Page 25 of Timber Hollow

25

Bitch Boy Ethan

eighteen days to full moon

A fter getting dressed and borrowing some of Sam's mascara and eyeliner to do a quick wing, I walk back to where Jay is waiting for me.

Jay motherfucking Temple is waiting for me in my friend's living room. In California. Despite the anxiety of going to see Ethan, my stomach is doing somersaults. What is happening?

I'm a little taller than Sam, so I opted to grab one of her dresses from the extensive closet. It's black, which is the only reason that I chose it if I'm being honest. The dress hits me around mid-calf, with a long slit up my thigh. Spaghetti straps hold the dress up, suitable for the California Sun—and Sam's apartment, but I know Ethan's office won't be hot, if anything it'll be air-conditioned within an inch of life, so I'd also grabbed a soft black cropped sweater with a chunky knit. Borrowed cross body bag slung over my shoulder. A pair of heels I apparently forgot here at some point clutched in hand, but I honestly wish I had my boots.

Jay turns from the window as I enter, eyes hungrily drinking down every inch of my skin that is exposed. But he doesn’t say anything other than "You look nice."

I give him a small smile, saying "Thanks, it's Sam's clothes. She has expensive taste."

Slowly sliding my feet into her heels, I sigh deeply. The sneakers I'd thrown on before leaving the apartment won’t go with this dress, and if I admit it to myself, Ethan's mother will surely say something about them… if she’s there. This interaction needs to go as smoothly as possible, and I really don't want to add something to the mix that will give them the opportunity to be annoying.

"It's really not. Why are you upset?" Jay replies without missing a beat.

"I don't want to wear these heels. I can don't mistake me-" I say, raising a finger in his direction. "-but I really don't want to. I was just thinking that I wanted to wear my boots."

"Sam doesn't have any?"

"She does, just not any that I want to wear right now." I turn just in time to see Jay's smile. "What?"

"I may have brought something with me."

Narrowing my eyes at him, I ask "What?"

"Well, you did leave your clothes. We were racing." Jay's smirk makes me want to smack him silly. Or maybe grab the hair at the nape of his neck that will curl if it gets long enough and kiss him. Neither are viable options.

"You're telling me my boots are out in that car right now?"

"That I am, Gorgeous."

"I could kiss you," I say without thinking. Jay smirks and my cheeks heat.

"Anytime, Darlin'."

A laugh titters out of me as I turn away from him. Before I do something else incredibly stupid, I go back to Sam's closet to return the shoes and grab a pair of socks. I can't stop thinking, and can't help but wonder how it's possible that the best and worst-case scenario being that Jay was who ended up as my fake boyfriend.

So, when I reenter the room, I blurt "How is it possible you're single? All you gotta do is talk to someone like you talk to me, and you're golden. So what gives?" I’m smiling at him, but the question is genuine. And he said he’s been single for a while.

Jay shrugs, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Haven't found anyone."

Again, that just doesn't sound right. Jay is practically as handsome as they come. Strong jawline, full lips. Delicious -looking shoulders. Kind eyes. Not to mention he kisses like his life depends on it. And… he takes care of his friends. His Pack.

"Sounds like they're pretty dumb then."

"If you say so," Jay responds, staring straight through me with those eyes that never can decide on blue or green.

"I do. You ready?" I ask, grabbing my keys and phone to stash in the bag. I'm going to walk down to his car barefoot, so I also tuck the socks in too. Jay nods, so I lead him out of Sam's apartment, locking up behind us and into the elevator. Just before I step out of the building, Jay stops me with a hand on my shoulder.

"What?"

"You're going to walk outside barefoot?"

" Yeah ? You think I'm scared of a little concrete?"

"No, but you're going to get your feet dirty."

I can't do anything other than blink at him, because I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my entire life.

Jay moves before I can formulate a response, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. His hand clamped around my thigh keeps my dress from exposing my ass to the world, but it also makes my heart race. And then, he's marching across the street, depositing me securely into the passenger side of his rental. As promised, my trusty boots are in the foot space.

When Jay goes to his side and slides into the driver's seat, I demand answers. "So, how did you know where I was anyway?"

Jay grins, depositing a phone that was lying in the cup holders in my hand. The pink case is an immediate giveaway. " You went to Aggie? " I practically shout the question at him.

"Sure did. So where are we going?"

As I rattle off the address for Ethan's office I stuff my feet into socks and my boots, lacing them tight. Why would Aggie have helped Jay? I’ll have to talk to her when I get home. I can't keep avoiding even thinking what we're going to do though, so I turn my thoughts to Ethan.

