Page 23 of Trouble

“Ha!” I shout. He’s such a fucking narcissistic asshole. I’m sure he cheated on me plenty. Probably with the assistant I fired after catching her flirting with him one too many times. But Lake hates Jason. With a passion. She wouldn’t have touched him with a ten-foot pole.

It shouldn’t make me happy to know that he’s gaslighting me, but it does. It validates every instinct I’ve had when it comes to this man. And as a girl who stopped trusting her own instinct a long time ago, that feels like a fucking win.

And, god, do I need a win.

“Is that your stalker? Is he bothering you? You need to tell me if he’s bothering you.”

It’s in that moment that I realize Declan is much closer than he was before. Standing over me, looking at my phone, reading my messages.

Humiliated, I lash out. “Could you back up and not read my personal messages?”

Declan’s brown eyes swim with concern. “Melina.” The single word is soft but so damn patronizing.

“I’m fine.” I push my chair back and grab my phone. “You aren’t my father. Stop acting like it.”

His nostrils flare in response. Why is it that even when I’m angry and hurt and humiliated, I can’t help but push his buttons? Maybe because it makes me feel alive.

“Though I’d be happy to call youdaddyif you’d like,” I tease, my tone harsh rather than playful.

Declan lets out a hurricane-like sigh, the sound all growly and thundering. He stalks to the sink, sets his coffee down, and turns around.

But I don’t want to hear what he’ll say. I need the last word. So I head for the door, but not before meeting his angry eyes with an equally pissed off smile. “And by the way, I amexcellentin bed.”

My bratty comment does the trick. Declan is left speechless as I rush out of the house, determined to win this round.

CHAPTER 12

Declan

I’ve never beengood with words. To be fair, I’ve never really tried to be good with words. I don’t censor my thoughts, but I don’t say much either way. Normally my face does all the talking.

But with Melina?

With Melina Iwantto be better. She’s hurting. She’s scared. She’s embarrassed. But she’s also pissing me the fuck off. And that makes it nearly impossible to follow through on my commitment. I walk into the kitchen set on making things right. To apologize—again—for telling her what she can and can’t do. And again, I make it worse.

Can’t she see that I’m trying, though? Can’t she see that I care? I care so goddamn much. The woman is all I think about. It’s absurd. Three days ago, I didn’t know her. To me, she was just another pop star with songs that my nieces sing along to far too loudly and off key.

Now I find myself searching out her music when I’m driving to the station. Listening to her songs when I’m in my office. Decoding lyrics to decipher her innermost thoughts. What makes her tick, why she’s so sarcastic and bratty, but most of all, why she’s so scared.

Beckett gave me the broadest of details. That she needed a place to stay for a few weeks because she wanted to spend the holidays with Lake, but that she had an issue with a stalker that made Forduneasy. I figured a stalker meant an overzealous fan. I’m beginning to think it’s way more than that.

I wish she’d open up to me. Otherwise, how can I keep her safe?

These things keep me up at night, and when they’re not doing the job, thoughts of another pain in my ass do it. Because Cade won’t stop texting and asking about Melina. Since when does he care about anyone this much?

And why do I find the need to respond to his every question?

I can’t leave him onread,knowing he cares like this.

I’m fucking happy he cares. Melina deserves to have people in her life who have her best interests in mind. And Cade deserves someone as amazing as Melina.

I just need to get out of their way and let them be happy. Stop fucking it up like I fuck up everything good in life.

So now I’m texting more than I ever wanted to, tapping my foot to pop songs I can’t get out of my head, and pulling my hair so hard that I swear it’s grown half an inch in just three days.

That last issue is why I’m currently walking into a hair salon for a trim when I’m not due for one for another week.

Cade: Given any more thought to coming up to Boston?

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