Page 32 of Stolen

“Because he wants to know that he can still be the center of your world,” Jacob replied. “That’s the whole point of this. If you care enough to get rattled by his bullshit, maybe you still care.”

“Fuck. You’re right.” I took in a deep breath once Jacob and I were standing in the hallway. “I just don’t get why he won’t leave me alone. He’s the one that screwed everything up. Why is he making it my problem?”

“I can’t say I blame him.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He fucked things up with you, Leo.” Jacob took a step closer to me. “Imagine how that has to feel, fucking things up with someone like you. Do you really think he’s going to meet anyone else who’d put up with his bullshit?”

“Probably not.” I let out a light chuckle. “I did put up with a lot of his bullshit.”

Jacob took me by the hands, pressing soft kisses into my palms. “That’s what I thought. It’s hard for assholes like Keith to know when they’ve crossed the point of no return. He genuinely doesn’t realize that you’re officially done with him, because people probably give him so many passes despite his behavior.”

“Still. I don’t like the way he talks to you. Or talks about you.”

“I honestly do not give a single shit what Keith thinks or says about me,” Jacob replied. “I only care about what you think about me, Leo.”

Mine.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

“What? What is it?” Jacob pressed. “You just got quiet all of a sudden.”

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” I lied, before I kissed him, trying my best to drown out those dangerous thoughts.

The ones where I imagined Jacob wanted me for something more than a snowstorm hook up.

10

JACOB

Ididn’t know what was going on with me.

Ever since Keith’s tantrum at breakfast, there’d been something simmering inside my chest. I knew that it wasn’t directed toward Leo, but it still felt like it was somehow related to him. At first, I wondered if it was indigestion from breakfast, my stomach not sitting well with something I’d eaten.

But as the morning went on, it finally dawned on me.

Jealousy.

I was jealous of the way Keith had talked about Leo, spilling their intimate details all over the breakfast table. I was annoyed that Keith had ever had the chance to eventouchLeo, to get close enough to hurt him. And I was even more annoyed that Keith had tried to remind Leo of those times, like he was trying to remind him who hereallybelonged to.

The whole situation had created a nagging feeling at the back of my skull, like I needed to somehow make things right. I’d never felt like this before with anyone I’d ever hooked up with, so I wasn’t sure what to do next, but I still had to try.

“Is there a reason you wanted me to meet you in the gym’s bonus room?” Leo said, as he walked into the room, wearinga t-shirt and shorts. Even while wearing such a casual look, I struggled to keep my eyes off him, already so eager to put my hands on his perfect body. “If you were trying to do a workout, I already worked out with a few of the guys after breakfast. They talked me into it?—”

“Close the door behind you. Make sure it’s locked.”

“Okay…” Leo did as he was told before he looked back over at me. “Are you doing okay? You seemed fine when we last talked in the hall, but I just wanted to be sure.”

“I’ve never been jealous before.”

“What?”

“I’ve never been jealous before, Leo,” I repeated as I moved closer to him. “It’s not something I ever really experienced. Usually, I hook up with people and move on. I don’t care about their past. Or their future. We just live in the moment.”

“But you’re jealous now?”

“I think so, yes.”

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