Gone was the teasing and precious camaraderie. It was down to business now.
I pressed my lips together. “He used me.”
“Bullshit.”
I frowned, my eyebrows bunching forward. I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it wasn’t that, not from him. “Huh?”
“I call bullshit. That’s the biggest piece of stinking diarrhea I’ve ever heard. Who told you that?”
“His sister.”
“Is she a royal bitch or something? A spoiled princess or something like that?”
I tried to figure out if he was joking. I didn’t think he was.
Shifting in my seat, I crossed my arms over my chest. I uncrossed them then and picked at the imaginary lint on the bottom of the sweatshirt. My head folded down. What did it mean that both Snark and Jake weren’t buying it?
“I mean it, Jo…rdan—whatever name you want me to call you. I meant what I said. I saw how he looked at you in the apartment. And I saw how he looked at me. I was competition. He was jealous of me. Since that was the first time I saw him up and close, I’m inclined to think he was jealous about the time I got to spend with you. There was no agenda from him.
“Whatever was told to you that got you running out of his place at this unholy early hour, it’s bullshit. Go back, and listen to him. The guy’s almost obsessed with you. I could tell. Even though I’m not on the same level as him, I could’ve been, if we had been given a real shot. If I’d killed someone for you and then found you again later, I could have felt what he was feeling for you. I don’t know for sure what it is, but it’s real.”
I…couldn’t talk. My throat closed up. My fingers curled up into balls, and I only sat there, feeling a small seed of hope taking root.
That was all I wanted.
I was too scared to believe, though.
Jake started the car and backed it up before pulling onto the road again. His apartment was in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” Even my voice was barely above a whisper, and I thought it held yearning, too.
“Where do you think?”
I knew. I didn’t have to ask anymore.
When he pulled up to the same door I’d left moments earlier, he let out a pocket of air. “I’m sorry for being angry before. I’m sorry for accidentally letting Susan know where you were. But for this,” he gestured to the hotel, “I’m not sorry for bringing you back. Go get your guy.” He patted my leg. “Go get your happy.”
I woke up because the bed was empty, and then I heard the door shut. I knew it was bad even before I rose out of bed.
Judging from the clothes on the floor, she left in a hurry. No note had been left in the suite. I called Laura and my lawyers, but no one knew anything. No one saw her, and Jordan hadn’t texted me. I felt it in my gut. She was gone.
I was changing to go look for her when I saw my wallet on the windowsill. I went to grab it, and that’s when I saw him. Jake Monroe. He was in the driver’s seat of his car, and he was driving away. I caught a glimpse before his car turned the corner.
My hand fisted the window curtain. Fuck this. If he had called her—No. I shook my head and closed my eyes tight.
If he called her, that was on her. She decided to answer the call. She decided to leave my bed, to go to him. That was on Jordan. I couldn’t fault him.
Shit, I waited two years in prison for her. I had so many reasons to leave her alone, but I hadn’t. I should’ve, and I still should, but I wasn’t going to. With that, I knew my decision had been made.
Fuck me if I was looking like an idiot in love, but that was what I was.
I loved her.
And I never told her.
I gritted my teeth. I’d told her I had feelings. I shook my head and started for the door. I was going to go after her. I was bringing the phone up to my ear. Cal could use the tracker to find her, but my door opened then. My sister walked inside.
Seeing the smug look in her eyes and the smirk on her face, it clicked. This was her. Whatever it was, whatever had been said, I knew Felicia had something to do with Jordan leaving.
I gutted out, “You did that, didn’t you?”
“Hell to the fucking yeah.” She raised her head. She wasn’t even going to deny it. She was gloating.
“You bitch.”
She lifted a cold shoulder. “In my defense, it wasn’t like I came in here, looking for her. I wanted to order some food and booze off of you, but there she was. When I came around the corner, she was lined up, ready to come and meet me.” A dimple showed in her cheek. “I couldn’t help myself.”
Fuck.
She eyed me. “She swallowed it, hook, line, and sinker. Maybe I saved you from her. Maybe I’m actually being a nice sister?”
“You’re delusional.”
“Meh.” She lifted her other shoulder and headed for the kitchen. “Life could be worse. Think of what you have in your future. Daddy called me this morning. He said your proposal for the building for the foster kids was approved. Congratulations. That’s good news, right?” She called from the kitchen, “You’re acting like your cat just died.”
“Felicia.” My teeth were permanently grinding against each other now. “Get out of my suite.”
“Relax.” She came back around the corner, her arms filled with food that I’d ordered for Jordan the night before—food that we never got around to eating.
I was raging inside, but this was Felicia. This was how she was and had been since the court case. “What did you say to her?”
“Nothing.” She moved for the door. So did I.
I blocked her. “Felicia.”
She backed up a step and readjusted her hold on the food. “Kian.”
I was done. “I’m sorry your boyfriend hurt you. I’m sorry he forced himself on you and that someone you loved hurt you in the worst possible way.”
She flinched, looking away.
I kept going, “I’m sorry our parents did nothing to stand up for you.”
Her eyes closed, and her chest lifted, holding there. Her teeth sank down into her lip.
“I’m sorry I went away to prison. I really am.” I did mean all of that, but I was done with her. “But please stop hurting me back. You need to tell me whatever you said to her.”
“Why?” Her face scrunched in confusion. “It’s not like you love the girl. You want her to help with the press for the new foster care building. I get it. That’s why you’re here. Seriously though, Kian, whatever this little obsession you have with her, you need to drop it. Mom and Dad aren’t amused.”
