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Jake scoff, looking furious. “They didn’t stop that twatwaffle from putting his hand on her in the first place.”

Indie takes a step towards Jake, her expression twisting into one that’s equally as mad. “In case you missed it, I took care of myself. I didn’t need security.”

“You shouldn’t have to do that,” Jake shouts, pushing to his feet, as his cheeks flush red in anger.

I take a step towards him, holding my hand out in a way that demands he stop and shut the fuck up. When he does, I turn to Indie. “Are you sure you feel well enough to go back to work?”

She nods. “I’m sure.”

Without thinking, I take a step forward and kiss her. It’s a deep, passionate, claiming kiss, and I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I don’t regret it. It’s like I just reacted,doing what felt natural, and given the way Indie returns my kiss, she must feel the same.

It’s only a short kiss, over before it’s even really begun, but there was enough passion to heat my body and make my dick throb. And the shy smile on Indie’s face when I pull back is blinding.

“If you need us, we’ll be here,” I tell her as she turns to leave.

She thanks me as she opens the door, giving us both one final look before she walks out, closing it behind her. Once we’re alone, I turn back to Jake. He’s a bundle of nervous energy, looking like he’s moments away from exploding.

I take a step towards him and his nostrils flare, anger vibrating off him as he snarls at me. “How could you let her just leave like that?”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes at his dramatics, but I do steel my expression, so he can see I won’t tolerate him taking his anger out on me. “She’s a grown woman who has been looking after herself for a long time before we came along. She made the decision, I just supported her.”

He shuffles from one foot to the other, his hands balled into fists, as he slowly walks towards me. “I thought the whole idea was that we’d look after her now, or are you not really all in with us?”

“Jacob,” I snap in a warning.

“You’ve kept your feelings pretty close to your chest. It’s like you have one foot in, but the other is still out the door, giving you that out whenever you need it.”

His words come out like a hiss, and they hit deeper than I’d have liked. He must be able to see the shock on my face as he freezes. He’s no longer advancing towards me, but that doesn’t make me feel any less trapped.

He’s a lot closer to the truth than I’d like. As any caged animal would do when poked, I lash out. “Fuck you! You’re notthe one who got their heart broken by two people, who are both now expecting me to just forgive and forget. You want me to trust you with my heart, when the last time I did that, it almost fucking killed me.”

With each fierce word, I stalk towards him, letting him see the emotions behind what I’m saying. When his face crumples, I don’t feel bad. He wanted to see the truth…well, this is it.

I keep moving towards him, even when he retreats, trying to get away from me. His back hits the wall behind him, but I keep coming, moving deliberately slow, so he has to watch each agonising step.

His eyes widen and his jaw is set, like he’s gritting his teeth, no doubt regretting starting this argument. When my body is pressed against his, my breath fluttering across his face with each angry pant, I glare at him, challenging him to respond.

“I… We didn’t…” Jake trails off, not able to find the words to finish his sentence.

I slam my palm onto the wall beside his head, not caring as pain shoots down my arm. Jake flinches, his eyes frantically flicking over my face, trying to work out what to do.

“I don’t want to hear your fucking excuse, Jacob. You wanted to argue, now we’re here. Do you want me to say that you care about Indie more than I do? Do you want me to say that the idea of letting you both in is the scariest things I’ve fucking done? What the fuck do you want from me?” I snarl, my voice raising with each ridiculous question.

“I know you care about Indie as much as I do,” he whispers, blush spreading across his cheeks.

Although he looks adequately chastised, I can’t back down. He got far too close to the truth before, and now my nerves are on edge, and I can’t hold back.

“Fine, so you don’t think I’m committed enough? You asked for more time and I fucking gave it to you, but when I ask for it, it’s me putting one foot out of the fucking door.”

Jake shakes his head rapidly, his chocolate eyes shining with unshed tears as he looks at me in a panic. “I’m sorry. I was angry, and I said things I didn’t mean.”

I press my body against his, ignoring the way he feels beneath me. “But you did mean it. You think I don’t want this.”

He drops his gaze down to the floor, scared to make eye contact with me, but I’m not having any of that. While I keep one hand on the wall, caging him in, I lift the other up to his neck.

Wrapping my large fingers around his throat, I press down just enough to cause a bit of pain, but mostly to get his attention.

His wide-eyed gaze shoots back up to meet mine, but he doesn’t struggle against my grip. If anything, he slightly rocks his pelvis, letting me feel just how much he’s enjoying my proximity.