit. Maybe he was that callous.

“At least in high school, you had the guts to dump me before you took up with Lucy. Now, I don’t even get that?”

The V between his brows deepened. “We’re just talking. Just catching up.”

“Just breaking my heart all over again.” More tears escaped. “Derek, I don’t think you even begin to understand how badly you hurt me in high school. Seeing you with Lucy destroyed my confidence. The least you could have done was not so blatantly flaunt your relationship with her. It was cruel.”

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