I know Jay's presence will set Ethan off, likely making the encounter even more charged. But… I'm still glad he's here.

"Why did you go all quiet?" Jay asks me sometime later, about halfway to Ethan's office.

"Just anxious." I shrug, watching the city roll by. Leather creaks and I notice Jay's knuckles tighten on the steering wheel.

"I hate that you dealt with him for so long."

Again, my shoulders rise and fall. "I never claimed to make sense."

Jay snorts. "Yeah. You're a regular mystery."

"Eat your heart out." I snark, giving him a wide grin. It makes Jay chuckle, and a smile takes form on his face.

And then, the GPS pings that we have reached our destination, so I direct him to the parking garage across the street. Ethan's office has a valet, but I don't want to depend on someone retrieving Jay's car to leave. Inside the concrete monolith is much cooler, eternally shaded from the brutal Sun. I don my sweater as I exit the vehicle, about to turn and tell Jay I'll be back in a bit when I hear his door close, and the chirp of the door locks.

"What are you doing?" I ask, gripping the strap of my bag with white knuckles.

"Coming with you?" He replies, squinting at me like I'm dumb.

"Why? You don't have to do that."

"If you think I'm going to let you walk into some place that you're clearly anxious about alone when I'm here you're absolutely out of your mind," Jay says simply, crossing his arms in front of his chest, making the black t-shirt cling to his shoulders and bicep. My throat goes dry.

"Really though, It's okay. You don't have to be involved." I croak. My wolf cracks one amber eye open deep in the confines of my soul.

Jay just rolls his eyes and says "You're Pack. You don't do things alone anymore." The breeze rips through the pillars suddenly, blowing my hair across my face. Jay tucks a strand behind my ear, saying "If you want to do this, then let's go. If not, we can be on our way back home within the hour."

Our way home .

Resisting the urge to cuddle deeper into his palm, I swallow and say "Okay. Let's do this." The urge to bolt, to run is easier to manage with Jay looking at me like that, pressing the warmth of his palm into my face.

"That's my girl," Jay says, smiling at me.

I chuckle, and say "Shut up." Jay laughs too, following me out of the parking garage.

The receptionist recognizes me as I enter the building through the large glass doors. "Welcome back, Miss Hunt. Mr. White is waiting for you. Oh! And your guest must sign in, please." Once she sees Jay, she pulls out a fancy clipboard for him to sign his name in.

"Thanks, Juliette. Where is he?"

"The conference room."

"Thank you." The office is a mixture of all the businesses, different floors pertaining to the different aspects of the White portfolio. Ethan's office is on the fourth floor, the upper two levels for Stephen and the shareholders. It's the button for the fourth floor that I mash as Jay and I enter the elevator. A barrage of memories where Ethan would press me into the corner and paw at my body, despite me telling him to stop assaults me on the quick ride up, and I have to suppress a shudder, feeling incredibly dumb once again for dealing with him for so long.

Jay lays a hand on the small of my back as he leans in close, asking "Do you know where we're going?"

"Yeah. I've been here a time or two." Jay nods, removing his hand from my back. Tension winds through my body, my spine ramrod straight, shoulders back. It takes a monumental effort to keep my breathing calm and even as we walk through the building. I've always hated the carpet. It is a somewhat grey color that contrasts with the dark baseboard wood trim. To me, it looked like prison grey.

I suppose, though, that was more due to my own feelings of being trapped. Trapped in a life I didn't want, with someone who didn't love me so much as just the idea of me. Finally, after a few minutes of stalking through the offices, the double doors to the conference room appear before Jay and I. My steps falter just as I lay a hand on the bronze door handle, my heart racing.

This is it. After this, I'm done. No more calls, no more texts.

You can do this, Artemis Hunt. The mantra repeats, and the door handle clicks as I open the door. Ethan's lawyer—more specifically, Stephen's lawyer— Mr. Dunkirk sits at the table with a stack of paperwork before him. Ethan stands at the window, his back to the door. When the door swings shut behind Jay and me, he turns. His smirk immediately turns into a scowl, seeing that I am not alone. Without saying a word, he moves toward the other chair on that side of the table.

"Hello, Artemis. Ah, Mr. Temple, is it?" Mr. Dunkirk greets, "Thank you for joining us today. Please have a seat."

"Mr. Dunkirk," I nod my head and give him a small smile as Jay pulls the chair out for me, seating himself to my left. The lawyer hasn't ever been a dickhead to me, was quite nice whenever I saw him. Jay has positioned us so that I'm in front of the lawyer, and he in front of Ethan.

