Page 88 of Reckless Hearts

“Oh my god,” she breathes out and I can’t help but laugh as I pull her against me.

“I think we need to celebrate,” I whisper, my mouth at her ear, my arms wrapped around her.

“Flynn, this...this is?—”

“I told you it was going to be okay,” I whisper, kissing her.

“It’s really going to be okay?”

Smiling, I pull her to me again. “It really is. Now, let’s celebrate and then there’s something I need to take care of.”

A couple of hours later, I am in my car and on the way to Jade’s hotel. Alana had asked me where I was going, but I hadn’t told her, not wanting to ruin the surprise before I knew it was a certainty. Even though I’m pretty sure this meeting isn’t going to go well, I’m not backing down from this. Jade needs to be put in her place once and for all because what she did is inexcusable.

I pound on her hotel room door, knowing she’s probably still in bed even though she should be on the water by now. Mysuspicions are confirmed when she opens the door, dressed in nothing but a tank and a pair of undies, a scowl on her face that immediately turns to a smile when she sees me.

“Flynn,” she purrs, opening the door wider. “Come in.”

“Get dressed first,” I say, staying in the hall. “Then we can talk.”

Jade huffs out a breath but does what I ask, leaving the door open. When she’s pulled on a pair of shorts and a hoodie, I step into the room, leaving the door open.

“You want me to order us some breakfast?” she asks, like this is some kind of social call.

“No, I don’t want you to order us some fucking breakfast, Jade,” I spit out. “I want you to explain to me why you pulled that stunt with the ISA?”

She pouts at that, something I know she does when she knows she’s in the wrong but is trying to get away with it. “What did you expect me to do?” she whines. “You were all over each other!”

I blow out a breath. “Okay, well first of all, you could’ve tried fucking talking to me, Jade, like anadult,” I add, emphasizing the word. “You had no idea what was going on, and you just went and made an accusation with no proof. Worse than that, you leaked it to the media and god knows who else. I mean, what the actual fuck, Jade?”

I can feel the anger coursing through my veins, and I know I need to stay calm. The last thing I need is for me to lose my shit at her and for us to be back where we started, with Jade making a complaint against me. Again.

“You wasted the ISA’s time, as well as mine and Alana’s time. Worse still, you jeopardized her chance to surf at Pipe,” I continue.

“She doesn’t deserve to be there,” she shouts, her cheeks red. “And she doesn’t deserve you.”

My eyes close as I suck in a long, deep breath, letting it out slowly. Opening my eyes, I hit Jade with a hard stare. “First of all, Alana very much deserves to be surfing Pipe, and if you took just a second to get to know her instead of carrying on with this bullshit, then you’d realize that.”

“But, Flynn, she?—”

“Not finished,” I say, cutting her off. “And secondly, who or what I deserve has nothing to do with you, Jade. I wasn’t training Alana, just like I wasn’t telling her any of your secrets. That’s not who I am, and you know it.”

Her mouth snaps shut, a furious look on her face as she stares across the room at me. Neither of us has sat down, and the room is now filled with a thick tension.

“Why does she get to have you?” she suddenly whines, her voice like a petulant child. “You know how I feel about you, Flynn. Why don’t I get you?”

“Fuck me,” I mutter, scrubbing a hand over my face. As much as I didn’t want to believe this was the real reason for why Jade did what she did, it seems Alana was right. She is jealous. Not because of Alana’s surfing or anything, but because I chose Alana.

“Jade,” I start, shoving my hand through my hair. “I’ve known you since you were fifteen. I have never,evergiven you the impression that this,” I pause, waving a finger between us, “is anything more than a coaching relationship. It’snevergoing to be more than that.”

“But why?” she asks, her eyes filling with tears as she steps toward me, only stopping when I hold both hands up. “Why can’t we, Flynn?” she now pleads. “It could be so good, us touring together, you training me, us together each night?—”

“Stop!” I shout, my hand up. “Stop it, Jade. Grow up and accept it’s never going to happen. And what’s more,” I say, swallowing hard, my heart pounding in my chest as I prepareto tell her the real reason I came over here. “I quit. I’m done coaching you, effective immediately.”

Jade’s mouth opens and closes several times, her eyes wide as shock and confusion fill her face. I don’t know if this is something she never expected me to say, but I’m saying it. And more than that, I fucking mean it. I am done with her bullshit.

“You can’t...I’ve...what about Pipe?”

I shrug. “I don’t know, Jade. I guess you’ll have to give it your best shot,” I say, my voice firm.

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