Page 130 of Take What You Want

Her ex’s jaw clicks but his tone is even as he says, “I don’t believe so.” He extends his hand, but I just smirk at him. One ofmy hands is taken by my drink, and the other is around Jane’s waist. I’m not dropping either of them.

“Nice to meet you, Levi.”

“Liam,” he corrects me.

“Right.”

A vein bulges in the side of his neck and Hallie hides her snort with a cough. “I’m going to run to the restroom,” she says, excusing herself. “I’ll catch up with you later.” She places a gentle hand on Jane’s arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Her eyes flick to mine and I give her a small nod.

I got this.

She walks off and Liam shifts. His eyes dip to Jane’s heels and he regards them with thinly veiled disdain. He hates that she’s taller than him in them rather than appreciating how well she wears them.

A small, small man, this guy.

“So, Nikolai,” he says, turning his attention to me. “I was sorry to see the news about your band's demise. But at least it looks like you’ve found something new to preoccupy your time.”

He makes it sound like Whisper Me Nothings, my life work, was a failure. Something to be written off and shoved away, something to be embarrassed of. But I know he’s looking to pick a fight with me and I refuse to give it to him when he’s so insignificant.

“I’m currently working on an album actually, so yes, that does preoccupy quite a bit of my time,” I say, planting a fake smile on my face. Jane wraps an arm around me and squeezes my waist. The reassurance of her touch isn’t lost on me in this moment. “But I’ll always make time out for those who are important to me,” I say pointedly. Jane told me how he often chose his friends over her, leaving her to go to work dinners by herself or watching TV on her own at night.

Liam snorts and darts his beady eyes to Jane. “I didn’t realize that you two were hanging out. You said you drifted apart from your brother's friends over the years.”

Brother’s friend.Trying to reduce my significance in Jane’s life to simply a friend of her twin.

“I don’t know why you would’ve known that we were. It’s not like we keep up with each other’s lives anymore?” She pops a hip out, pushing it in me, and I pull her closer.

“And you didn’t want to bring your girlfriend to the event because you were coming with Jane?” he asks me, a gleam in his eyes, thinking he pulled some sort of trump card on me. Does he expect Jane to whip around in surprise? Like she wouldn’t know about Kerra?

“Well, clearly, you’re not caught up on your ex’s life, but you’ve been keyed into mine,” I say coolly.

“I just think it’s interesting how you used to be disgusted by everyone bringing their side pieces to these things, and yet, here you are,” he bites out.

I don’t even realize I take a step forward until Jane pulls me back. She places a reassuring hand on my chest but her eyes could spit venom as she turns them on Liam.

“First off, you have no idea what you’re talking about, and I wouldn’t expect you to. You’ve always been one to talk out of your ass.”

I choke and take a sip of my drink to cover the laugh.

Jane continues before he has a chance to butt in. “At least with him, he was upfront with his situation on his own accord. With you, I had to find out on my own.”

Liam sucks on his teeth, looking down at his feet. She got him there.

“And it’s really none of your business.” She lifts her chin, looking down at him. “Nothing that I do is any of your business. I don’t need to explain our situation to you and neither does he.So I ask that you, for once, give me the respect I deserve and keep your thoughts and opinions to your fucking self. Does that work for you?” She cocks her head to the side in a predatory way that makes me simultaneously want to cheer her on and ravish her right here. I tuck my face behind her head and chuckle softly. Her sweet shampoo fills my nose, and I inhale, squeezing her tightly.

In my peripheral vision, I notice a few people staring, and I wonder how many of them know their history.

Sensing the attention, Liam shifts and straightens the cuffs on his navy jacket. A navy suit? Seriously? This is a fancy party and that’s the best he could do? “I won’t take up anymore of your time,” he says, running a hand over his jaw. “It was nice to meet you.” He nods at me. “And it was good to see you again, Jane.” His eyes linger on hers as if he’s waiting for her to reciprocate or to apologize or something.

But she doesn’t. She gives a small dip of her chin in acknowledgment and the poor bastard’s knuckles tighten around his glass as he storms off.

“Well, I could’ve gone without that interaction this evening,” I mutter, and Jane pulls out of my hold and spins to face me.

“Was that for me, or for him?”

I rear back. “What do you mean?”

She steps closer, keeping her voice down as she glances side to side. “I mean, you putting your hands all over me like that, practically groping me in front of him. Was that for me because you wanted to, or for him? To try to prove something to him?”

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