Page 29 of Marked

“We broke up and here you are with someone new not even a week later?” Seth sneers. “We spent two months together! Did that mean nothing?”

He acts like we were dating when I made it very clear we weren’t. “Seth—”

“I wanted you to be mine, but you refused me everything. No dates, no personal conversations, not even a single kiss! But here you are with some random guy!”

“Raise your voice to her again,” Jack warns, voice so deep and low it makes a shiver run down my spine, “and you’ll wish you hadn’t.”

His aura faintly pulses at the warning, and I sway away from him. Seth reaches for me as I do, but Jack grabs my arm and tugs me towards him so Seth can’t make contact. I look at Seth with no small amount of disgust. “I’m glad we’re done, Seth. If I knew you had this possessive, crazy side I wouldn’t have ever climbed into bed with you.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “I could have given you the world, Val.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “I don’t want anything from someone who puts their ego first.”

His eyes zero in on my bandaged arm then dart to my feet still on the dash. Concern flickers over his eyes for a moment. “What happened?”

“You lost the right to ask her that,” Jack says, wrapping his arm around my shoulders to keep me away from Seth. “Why don’t you go? It’s clear you’re not wanted here.”

Seth’s cheeks redden as I nod my agreement. “Fine,” he snarls and then hits my poor, innocent truck before storming away.

I pull away from Jack and quickly roll up the window. With a groan, I drop my feet back to the mat and bury my face in my hands. “Gods, I’m so sorry you had to witness that.”

He smooths a hand down my back. “Are you okay?”

“Utterly mortified, but I’ll survive,” I mumble and draw my hands away to look at him. “He’s never been like that before. It’s like he became someone completely different since we stopped sleeping together.”

He hums in his throat. “Maybe you just never actually knew him. Never saw him for what he truly is.”

I drop my head back against the seat. “I guess so.”

I flinch when another knock taps against glass, but this time it’s the waitress at Jack’s window. He accepts the food from her, giving her a tip, and she glides off on her skates to serve the next guest.

“Thanks,” I say as I accept my meal from him, but my altercation with Seth has left a bad taste in my mouth.

Jack gives me a pointed look. “Eat.”

I take a small sip of my chocolate shake, trying to ignore his approving nod. “I’m sorry again about Seth.”

He unwraps his burger and takes a large bite. “You don’t have to apologize,” he says after he swallows. “But I do have a lot more questions.”

“More? My life story wasn’t enough to scare you away?” I tease as I unwrap my own burger.

“On the contrary, I’m much more intrigued.” Jack chews on a fry before his next question comes out. “Was he overexaggerating about the kisses?”

I choke on my burger, patting my chest to help it go down. Wiping my mouth with a napkin, I glance over at him. There’s no judgment in his expression, just curiosity. “He wasn’t exaggerating,” I confess.

His eyes widen in surprise. “Not once?”

“Not on the lips, no,” I explain and then wiggle my brows at him. “Other places however…”

He lets out a soft chuckle and takes a sip of his coke. “Can I ask why?”

Ah, the question every single one of my hookups asks. “You can ask, but I won’t tell you.” My tone turns serious when I see him about to press me. “Jack, I’ve already told you more about my life than I have anyone else. I don’t really understand why, but I did. This topic, however, is not up for discussion. I need you to respect that.”

He stares at me for a beat, stormy eyes holding mine and searching for a truth I won’t give him. Finally, he nods and turns back to his burger. “Alright then.”

Surprisingly, he doesn’t sound mad or pissy like everyone else has in my past. He just accepts it. I clear my throat and turn my questions on him. “What about you?”

He lifts a brow. “What about me?”

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