Her lip quakes with anger. Her hands are in fists at her sides. She wants to hit me, to throw a fit, that much is clear.
But it won’t matter.
I don’t want Taylor.
“If you send me away now, I won’t give you any more chances.”
I laugh and rub my hands over my face in frustration. “For the love of God and all that’s holy, Taylor, go. Get out of my house and away from me. I don’t want any more chances.”
She stomps her foot like a four-year-old and then whips around to walk out the door. A minute later, the tires of her car squeal as she speeds down my driveway.
“Who was that?”
I turn at Lexi’s voice, surprised to see her standing next to me. She’s pulling earbuds out of her ears as she catches her breath. I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my life.
“Taylor.”
She blinks rapidly. “Taylor the bimbo?” she asks.
“The same one.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I think she’s mentally unstable. I had to get mean with her, and I didn’t enjoy that. But she hasn’t taken no for an answer for five years. It’s fucking annoying.”
“If the roles were reversed, she would have sued you for harassment years ago,” Lexi says. “This is the same thing. Maybe getting mean is the only way to get through to her.”
I nod but still feel like a jerk. “How was your run?”
“Exhilarating. I only went about four miles, but it felt amazing. I think I’ll start jogging in the mornings before we work.”
“Good idea.” I reach for her hand. “I put your dirty clothes in the laundry. I hope that’s okay.”
“Did you at least separate them?”
“I’m not an animal, Lex. Of course, I did.”
“Then it’s totally okay.”
“How did you enjoy the cabin?” Keegan asks Lexi a couple of nights later as he pours us each a glass of whiskey. We finished a particularly difficult part of the screenplay today, so we decided to come to the pub for a drink and some food to celebrate.
Lexi is particularly fond of the nachos.
“It’s absolutely wonderful, and not a cabin at all,” she says with a laugh. “When Shawn said he was taking me to the cabin, I pictured something much more rustic than what’s up there.”
“It’s a nice place, and that’s the truth of it.”
“Not that he knows, because he’s never been,” Maggie says as she brings us our food. She places a basket of fish and chips in front of me and the nachos in front of Lexi. “We can’t get him to leave this damn pub.”
“I leave it,” Keegan says with a frown.
“When was the last time you had a day off?” I ask him and grin when he flips me the bird.
A man walks into the bar and sits on the other side of Lexi, orders a Guinness, and then turns to my girl and gives her a wink.
“Hello there,” he says.
“Hi.” She pops a tortilla chip into her mouth. “Maggie, these are fantastic.”
“Of course, they are,” Maggie says with a wink before returning to the kitchen.
“You recommend the nachos, then?” the stranger asks. He looks like he’s in his mid-thirties with tattoos covering his left arm. His dark hair is cut short, and right now, he can’t take his eyes off Lexi.
“So good,” Lexi confirms. “Get extra jalapeños. You’re welcome.”
“I’ll take that,” he says to Keegan, who nods and walks into the kitchen to place his order. “What’s your name?”
“Lexi. And you are?”
“Lane,” he says with a smile. “Do you live around here?”
“No,” Lexi says, shaking her head. “I’m from the Midwest. I’m here for work.”
“Same. Well, here for work anyway.”
I glance up to find Keegan watching me with a raised brow. I shrug. What am I supposed to do? It’s just friendly conversation. He hasn’t touched her, and she hasn’t done anything wrong.
So, why do I want to bust in his face, then? Because I’m suddenly a territorial ass, that’s why.
I calmly sip my whiskey, but the fire burns in my gut. I want to pull her away from this jerk. I want to tell him that she’s with me, and that he can go flirt with someone else.
It’s true. She is with me. But she doesn’t belong to me.
And that’s the part that doesn’t sit well with me.
“If you’d like a ride home, I’d be happy to give you one,” Lane says. Now, I do lean over and give him a cold smile.
“I’m her ride,”—inwardly smiling at the double-meaning of the word—“but thanks.”
Lane frowns. “Sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“I mean, I’m sitting right next to him,” Lexi says with a shrug. “So, I’m probably with him. But good luck, Lane.”
I expect the other man to say something rude, or to make a scene. But instead, he just laughs and takes a sip of his Guinness.
“You’re right. I should be more observant. I guess I just saw a beautiful woman and got tunnel vision.”
“Well, I can’t fault you for that,” Lexi says, and that’s about all I can take.
“Hey, Lex? I’d like to talk to you for a moment.” My voice is light and jovial, not giving anyone any idea that jealousy is raging in me like a living fire. Lexi nods and hops off her stool to follow me.
I lead her to the storeroom in the back, turn on the light, and lock the door behind us.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
Rather than answer, I scrunch her skirt up in my fists and boost her up against the wall. My mouth is on hers in an instant, hard and demanding as I fumble between us to unfasten my pants, set myself free, and slip inside her.
She gasps, digs her fingers into my hair, and then hisses, “Yesssss,” as I pound into her repeatedly, her back against the wall of the storeroom.
It only takes a brief minute before I fall over the edge into a hard and fast orgasm, and when I’m finished, I set her down and tuck myself away.
“Well.” She swallows and straightens her hair. “I don’t know what just got into you, but that was damn hot.”
“I guess I have a jealous streak,” I mutter. She grabs my arm before I can unlock the door and leave.
“What in the world are you jealous of?” I glance down at her, and her eyes widen with recognition. “Lane? That weird dude out there?”
“I didn’t say it was warranted. But, yes. I didn’t like it.”
“I even pointed out that I’m with you.”
“I didn’t like it,” I repeat. “And I know that beyond the next week or so, I don’t have a claim on you. But for today, you’re mine. And I guess I just needed to remind us both.”
“Well,” she echoes from earlier then rubs her hands down her thighs. She’s trying to look stern, but a smile flirts at the corners of her mouth. “I might need reminding again later.”
And with that, she sashays out ahead of me and heads for the bathroom.
Chapter 11