Page 159 of One Bad Idea

"Because that wasn't part of the deal."

"There was no deal," I said.

"Wrong. That first night, you told me we'd keep it separate. Matter of fact, you insisted on it." His jaw clenched. "Or, are you gonna tell me now that you don't remember?"

Ididremember. I remembered a lot of things. And it wasn't only the sex. I glanced away and mumbled, "I remember."

"Good," he said. "Because I'm not having you quit on my account."

And with that, he stepped aside and made a grand, sweeping gesture toward my chair. "It's all yours." And with that, he strode past me, leaving me alone in the darkened office.

And where did he go?

I had no idea.

Rather than returning to his own office, he left the suite entirely. I didn't see him for the rest of the day, even though his schedule had been packed with appointments – appointments that I canceled one by one as the day dragged on.

When he returned Tuesday morning, everything was different. I never saw the hint of a smile – not to me, and not to anyone else either.

I tried not to flatter myself that he missed me just as much as I missed him. And even on the off chance that hedidmiss me, all I had to do was remind myself that he "didn't do relationships."

Still, the rest of that week was pure hell.

Jaden and I were obnoxiously polite to each other – more polite than we'd ever been.

And I hated it.

I missed the banter. And the teasing. And the feel of his arms. And the taste of his lips. And the feel of his body moving against mine.

I even missed that stupid car-racing game that we sometimes played on Saturday afternoons. I missed the sandwiches and even the jokes about my so-called addiction.

Still, I plodded along, trying my best to pretend that everything was fine as the week dragged on. By Friday afternoon, I was utterly exhausted.

On the upside, I had two Jaden-free days ahead of me. Maybe I could regroup and get a fresh start.

That didn't happen.

And why?

It was because all weekend long, his name kept popping up again and again. And like some kind of crazy addict, I couldn’t seem to get enough.

Chapter 59

Cassidy was laughing. "So then, he torches the car, right there in the warehouse."

She was talking about something Jaden had done on the night she'd first met both brothers. Apparently, Cassidy hadn't personally seen the car go up in flames, but Jax had told her all about it during this past weekend – a weekend filled with sex and fun.

For Cassidy and Jax, that is.

According to Cassidy, there'd been plenty of both.

I was glad for her, and him, too. It was nice to see them happy, even if I wasn't feeling quite so happy myself.

For me, it had been a weekend filled with longing and humiliation – longing because I was missing Jaden like crazy and humiliation because I fully realized the stupidity of missing him at all.

Somehow, he'd burrowed under my skin and claimed a spot dangerously close to my heart.

How didthathappen?