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Chapter Eleven

Nathan

Chapter Eleven – Nathan

The ride back to LA is silent, with Tess mostly staring out through the window or scrolling through her phone, her body language closed off and anger rolling off her in waves.

More times than I can count, I almost pull over so I could get her to speak to me, but if I’m being honest, my thoughts are also all over the place.

The last thing I expected when I sought Tess out earlier today was to be sucked right into the deadly love triangle that put me off of relationships for life.

So, what the hell am I doing craving a woman who reminds me of everything I loathe? Wanting her eyes on me and yearning to see her smile are probably the most idiotic things I could crave right now, but knowing how stupid it is doesn’t stop my need for her.

I watch her profile now to see that she’s typing something on her phone.

“Baby?”

She looks up at me but doesn’t respond.

“Are you okay?”

“Sure. Amazing. Why wouldn’t I be?” With that reply, she goes back to typing.

Fuck. She’s livid, and she has every right to be. I’m sure I would be reacting much worse if I were in her position.

“I don’t know, you tell me. You’re silent and tense as a drawn bowstring.”

“I’m just busy catching up with work.” Lifting her phone in the air slightly, she still keeps the majority of her attention on the screen.

“Alright.” I leave her to it, and at some point, I think I hear her grind her teeth.

When we reach her apartment complex, I deliberately drive into the basement parking lot, so we can have some privacy. I get out of the car and round the hood toward her side, but she’s already getting out.

As she tries to walk past me, I gently splay my hand on her belly to stop her.

“Tess, you’re angry, and I get why. Will you at least talk to me?”

“Thanks for the ride, Nathan, and offering support when I needed it. But I’m tired.” She reaches up on her tiptoes, gives me a small peck on my jaw that I feel all the way to my feet, then slips away before I can stop her again.