Page 115 of Bloom: Part 2

“Because then he’ll know you came to me without telling him. He might believe you came here deliberately to flirt with me. To lead me on. He wouldn’t like that, would he? He might even decide he can’t trust you and leave without you.”

“But that’s not true! That’s not why I came.”

“Doesn’t matter why you came. It only matters what he thinks.”

“I’ll fucking kill you if you come between me and Logan,” I whispered, then slipped through the door. Maybe I should have killed him anyway, but then I would have to murder the woman at the front desk too. Not to mention destroy all the CCTV that would have recorded me enter the building.

“Will you be—”

I rushed past the assistant, the door swinging shut behind me. Maybe going away with Logan alone wasn’t such a bad idea. Just when I started to trust people, Dr. Simms proved me wrong. How much bad advice had he given me because he wanted me?

Instead of being more at ease with my and Logan’s plan, I was more confused than ever.

34

BLOOM

Before I could even lift my hand to knock, the front door swung open. Jamie appeared in the doorway, tousle-haired and a welcoming grin forming. “Bloom, you’re just the—” He snapped his mouth shut. I could only imagine what he saw. After riding around for an hour, I was still seething from my session with Dr. Simms.

“Have you got a minute to talk?” I asked.

I didn’t initially set out to drop by the Reapers’ clubhouse, but there was no way I could return to the Blood Hounds. Logan would take one look at me and know something was wrong.

Jamie’s smile faltered, replaced by a flicker of concern. “Sure. What happened? Are you okay?”

I didn’t answer, shifting on my feet. What could I say? My psychiatrist, his coworker, hit on me, and I was so confused I didn’t know what to do. Logan was the only man I had any interest in. It felt weird for another man to look at me that way. All those images Dr. Simms had planted in my head about my childhood kept rearing its head until I felt as if ants were crawling under my skin.

Jamie’s gaze softened, and he stepped aside, holding the door wide. “Come in. No one else is here. Grimm’s over at the clubhouse, handling club business. We won’t be interrupted.”

I followed him into the house, my boots thudding against the hardwood floors. The familiar scent of pine cleaner mixed with something spicy—chili maybe—lingered. Jamie pointed to me. “Kitchen. Sit. I’ll grab you something.”

The scrape of a chair echoed in the quiet as I sank into it, my shoulders slumping. My hands found the edge of the table, gripping it tight like it was the only thing keeping me grounded.

Jamie opened the fridge. “Lemonade?”

“Yeah.” Though I would have preferred something stronger.

Jamie closed the fridge and set a glass of pink lemonade before me. “Here.” He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms. “Take your time. You don’t have to say anything. It’s okay. We’ll talk when you’re ready.”

I gulped down the liquid, the cold washing over my tongue, and sucked one of the ice cubes into my mouth. Jamie seemed so collected, yet he wasn’tthatmuch older than me. My stomach churned with bitter envy. Maybe if I had a normal childhood like him, I wouldn’t be such a mess because another man told me they wanted to be with me—my psychiatrist, no less. Someone I’d told all my secrets. Someone who knew just how fucked up I was in the head.

“Fuck.” I wanted to throw the glass across the room, but I put it down with deliberate slowness. My hands shook from my unnatural restraint. “I’m so fucking mad,” I whispered. “I won’t make the mistake of trusting anyone again.”

Jamie straightened, his expression unreadable as he uncrossed his arms. “What happened? What did Logan do?”

I let out a harsh laugh, shaking my head. “Nothing. It’s not him. It’s me. I’m the one who fucked up. I shouldn’t have gone to see him without Logan.”

Jamie pulled out the chair across from me and sat. “What are you talking about? Who did you see?”

I stared at the condensation dripping down the side of the glass. “I went behind Logan’s back. Went to see Dr. Simms.”

Jamie didn’t say anything, his gaze steady on me, waiting. “Well, that hardly seems like a bad thing. I don’t believe Logan will be upset about that.”

“He doesn’t like Dr. Simms. I should’ve agreed when he suggested I see another psychiatrist. None of this would have happened.”

“What exactly happened? Why don’t you tell me? Then we can see how to work it out.”

At night, I stay awake because I can’t stop thinking about you and how much I want to take care of you, be with you.

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