Page 93 of Opening Strain

No. Way.

The woman takes a step closer to me and runs her hand through my hair. I trap her wrists and shove them away from my body.

“I love your cut,” she purrs. “Your hair is still one of the most sexy things about you.”

My eyes bounce between my future and ugly past, now disguisedas a plastic surgeon’s wet dream. Who tore my heart out by dumping me for Curtiss, my former best friend. The two who cemented my desire to be a lone wolf, never to let anyone else get close to me again. I lean forward and snarl, “Lissa?—"

Across the table, Jenna leaps to her feet. “I’m, uh, going to use the restroom.”

I want to grab Jenna’s hand to keep her with me, but it’s more important for me to get rid ofLissa Bakerso she’s gone when Jenna returns. And she never comes back. While Jenna weaves away, I scan Lissa’s too-thin body, noting each change with disgust. “Time’s a bitch, huh?”

“You can’t mean that, Bennett.” She squats next to me, placing her hand on my right thigh. She giggles and, instead of warming to how adorable she is, I recoil in my seat. “I knew I was living rent free in your sexy head all these years. All of your band’s songs have been about me. I hear the pain in your voice, especially when you sing ‘Crushing Blow.’”

I’m so mad I cannot form a coherent thought. Between gritted teeth, I reply, “That’s Darren’s song.”

Her fingers play with my limp ones. “I’m the woman who you told you loved. You’ve obviously never loved anyone since, given you’ve not been with anyone for longer than a night or two ever since.”

For a moment, I stare at her hand entwined with mine. Her blood-red nails spur me to shake free of her grasp and rise to my feet. Looking down on her gives me a sense of dominance in this fucked-up scenario. “You’re messed up, Lissa, in more ways than one. ‘Crushing Blow’ is all Darren.”

Once again on her feet, she shrugs. “You still sang it. To me.”

“You’re wrong.” I stare into familiar eyes, the only thing recognizable about her. “I haven’t seen you in over a decade. Why are you here now?”

“I know we still have what we had back in high school. I made a huge mistake back then, and you disappeared after your dad died.You left our hometown to be a big rock star with Untamed Coaster.” Her gaze runs up my torso until they snag my eyes. “I’ve kept tabs on you via the media ever since. I’m an influencer now. I’m perfect for your image.”

I shake my head, unable to process what this woman from my past is spewing. “What?”

Her hand snakes out and runs up my arm, squeezing my bicep. “We look amazing together. I’ll never forget how you confessed your love to me. You can’t simply throw away a love as pure as ours.”

Love? Pure? “That’s not how I remember it, Lissa.” I still can’t believe her name is falling from my mouth. “I remember telling you, your not saying it back, and then you dropping me like the proverbial hot potato when Curtiss asked you to the senior prom.”

She flips her long hair. “Water under the bridge. I’m here now.” A disgusting smile crosses her face. “I saw you were looking for properties in this town and knew I had to come here. You’re difficult to catch in one place.”

“Have you tried?”

She cackles. “Only like a gazillion times. I got to Ibiza the day after you left. Same with Rome, Monaco, Las Vegas.” She pauses. “I’m not upset, though. Your shows have been fantastic.”

Lissa wants some of my reflected fame, like a million other women. Except Jenna. Always except Jenna. Lissa’s wants don’t matter to me, as proven by my physical revulsion to her. I take a step away. “Listen, I’m not sure what you’ve read online or in magazines, but I haven’t been pining for you all these years. None of UC’s songs are about you.”

She opens her mouth, obviously to protest, when Jenna returns to the table. She looks between the two of us. I take a deep breath. “This is Lissa Baker. We went to high school together.”

Lissa juts out her ample chest. “I was his high school girlfriend.”

I cross my arms. “Until she dumped me for my ex-best friend to go to the Senior Prom with him.”

Undeterred, Lissa continues, “Bennett here told me he loved me.”

“I was a teenager.” Seriously. My gaze bounces from my high school flame to my physical therapist, and there’s no comparison. My heart swells.Oh shit.I truly am in love with Jenna.

While I’m focused on my current feelings, Lissa doesn’t wait. Giving Jenna a look that would cause another person to shrivel on the spot, she says, “He hasn’t had a girlfriend since me.”

Jenna’s shoulders lower. “I think I should let you two get reacquainted.”

No. Fucking. Way. “I don’t need to get to know Lissa now—her true colors shone brightly in high school.”

“Oh, come on, Bennett. You have to give a stupid high schooler a break. I’ve learned a lot since then.” She leans forward. “I’ve missed you.”

“I haven’t missed you, Lissa. Not one bit.” After her debacle, I made the decision to never remember who I’ve slept with. Until Jenna. Images of our first meeting back when she was dating Darren, challenging me aboutThe Godfather, resurface. When she was the first one to examine my groin pull. Our time with physical therapy exercises. I walk over to Jenna.

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