"Are we all ready to get started?" The lawyer asks, looking towards Ethan for confirmation, who nods. I do the same when he looks my way.

"Mr. Temple, can you tell me why you're joining us? I don't believe you have a stake in these proceedings." Ethan asks Jay, a snide smirk on his face. He's taken to wearing his hair slicked back, the gel shiny in the fluorescent lighting.

"I'm here to ensure my friend doesn't get bullied into an unfair arrangement," Jay says simply, glaring daggers at Ethan.

Mr. Dunkirk clears his throat, tapping the manilla folder before him twice. "Okay. So, Miss Hunt, earlier this year, you signed this agreement-" out of the folder comes a prenuptial contract, bound in a pale blue. "-which also details what would happen if the engagement were to be canceled. In this, it states that if either party wishes to end the engagement, certain monies would need to be discussed. Now. First of all, were either of you unfaithful to your engagement?" The lawyer flips through the pages of the agreement, looking for the relevant pages.

I raise a pointed eyebrow at Ethan and wait for him to admit it. He doesn't, of course, so I have to do it for him. "The night I left I saw him and Cassandra having sex. They were clearly familiar with the act. That is why I left."

"Is this true, Ethan?" Mr. Dunkirk turns to look at his client. Ethan, being the bitch boy he is, doesn't say anything. Merely nods. "In that case, the contractual agreement in these pages states that Miss Hunt is owed a sum of—" The lawyer rifles through the papers again for a moment before saying "-fifteen thousand dollars. Is there anything you'd like to add?"

"She gets the car," Ethan says, glaring daggers at Jay. The amount of testosterone in this room could kill a bull, I swear.

"Ah, yes! How could I Forget." Mr. Dunkirk rifles through his folder again, procuring the papers for the Stingray. "One Black, manual transmission Corvette Stingray, free and clear of liens and loans. If you could sign here, and here, Ethan. " Ethan takes the pen from his outstretched hand, signing in the indicated places. Then, the lawyer passes the pen and papers to me, designating where to put my signature. Another paper comes out, indicating that this transaction would register as non-taxable gifts.

The lawyer goes through a few stipulations about what I can or cannot take from the manor, but honestly, the only thing I want is the books I left behind. When I say as much, Mr. Dunkirk passes a sheet of paper indicating their shipment.

"Your possessions are currently in transit. Mr. White arranged for them to be delivered after this meeting. Is there someone at the address listed that will be able to sign for them, if you are still in California at their arrival?"

"Yeah. There will be someone there." Looking over the shipment confirmation, I see the delivery date is next week. We'll be home by then, so I'm not even a little worried. I don't miss the way Ethan's lip curls though, his disgust clearly written all over his face. He doesn't say anything, actually. None of us say anything else other than Mr. Dunkirk as he goes through all the legal mumbo jumbo for transferring the funds to me. I loathe giving Ethan any of my information. Managing to give the lawyer my bank details by reminding myself that Ethan won't have direct access. It makes my skin crawl to even think about the fact that Ethan even knows where I live now.

At the end, Mr. Dunkirk says, "Now, Miss Hunt, our business is concluded. I feel it is my professional duty to inform you before you go that not all agreements are such as the one you had with Mr. White. Stephen and Cordelia added the infidelity clause to their heir's prenups— that is to say that it is not standard practice to award monies if the infidelity occurs before your vows are said." Mr. Dunkirk then gives me a searching look, one that I don't understand.

Ethan doesn't leave it up for debate. "He's telling you not to go around getting engaged to your betters just to earn a quick buck." His eyes rake down my form, making me feel dirty. Unclean .

"Ethan, please. That is not what I'm saying-" Mr. Dunkirk says, clearly flustered by Ethan's outburst.

"It's fine. That is what you were saying. Are we done here?" I ask, gathering my copies of the documents I'd been handed.

Mr. Dunkirk clears his throat, then says "Yes, all of our business has been handled. Mr. White?" Ethan nods.

"Great. Thanks. See you never." I say, getting up and leaving the chilled conference room. Jay follows me out the door, but we only make it a handful of feet before Ethan's voice rings out again.

"Glad to see you're not hiding how much of a whore you are these days, Artemis."

Before I've even turned all the way around to tell Jay to ignore him, to just keep walking, he's marching straight towards Ethan. "Oh, Fuck." I sigh, knowing that we're not leaving now.

Jay grabs Ethan by his pressed collar, slamming him against the wall. "If you ever say anything about her again, you're dead. If you ever contact her again, you're dead."

