Page 35 of Dr. Stone (Billionaires’ Club #9)

Jace’s expression became unreadable, and even though I was surprised by how numb I felt talking about it, I also knew I had no desire to dig too deep into that mess. There was no point. That chapter had already done its damage, and, in a way, it had set me on the path I was meant to take.

He looked at me for a moment, then shook his head. “You know, there are some serious assholes in this world—including the guy I used to be when it came to women—but fuck. That is next-level bullshit.”

“I agree,” I said with a faint smile. “And as if that blow wasn’t enough to bury me in a year-long depression, he was in another woman’s arms within a week of walking out.”

He exhaled, “How can anyone fucking hurt you like that?”

“Up until recently, I wouldn’t have had an answer to that,” I said with a dry chuckle.

“But now that I’ve finally made peace with it, I’ve realized what everyone else already knew…

he never treated me right. He was selfish and controlling.

My self-esteem was shot to shit long before he tossed me aside like trash.

I hate thinking about who I became in that relationship because he was constantly in a shitty mood, and I was always bending over backward trying to fix it. ”

“Sounds like he was just a miserable asshole,” Jace said, taking a sip of his whiskey. “People like that usually hate their own lives, and they end up projecting all their shit onto the person who brings light into their world.”

“Misery loves company,” I said with a faint smile.

“And yeah, maybe you’re right. When I first met him, I was probably the happiest I’ve ever been.

It’s like he made it his mission to snuff that out.

Little by little, he chipped away at it until I actually believed I deserved to get walked out on, like it was my fault I got pregnant. ”

“Your fault?” he questioned in disbelief.

“Yep,” I sucked in a sharp breath of salty air. “His exact words were, Had you been more responsible and checked when you were ovulating, this nightmare wouldn’t have come to ruin us.”

“Come to ruin us? Are you fucking with me?” he said incredulously. “Who fucking has the nerve to say some theatrical bullshit like that? What, the fucker couldn’t figure out how to use a condom?”

I laughed. “I was on the pill, but it’s never a one-hundred-percent certainty, you know?” I shook my head. “He blamed my body for rejecting the pill or some stupid shit.”

“I honestly don’t even know what to say to this,” he answered.

“He was a disgusting man,” I said. “I see that now. Back then, I didn’t because I was stuck in the nightmare, constantly trying to please him and smooth things over to keep the peace and make him happy.

Now that I’m out of it, I can look back and see it clearly.

Honestly, after the way he started treating me just a few months into the relationship, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’d go so far as to blame me and my body for getting pregnant, like I did it on purpose to trap him.

It was just another way for him to twist the knife. ”

“You haven’t seen him since?” Jace questioned.

“Neither hide nor hair,” I said. “I’m sure he just used it as an excuse to end things. The chick he left me for was probably around while he was with me, and perhaps my getting pregnant was the best excuse for him to leave?”

“What a fucking coward,” Jace said. “At least when I was an asshole, I owned it.”

I let out a soft laugh. “I’m only telling you this because I need you to understand why I have difficulty trusting people.

Letting you into my life, even just to see if there’s something real between us, is a big deal.

I can’t afford to be played or hurt like that again.

My son deserves a mom who’s happy and grounded, not careless.

I’d rather raise him alone than bring a man into our lives thinking he’s here to save us. I don’t need that kind of shit.”

“I understand,” he said. “I swear to God, I won’t hurt you like that fucker did. Goddamn, I wish I could meet him one day.”

“Oh, are you going to kick his ass ?” I taunted, trying to loosen Jace up a little.

“If I knew where that piece of shit worked, I might show up and ruin his day just for kicks.” He chuckled, knowing he sounded as immature as Jonathan.

“Well, he’s a used car salesman, and something tells me you’re not in the market for used cars.”

He laughed into the whiskey he was about to take a drink of. “No,” he shook his head, “I’m not one for used cars.”

“I met your parents,” I blurted out, trying to get away from the subject of my ex.