I pressed my lips together. “He used me.”
“Bullshit.”
I frowned, my eyebrows bunching forward. I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it wasn’t that, not from him. “Huh?”
“I call bullshit. That’s the biggest piece of stinking diarrhea I’ve ever heard. Who told you that?”
“His sister.”
“Is she a royal bitch or something? A spoiled princess or something like that?”
I tried to figure out if he was joking. I didn’t think he was.
Shifting in my seat, I crossed my arms over my chest. I uncrossed them then and picked at the imaginary lint on the bottom of the sweatshirt. My head folded down. What did it mean that both Snark and Jake weren’t buying it?
“I mean it, Jo…rdan—whatever name you want me to call you. I meant what I said. I saw how he looked at you in the apartment. And I saw how he looked at me. I was competition. He was jealous of me. Since that was the first time I saw him up and close, I’m inclined to think he was jealous about the time I got to spend with you. There was no agenda from him.
“Whatever was told to you that got you running out of his place at this unholy early hour, it’s bullshit. Go back, and listen to him. The guy’s almost obsessed with you. I could tell. Even though I’m not on the same level as him, I could’ve been, if we had been given a real shot. If I’d killed someone for you and then found you again later, I could have felt what he was feeling for you. I don’t know for sure what it is, but it’s real.”
I…couldn’t talk. My throat closed up. My fingers curled up into balls, and I only sat there, feeling a small seed of hope taking root.
That was all I wanted.
I was too scared to believe, though.
Jake started the car and backed it up before pulling onto the road again. His apartment was in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” Even my voice was barely above a whisper, and I thought it held yearning, too.
“Where do you think?”
I knew. I didn’t have to ask anymore.
When he pulled up to the same door I’d left moments earlier, he let out a pocket of air. “I’m sorry for being angry before. I’m sorry for accidentally letting Susan know where you were. But for this,” he gestured to the hotel, “I’m not sorry for bringing you back. Go get your guy.” He patted my leg. “Go get your happy.”
I woke up because the bed was empty, and then I heard the door shut. I knew it was bad even before I rose out of bed.
Judging from the clothes on the floor, she left in a hurry. No note had been left in the suite. I called Laura and my lawyers, but no one knew anything. No one saw her, and Jordan hadn’t texted me. I felt it in my gut. She was gone.
I was changing to go look for her when I saw my wallet on the windowsill. I went to grab it, and that’s when I saw him. Jake Monroe. He was in the driver’s seat of his car, and he was driving away. I caught a glimpse before his car turned the corner.
My hand fisted the window curtain. Fuck this. If he had called her—No. I shook my head and closed my eyes tight.
If he called her, that was on her. She decided to answer the call. She decided to leave my bed, to go to him. That was on Jordan. I couldn’t fault him.
Shit, I waited two years in prison for her. I had so many reasons to leave her alone, but I hadn’t. I should’ve, and I still should, but I wasn’t going to. With that, I knew my decision had been made.
Fuck me if I was looking like an idiot in love, but that was what I was.
I loved her.
And I never told her.
I gritted my teeth. I’d told her I had feelings. I shook my head and started for the door. I was going to go after her. I was bringing the phone up to my ear. Cal could use the tracker to find her, but my door opened then. My sister walked inside.
Seeing the smug look in her eyes and the smirk on her face, it clicked. This was her. Whatever it was, whatever had been said, I knew Felicia had something to do with Jordan leaving.
I gutted out, “You did that, didn’t you?”
“Hell to the fucking yeah.” She raised her head. She wasn’t even going to deny it. She was gloating.
“You bitch.”
She lifted a cold shoulder. “In my defense, it wasn’t like I came in here, looking for her. I wanted to order some food and booze off of you, but there she was. When I came around the corner, she was lined up, ready to come and meet me.” A dimple showed in her cheek. “I couldn’t help myself.”
Fuck.
She eyed me. “She swallowed it, hook, line, and sinker. Maybe I saved you from her. Maybe I’m actually being a nice sister?”
“You’re delusional.”
“Meh.” She lifted her other shoulder and headed for the kitchen. “Life could be worse. Think of what you have in your future. Daddy called me this morning. He said your proposal for the building for the foster kids was approved. Congratulations. That’s good news, right?” She called from the kitchen, “You’re acting like your cat just died.”
“Felicia.” My teeth were permanently grinding against each other now. “Get out of my suite.”
“Relax.” She came back around the corner, her arms filled with food that I’d ordered for Jordan the night before—food that we never got around to eating.
I was raging inside, but this was Felicia. This was how she was and had been since the court case. “What did you say to her?”
“Nothing.” She moved for the door. So did I.
I blocked her. “Felicia.”
She backed up a step and readjusted her hold on the food. “Kian.”
I was done. “I’m sorry your boyfriend hurt you. I’m sorry he forced himself on you and that someone you loved hurt you in the worst possible way.”
She flinched, looking away.
I kept going, “I’m sorry our parents did nothing to stand up for you.”
Her eyes closed, and her chest lifted, holding there. Her teeth sank down into her lip.
“I’m sorry I went away to prison. I really am.” I did mean all of that, but I was done with her. “But please stop hurting me back. You need to tell me whatever you said to her.”
“Why?” Her face scrunched in confusion. “It’s not like you love the girl. You want her to help with the press for the new foster care building. I get it. That’s why you’re here. Seriously though, Kian, whatever this little obsession you have with her, you need to drop it. Mom and Dad aren’t amused.”
