Page 38 of Jinxed Hearts

I’ve tried everything to avoid Dylan and going back to work. I swear. First, it was the flu. Then a distant relative “died.” Now I’m re-organizing my house. But I’m running out of excuses and closets to clean.

I throw myself into distractions. Scrubbing floors. Sorting junk mail. Even color-coding my books. But it’s pointless. No matter how much I clean, I can’t scrub him out of my head. The way he looks at me. The way my stomach flips when his hands grip my waist like it belongs to him.

I walk toward the bathroom, hoping a shower will help. I turn the nozzle, wait for the water to heat up, and get sidetracked. Maybe I can organize myself out of Dylan’s smile and tight T-shirts with this junk drawer too.

As the steam starts to fog the mirror, and finally I step into the shower. The warm water soothes my muscles, but it does nothing to relax my mind. All I see is Dylan… pressing me against the wall, his mouth on mine. My body sprawled across the desk, begging for more.

The shower head will have to do… for now.

Water pulses between my thighs. I let the vibration work with my fingers, imagining his hands sliding over my wet skin, his lips trailing up my legs. That look in his eyes.

“Oh, Dylan…” I moan. “Right there… yes…”

“Jinx!” Jacob’s voice echoes from outside the door, ripping through the fantasy. “You coming out anytime soon? Breakfast’s been ready for twenty minutes!”

“Fuck,” I mutter.

“Eat without me!” I shout, grabbing a towel. “I’m late for work!”

I dry off quickly, slipping into my red bra and matching thong as Jacob walks in.

“Damn.” He grins. “What’s the occasion? We could pretend it’s my birthday and sneak in a quickie before work.”

I force a laugh. “Rain check for tonight?”

“Deal,” he says, eyes trailing over me. “Not sure if you’ve hit your sexual peak at forty, but whatever's gotten into you… I’m not complaining.”

“It’s stress relief,” I say, kissing him like I always do. But the kiss feels different now. Maybe because someone else’s lips have been on mine. Maybe because something inside me changed with that kiss, and I don’t know who I am anymore. One thing I do know… there’s no going back to the woman I was before.

Jacob pulls away, watching me for a second. “And hey… you’ve been looking really nice lately.” He pauses, lowering his voice. “Yeah, I still notice,” he whispers under his breath before walking off.

I let out a sigh, trying to shake off the guilt as I throw on a button-up shirt and jeans. But it clings to my chest. He doesn’t deserve this. Not the lies. Not me pulling away. Not someone else sharing half of my heart… even if he has no idea.

“Focus, Jenna,” I mutter to myself, grabbing my keys. “Just… go to work.”

“Hey, Jinx! Come check out your office. It’s looking so good!” Izzy hollers from across the room as she mingles with coworkers and people from the dental office down the hall. Even a few contractors installing baseboards paused their work to admire the progress.

I place a stack of folders down on Shantel’s newly finished desk. “Thanks for these,” I tell her before heading toward Izzy.

The moment I step inside, my breath catches.

What… the… hell?

Dylan’s work isn’t good, it’s stunning. A buttery yellow accent wall warms the space, while a gold pendant light casts a soft glow from above. Floating wooden shelves hold my faux plants in one corner. He even added thin gold trim around the windows. A small touch of luxury I didn’t know I wanted. It’s like he reached into my mind and brought it to life… only better.

“Jenna? Earth to Jenna!” Izzy waves her hand in front of my face. But my eyes are fixed on my desk. A small, bright yellow bag sits in the center. Beside it, Dylan’s engraved pen… the one from the day we kissed.

My pulse spikes.

“Sorry, I’m here,” I stammer. “Just amazed by all the work Dylan and his team have done. People can’t stop talking about it.”

Izzy smirks, raising her brow a few times. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mindworkingovertime with Dylan and his crew.”

I laugh softly, wishing the same thing.

“Izzy, can you come here, please?” Debbie calls out from her office, saying something about paychecks.

Once Izzy disappears, I sit down, reach for the bag, and untie the blue ribbon. As I peek inside, I find… a bib?