Page 17 of Lost in You (Flirting with Forever 1)

“Um, no. Not since I ended things with him. There’s not really a reason for us to talk. I don’t need to be anywhere near someone who would do something like that to me.” She sucks her lower lip into her mouth, and her gaze casts down to the food remaining on her plate, but she doesn’t make any move to eat it.

I reach across the table to where her hand rests next to her plate, covering it with mine. “I’m sorry I brought him up. I’ve made you uncomfortable.”

Her head jerks up. “I’m fine.” She pulls her hand from under mine.

“You’re not.”

She won’t even look at me. Man, oh man, that was a screw up. Yes, I brought up Chase. I’m an idiot. But now I really need to know what else he’d done, because I know what he’d done to me. “Madison. Why’d you break up?”

Her nose is red, and when she glances back up, I see the distress all over her face. “He cheated on me with our neighbor.”

“Oh. You’re sure?” It doesn’t seem like an odd question until I see the look on her face.

She huffs, “Yes, I’m sure.” Her gaze meets mine and it’s wounded, so terribly full of hurt. “I caught them in bed together.”

“Like, literally caught them?” I sit up straight in my chair, hands clenching in my lap.

“Yes, my boyfriend was in the bed we shared buck naked with the girl who lived next door.” Angry, wet eyes flicker at me. “He barely stopped fucking her when I walked in, and I swear they finished after I walked out.” She swallows. “It was the most painful, humiliating thing I’ve ever experienced.”

Fucking Chase. Asshole. Idiot. So incredibly stupid. The devastation on her face has me wanting to pummel his. The adrenaline storms through my veins. I have the urge to go back in time.

Demolish anyone who would hurt her.

Defend her against the man who didn’t deserve her.

Protect her tender heart.

How he could do that to Madison when she is easily the brightest, sweetest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, I don’t know. I don’t understand it at all.

Chapter 9

Madison

My eyes flick to his, assuming he’ll show some sort of embarrassment about cheating on his own girlfriend, but I see absolutely nothing in his expression except concern for me.

In fact, he looks angry. Real, intense waves of frustration and outrage flood the space between us. “Forget him. Just fucking forget h

im, Madison. He’s not worth it. Not another minute of your time.” His voice—a low growl—hits me in the gut, spreads through me in heated waves, and leaves me breathless.

This is the weirdest turn of events ever. He’s not defending his friend at all. If I were a betting woman, I’d put all my money on Shawn tracking Chase down later tonight and knocking him out. He’s pissed.

I shift uncomfortably in my chair as I look at his anger-ridden face. “Are you not friends anymore?” When he doesn’t answer, I try again. “Shawn, did something happen between the two of you? Because it sounds like you want nothing to do with him, and maybe it has to do with more than just me.”

I watch his throat work a hard swallow. His gaze meets mine across the table. “We grew apart.” Shawn gets quiet. “Even when you all started dating, I was beginning to realize he wasn’t the same guy I knew before he went off to college. He’s different now. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Catching my lower lip between my teeth, I consider what he’s said and decide to not push him further tonight. This time it’s me who reaches across the table and takes his hand. I skim my thumb over the back of it just like he’d done to mine earlier. His gaze is glued to our connected hands, and he presses his firm lips together for several seconds before he looks up and into my eyes.

“We don’t have to talk about it anymore right now. For both our sakes.” I squeeze his hand, tentatively at first, and then he squeezes mine. Softly I say, “Forget it. Forget him.” My knee nudges his under the table, and he nudges mine right back. “Tell me what you think about your brother’s upcoming wedding to Sophia?”

He chuckles, a smile finally hitting his lips and reaching his eyes. He bobs his head up and down. “Well, this question would put me in the danger zone if I didn’t like her and didn’t think they were right for each other, but luckily, I dig Sophia. Always have. She’s an amazing woman.”

“She is for sure. I thought it was safe to ask just based on watching you guys talk last night. I mean, I only just met her at the beginning of the school year, but we’ve become fast friends. She and Quinn are kind of like my moms at school. They’re good people.”

His lips twitch. “I could have guessed that. Sophia has always been a caretaker. Anyway, Heath and Sophia—well, they should have always been together. If our family hadn’t moved here in the middle of high school, I’m pretty sure they’d never have broken up in the first place.”

“Oh, wow. I didn’t know they’d been that serious back then. I sure heard how quickly they got back together when she moved up here, though. Do you think he wishes things had been different?” I’m glad I’ve hit on a topic that seems to make Shawn more comfortable. Of course, it wasn’t me who’d brought up Chase in the first place, but it’s obvious he hadn’t expected me to tell him what a disgusting, rutting bastard his former best friend had been.

Just then, the waitress comes over with a dessert menu. I quickly put my hands up, palms out. “Oh no, I’m stuffed. Besides, I have to get into a dress tomorrow.”

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