"Sounds about right that she lets her new boy toy fight her battles for her. How long has she been warming your bed, huh? She likes to play hard to get, but she likes it rough, don't you, Whore ?" Ethan glances away from Jay just long enough to look right at me when he says the insult. The insult doesn't land, though. He's called me that too many times for it to sting.

Jay slams him against the wall again, "Don't look at her. Look at me. The next time I see you, you're fucking dead. Think about her again, you're dead. Artemis Hunt is officially out of your reach. Hear me?"

Ethan gulps, he must have caught sight of Jay's wolf in his eye, the predatory glint in his too-white smile. I let the shiver of pleasure, seeing Jay defend me like that, sit in my chest for one single moment, before I push it away.

"She's got you wrapped tight around her finger, doesn't she?" Ethan says, puffing out his chest, Jay still holding his collar.

"You're a piece of shit." Jay growls, and before I can intervene, Ethan opens his dumb mouth again.

"I bet she laid down for you without you even asking, huh? Was she still full of my cum when you ate her out-" Ethan's words are cut off as Jay slams his fist into his jaw, standing over him as Ethan crumples to the floor.

"JAY!" I shout, tugging him towards the elevator. All of his muscles are clenched tight, his fist already red. I know he'll be fine, but with a hit like that, he could have broken bone. "Fuck, Jay."

"Sorry." He grumbles, shaking out his fist as the elevator doors close.

"Did you break him?" I ask, suddenly wondering if Ethan is going to make me pay hospital bills for a broken face.

Jay sighs, then says "No, I don't think so."

"Good. Alright. Well. Thanks for punching him. I've wanted to for a long time." Adrenaline makes me ramble at him.

Jay chuffs a laugh, then says "No problem, Gorgeous."

"Are you hungry? I know of a great sushi place." I ask, looking up at him as the elevator doors reopen.

"Yeah, I could eat." He says, a small smirk pulling his lips up, a hungry look in his eye.

"Well, then let's go, Big Guy," I say, grabbing his hand and tugging him away from the dregs of my old life.

After Jay and I get back to his rental, he drives us to the restaurant according to the GPS narration. "How come you're not just telling me how to get there?"

"Because I am not who you want to trust with navigation."

"Artemis. You drove your Corvette all the way home. I think you could manage."

"I drove all the way home with GPS navigation, Jay. I could wing it, or we can make it there in a reasonable amount of time. Can't do both." I retort, resting my elbow on the center console and propping my chin on my hand. Waiting for him to acknowledge defeat with a smug smile plastered across my face.

"I'm never going to win with you, am I?"

"Sure you will. You've got those blue eyes. You blue-eyed mother fuckers always win in some way or another."

"Yea?"

"Sure! It's bound to happen at some point." I chortle, fiddling with the music.

"I adore you." Jay laughs, turning into yet another parking garage next to the restaurant. And suddenly, I feel lighter than I have in months. Maybe even years.

When Jay parks the car, he turns the engine off, but I don't immediately move to get out, so neither does he.

"What's the matter?" Jay asks, voice much softer than I've heard it in a long time.

"Feels surreal. It's over. I'm done. For a while there I thought that was going to be my life forever. Just need a minute to process, I guess." If there was one person on the planet uniquely equipped to uncover my secrets, it would be Jay mother fucking Temple.

"Take all the time you need, Gorgeous. I'm not going anywhere." He replies, grabbing my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. His knuckles are still red, but I know he probably doesn't even really feel it anymore. Ethan on the other hand…

My wolf's amusement is palpable. We'll be reliving that moment for a long time, I think.

"Thanks… for it all." I eventually say, pressing a kiss to his middle knuckle, the one that is the most discolored.

"You don't need to thank me."

"Sure I do. You've made everything… so much easier for me since I came home. So, I'm paying for dinner."

Jay opens his mouth to refute it, but I silence him with a wide smile. "I just got fifteen thousand dollars. Not to mention another little something-something I took before leaving. I'm handling dinner, and that's final."

Jay's expression turns from stern to perplexed, and he asks "What did you take?"

"I may have opened his safe while he was between someone else's legs," I reply, biting my lip, trying to contain my smile.

"He told you the combination?" Jay asks incredulously.

"Don't need a combination if it's left unlocked." I tease, the battle of containing my smile, lost.

Jay laughs, practically howls with it, clutching his rib. Once he gets his laughter under control, he opens his door, chortling "Wow. He is a fucking idiot."

"Sure is," I reply, and Jay gets out of the car, doing a little jog around the back to open my door.

"Which way to the restaurant?" He asks, tucking his hands into his pockets.