Page 82 of Unofficial

"I was kind of dumped and left brokenhearted when you decided to push me away, so yeah, I have. But I'm here now, and I want you."

Kade laughs. This man has lost his damn mind. "No, I want to be with her. And I've shown up and keep showing up. You're just missing the best woman either of us has ever met, but you messed up."

"That's rich coming from the playboy who already broke her heart and came back with his tail between his legs."

"That's how I know what you're aiming at here. I made a mistake," Kade said. "A few of them, and I'm not denying that, but we've talked about it. There's still some work to do, but we've come to terms with it."

"Come to terms with it? The infidelity? That sounds healthy."

His fists clench, but he doesn't want to hit him. The last thing he needs is Jess deciding whether or not to pay his bail. "Healthier than seeking out someone to purposely hurt her. I may have done damage, but it was never intentional. Not like you did."

"You slept with another woman and literally got caught with your pants down!" Landry shouts.

"Jess walking in and seeing that was never intentional!" he shouts back. "I would never do something like that because I know how much it would hurt. And the last thing I ever want to do is hurt this woman."

Landry just nods his head and sneers at him. "Likely story."

"He didn't know I would show up that night," Jess says. "And I kind of broke in by using the spare key he had hidden."

"Why do you keep defending him?" he asks her, his eyes narrow and hard. "He broke your heart. Made you put me on a sixty-day no-sex probation because he's the asshat who didn't realize what he had when he had you, and you can't stop defending him. That's almost sick."

Kade's hands shake as his nostrils flare, staring at the man in front of him. "You're pissed she made you wait two months before hopping into bed with her."

The way this man seems to think waiting to jump her bones was the worst thing in the world she could have done makes him angry. He's known some women who won't go to bed for at least three months, sometimes longer. If the woman's worth it like he claims Jess is, it shouldn’t matter how long it takes to get her naked. A real man would put in the work to show her she won't be making an epic mistake no matter how long that takes.

"I'm pissed I got punished for what you did."

"Two months... you're pissed about two months? Do you hear yourself right now? You're the asshat here, not me," Kade says and steps backwards. If the man comes within arm's length, he's knocking him on his ass.

He's sure it sucks having to earn trust Landry didn't break, but at the end of the day, it's her body. She decides what she does with it and who she does. For him to be angry about two damn months shows the type of person he really is. And whether Jess tells Kade to take a hike or not, he's just glad she won't end up with Landry.

"If I'm the asshat, what does that make you? Because I can come up with plenty of names for you that aren't suitable to say in front of Jess."

Jess shakes her head. "Stop it. Both of you."

"No, Jess, you need to open your eyes. He's nothing but a playboy who's out to break your heart once he's tired of getting laid by only you. He'll go out looking for more women to fulfill the needs you can’t. He’s done it before."

"Screw you!" Kade shouts. "You don't have a damn clue what you're talking about. You don't know the first thing about how I feel for this woman, and you don't know what my intentions are. Stop pretending like you know me or us when you don't know shit."

"I know you're going to hurt her again. Hell, you'll probably talk Lena back into your bed and arrange for Jess to walk in on you. Lena's the type to jump at the chance," Landry says. "Just another whore."

Jess's jaw drops, and Kade sees red. "Don't you dare talk about Lena like that. Regardless of what she and I had or did, she's a good person. Good enough that she and Jess became friends after what went down because she defended Jess. And I'm glad she did."

"Landry, you're crossing all the lines right now," Jess says and holds a hand up. "You don't know anything about Lena if you think that's what she'd do. And I think Joe would be upset to learn someone he considers a friend talks about his girlfriend that way."

"That man's as blind as you are if he thinks she's anywhere near worthy of him. She's going to screw him over just like Kade will you. And neither one of you will take responsibility for your part in the situation that will have you crying like damned babies."

The way Landry speaks to Jess, as well as about his friend, really makes Kade wish he'd already hit him to shut him up. He only hopes Jess tells Lena about this little confrontation.

"Responsibility? You really want to talk about responsibility, Landry? Or, better yet, let's talk about accountability. You don't have any of either," Jess says, her hand still clamping the robe under her chin. "If this is how you've always acted, it's no wonder you haven't been married and why women don't want to settle down with you. You are a very angry man deep in your core, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. I've tried. Lord, have I tried, but there is something inside that's broken. Until you fix that, you won't find what you're looking for. You'll just keep losing people in your life."

His eyes widen. "Excuse me? You're trying to talk about my relationship with my ex now? You don't know the first thing about that relationship."

"No, I don't. And not for lack of trying, either. But I do know about your relationship with me. And in a way, you kept punishing me for her decision just like you seem upset about me making you wait two months before sleeping with you. It's a little hypocritical, don't you think?"

"You know what?" Landry says, his hands pointing between the two of them. "You two deserve each other."

"Good, then leave," Kade says.

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