Page 30 of Thinking It Over

Nausea curdled in my stomach.There was no mistaking the cocky stance, the skin-hugging jeans that were so tight they were almost obscene. Rupert faced me, that smirk on his face that made me wish I was less civilized.

Flicking my gaze to my front door, I saw Billy in the doorway, his arms folded and appearing like he was standing sentry. His eyes connected with mine, and he dipped his head. That one movement told me enough—that Rupert was here to cause trouble and that he’d tried to gain access to my house.

I allowed myself a moment of relief that Billy had been here.

Rather than walking up to a waiting Rupert, I bypassed him completely and went to Billy. I knew itwould piss my ex off, used to having the attention and having a liking for the dramatics.

I attempted a smile at Billy and asked, “What do I need to know?”

Billy flicked a look in Rupert’s direction, one that would make most people falter. I doubted it would work on Rupert, though; he was too full of his own self-importance for that.

“Tried a key in the lock, which worked. Clearly he didn’t expect to see me here. I stopped him from entering, at which point he threw a hissy fit demanding access to Penny.”

I closed my eyes and prayed for strength.

“Can you organize a locks—”

“He’s on his way. You’ll have to pay extra for the callout since it’s the weekend, but I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“Thank you.”

“Want my two cents?” he asked.

“You’re the child from school.” Rupert’s vicious tongue broke through my reply, and I spun around immediately.

Shit, I’d totally abandoned Jasper. Reacting immediately, I headed toward Jasper, not wanting him anywhere near Rupert’s brand of poison.

Jasper looked in my direction, sending me a smileand settling my nerves a little. He glanced back at Rupert, simply shooting him a hard stare and not biting at his antagonistic statement.

I reached Jasper before he made it to where Rupert was, saying quietly, “I’m so sorry about this.” I grimaced. “Maybe you should head home so you don’t get caught up in whatever he’s playing at.”

Hurt flashed in his eyes, and my stomach twisted. He swallowed hard; his eyes remained steady on mine. “If you want me to.”

I shook my head, keeping my voice low. “I don’t. Rupert can be venomous. I don’t want you a target of that.”

“I can handle myself,” he said, his voice quiet but confident. “If me being here makes it more difficult for you, I’ll go. If you don’t want him to know we’re….” He trailed off. I got it. I didn’t know exactly what we were doing either. All I knew was he made my heart stumble over itself whenever we were together or I received a text from him. And since the first moment I met him, there’d been a spark, one I wasn’t willing to ignore.

Tentatively, I reached and took his hand, making my intentions clear and giving him the opportunity to stop the touch. When he grinned, there went my heart, and I was happy I’d made the right move. “Let’s shut this down.”

Jasper nodded and then mumbled, “Is that the famous Billy?” A not so subtle look in his direction made me smirk.

“Yeah.”

“Can I just say wow?” Laughter followed, and I snorted.

“You may, just this once,” I jested. His reaction was understandable. My reaction was identical when I’d interviewed him as a dog-sitter. His position had quickly evolved. I turned back toward the house.

Red-faced, Rupert appeared ready to explode.

I deliberately led Jasper past him and to the wooden steps of my porch.

“This is really what it’s come to? Seriously, Austin, I know I’m irreplaceable, but you’ve really lowered your standards and scraped the dregs of the barrel this time.”

I grinned wide at that, first looking at Jasper, who seemed surprised by my reaction, and then at Rupert, who appeared equally nonplussed.

There was no need to explain my attraction or relationship with Jasper. Not only was he gorgeous, which was blatantly obvious to anyone who was fortunate enough to cast their gaze on him, but he was smart, a professional, kind and generous, and something I particularly liked about him, drama free.

“Something I can do for you, Rupert?” Ignoring hisquestion would rile him even more, but he deserved the bare minimum of my focus or attention.

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