Page 22 of Burned By Love

“Are you sure?Because I can come back later, or we can talk on the phone.That would be fine, too.”Maybe it would be easier.Jonathan was pretty sure that he’d be able to tell West about Sal in more detail if he didn’t have to look at him as he did so.

“I’ll have to leave if the alarm goes off, but in the meantime, we can talk,” West said.He looked back at Austin, then gestured at the exit.“We can go outside unless you want something to drink.”

Jonathan shook his head.He was pretty sure he’d throw up anything he tried eating or drinking.

West took the lead, and Jonathan followed.They stopped in the parking lot, and Jonathan resisted the urge to rush to his car.He could do this.He’d told his friends about Sal.He could tell West, too.After all, West was his friend, too.

Maybe.

“Thank you for the brownies,” West said when Jonathan didn’t say anything.

Jonathan was trying to decide where to start.“It’s fine.I didn’t want to show up empty-handed.”

“You could have.”

“I also needed something to do to distract myself.”He’d stayed with Caleb while Caleb baked, and they’d watched a few episodes of their favorite TV show.It’d been nice.

West nodded but didn’t say anything.It was time for Jonathan to be honest.Why did it feel like the hardest thing he’d ever done?

West’s gaze flickered toward something behind Jonathan.Jonathan turned in time to see Austin and two other people staring at them from inside.Austin was still holding the pan with the brownies, but the woman standing next to him had taken one and was chewing as she watched them.Seeing them made Jonathan want to run, but before he could, West grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side so they wouldn’t be visible from inside.

“Sorry about that.We’re a close team, and we tend to live in each other’s pockets,” he explained before letting go of Jonathan.“They’re curious about your presence here.”

Jonathan nodded.“I get it.It’s fine.”

“Well, I don’t know how much time we have before the alarm goes off, so if you need to say something, I’m listening.”

Jonathan stared down at his feet because he couldn’t look West in the eyes as he told him about Sal.There was a crack in the concrete, and a tiny yellow flower had grown in it.It was strong, even though everything had been against it.The flower hadn’t let the concrete stop it.

Jonathan wouldn’t let Sal stop him, either.

“I knew about dragon shifters before meeting you,” he explained.“I’ve known about shifters my entire life because my best friend is one, but I found out about dragons only after we moved to the city.When I first met Sal, I thought that it was incredible that a man like him, someone who could turn into a freaking dragon, wanted to be with me.I didn’t understand why.He was handsome, rich, and everything I could never be.”

“Youarehandsome.”

Jonathan’s cheeks heated.“Maybe.I don’t know.Anyway, he blew me off my feet.He love-bombed me, and after just a few weeks, we were inseparable.That’s when things started changing.”

It was when Sal had revealed who he truly was.Jonathan had been in too deep by then.He hadn’t had an escape plan.

He should have.

* * * *

WEST COULD TELL WHEREthis was going, and he didn’t like it.He wished that Jonathan had rejected him because he didn’t want to go out with him and not because he was scared.

He obviously was.Talking about his ex-boyfriend was enough to make him look like he was about to run away.If he did, West wouldn’t stop him.

He might try to find out more about who Sal was, though.

“He got more possessive,” Jonathan continued.“He didn’t like me going out with my friends, and when we did, he insisted on coming with us.He kept an eye on me the entire time, and he blew up at me when someone talked to me, even if it was just to ask where the bathroom was.”

That sounded like something West had encountered several times before.In his job, he saw a lot of things, including abusive relationships.That was what Jonathan was describing.He’d been in an abusive relationship with that dragon shifter.

It was no wonder that he didn’t want to date West.

“I won’t go into details because you don’t need to hear that, and I don’t need to relive it, but I’m sure you can guess what happened,” Jonathan added.“Sal started getting violent, and eventually, I got out of there, but not without scars.I haven’t dated anyone since then.I couldn’t.”

“Thank you for telling me,” West murmured.He wanted to reach for Jonathan because he looked like he could use a hug, but he didn’t want to scare him.

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