“No shit?” he practically spit his drink back into the glass. “I’m sure Hawk had something to do with that.”

“They approached us,” I said, wanting to gauge his reaction. “They seem like very lovely people. Your brother, as well.” I watched different expressions cross his face before saying, “You don’t seem to be anything like them.”

“I’m not,” he smiled. “Honestly, it takes an actual event to get me around them. My brother and I can manage a short conversation, but I check out the second he starts going on about all his accomplishments. I have zero desire to hear about any of it, not because I’m not proud of him, but he’s just braggy in the shallowest way. ”

“He does seem to enjoy that world, or should I say that life?”

“It’s funny you see it that way because that’s how I see it, too,” Jace said.

“It’s a completely different world, and it takes a lot of work and stress to live in it.

The circles, the status games, the so-called friendships that are really just networking connections.

It all feels like a performance. It’s an illusion of happiness, in my opinion. ”

I smiled, “That’s exactly what I saw in Titus that made me realize I couldn’t live like that, no matter how charming or magnetic he was. None of it felt genuine. I felt more like an accessory than a person.”

Jace’s expression grew contemplative. “It makes me very happy to hear you say that.”

“I feel the same way about you, especially after seeing where you come from and realizing you’re not just some super sexy doctor who is amazing in bed.”

“No, I’m nothing like them and have no temptation of that lifestyle at all,” he smirked.

He set his cup on the small coffee table in front of him and walked over to kneel in front of me on the sofa.

“Honestly, I have no idea what it’s like to date a single mom and live in your world, but I want to try.

” He laughed nervously, “If I’m being totally transparent, I am terrified that I’m going to fuck something up, and the last people on earth I want to hurt are you or Brandon.

So, I have to ask you, are you willing to deal with a man who’s never been in a relationship before and who might unintentionally do something fucking stupid to hurt you? ”

“The only way you can hurt me is by cheating or leaving me unexpectedly,” I smiled reassuringly at him. “Other than that, welcome to the relationship club, where communication is key, and after the honeymoon phase, everything is fucking work.”

“That easy, huh?” he smiled.

“That easy and that difficult,” I challenged him with an arch of my eyebrow. “But I don’t think it’s half as difficult as mingling with elites at hotel grand openings and trying to fit into all that, all while knowing you don’t belong there.”

He licked his lips, his eyes locking with mine. I recognized that look on his face. It was the same one I’d seen more than once that night when he was ready for another round. And my body was already responding to him as if it remembered exactly what we both wanted and needed.

“What if this— me and you —what if it’s just about the sex we had that night?” I said without thinking.

“It’s good to know you’re reading my mind,” he laughed.

“I’m serious.” I sat up. “What if we just want that night back?”

“I didn’t expect to have sex tonight,” he moved closer, running his fingertips along my jaw, “but it’s one hell of a theory I’m willing to try out to see if you’re right or not?”

Once again, I fell under the spell I’d been under the night we first met. His urgent lips claimed mine, flooding my body with the heat I’d been starving for since I last saw him. I moaned into his kiss as he eased me back, my legs parting in invitation.

It was like he knew exactly what I wanted—his hands sliding up my thighs, his mouth hard on my throat.

“Holy shit,” I breathed when his fingers slipped inside my shorts and found my clit.

The yacht came rushing back—how he’d made me come again and again that night. My body clenched around nothing, desperate for his fingers, his dick… and more.

I sighed, arching into him, my head tipping back as his two thick fingers pushed inside me.

“You want more of this, gorgeous?” he breathlessly asked.

“Fuck yes,” I growled softly, my eyes meeting his.

With urgency, we both stood. I was in his arms without hesitation, and we were moving into my condo.

“Bedroom is on the right,” I said before claiming his lips again.

In seconds we were inside, stumbling to my bedroom like reckless teenagers, peeling clothes away, fire and need consuming us.

Nothing was stopping us.

At least, that’s what I thought—until Duke’s barking exploded through the condo, and we both instantly regretted the day I so cheerfully welcomed him into our lives.