Page 42 of High Stakes

Laurie stands in front of me and places her hands on my chest. “It makes more sense if she stays with her friend, look at the trouble it’s causing just having her here. You keep telling me there’s nothing between you, so why do you want her to stay.”

I can’t look away from Bella. I hate the sadness I see in her eyes. I have two more weeks. Just two. “We all just need to take a breath,” I say.

Bella’s expression changes to disappointment and my heart aches. “I’m leaving,” she whispers, going back into the bedroom.

“Fuck,” I mutter, following . . . again.

“Why?” I ask.

“I’m not okay with it,” she says, shrugging. “I thought I could be, but I’m not.”

Laurie huffs, “Let her go, Aiden. I’m free tonight, I can stay over.”

“Don’t you see?” asks Bella, “You say you can’t commit, and you don’t want to settle down, but that’s what you’re doing with her. You’re second best to her husband, yet you hang around waiting for his scraps. You’re putting your life on hold for her.”

“I’m not,” I mutter, and Jakes words come flooding back. ‘She uses you.She keeps you dangling so she can call whenshe’s bored.’

“It’s fine,” cries Bella, “I don’t care. If you want to be with her, then be with her. But stop forcing me to stick around.”

“I haven’t forced you,” I almost whisper.

“I sleep in your bed, not by choice but because you carry me in here if I even try to go into my own room. I can’t bathe or shower unless you’re in there with me,” she argues, counting each point on her fingers. “You insist on taking me to work and picking me up. You won’t let another man near me without having him frog marched out of your club. I can’t wear anything too revealing because it sends you over the edge. You wrap me in your arms every single night, and you do delicious things to my body.” She takes an unsteady breath, “You’re doing all the things a boyfriend would, Aiden.”

“Except sleep with you,” cuts in Laurie, “But he comes to me for that,” she adds smugly, and I clench my jaw in anger.

Before I can demand she leaves, Bella rushes at her, grabbing a fistful of hair and yanking her head down. “Fuck you,” she screams, and Aria laughs, clapping.

“Jesus,” I hiss, pulling them apart. I hold Bella around the waist.

Laurie touches her hair, shock evident on her face. “She attacked me,” she screeches. “Like an ally cat.”

“Laurie just go,” I snap.

She glares at me. “You’re kicking me out?”

“You heard him,” yells Bella. “Get the fuck out.”

“Aria, you too,” I snap.

I wait for them both to leave before kicking the door closed and releasing Bella. She grabs some more clothes, stuffing them in her bag. I snatch it, pulling them all out and emptying them on the floor. “Will you stop packing,” I shout. “I don’t understand what’s happening. This was between JP and Aria, and now somehow, you’re leaving. When we spoke about this being fun, you said you were fine with it.”

“I thought I was. Turns out seeing her with you like that, turns me into a lunatic. It did the same to you when you saw another man touch me,” she points out.

I nod. “It did,” I admit. “But not because I’m in love with you, Bella. It’s because I’m selfish and I don’t want another man to touch what I want.”There, I’ve said it.

She shakes her head in disgust and picks some clothes up from the floor. “You’re a bastard.”

I still her hands and pull her towards me. “I haven’t pretended I’m not. I was a bastard last night when you let me do all of those things to you. I was still a bastard today when you were sucking my cock, and I will still be a bastardtonight when I go and fuck Laurie or some other desperate bitch.”

“Fuck you, Aiden. Stay the hell away from me.”

“Until later when you’re in my bed,” I snap, “Because let’s face it, you aren’t going anywhere. You have nowhere to go, and you thought that by putting me in that position with Laurie, you’d be able to force my hand,” I hiss. She stares down at the ground. “It’s backfired, because you don’t want to leave any more than I want you to. So do us both a favour and stop the dramatics, Bella, because I didn’t change the fucking rules.”

I leave the room, slamming the door. Aria looks up from her mobile. “She might need you,” I mutter, and she rolls her eyes.

“Fucking men,” she snaps, stomping past me.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

---