Page 20 of Only for Tonight
“You showed up there unannounced and then his girlfriend was there, so you left?” she recounts the story.
“Pretty much.”
“You know you have to tell him, right?” She tries not to laugh. “I mean, you can’t keep it from him. He knows your father, don’t you think it’ll come up?”
“I know, which is why I’m here,” I groan. “I’m going to go and take a long bath and then rethink my plan.”
“You need to call him and ask him to come over to your hotel room.”
“No,” I snap. “What if he thinks I want him to come here and do me?”
“Okay, fine, not to your hotel room, but you have to tell him.” I close my eyes. “Go take a bath and then we’ll think of something.” I hear the door shut on her end of the phone. “I have to go, talk to you later,” she says and disconnects before I can say another word.
I look at the phone, knowing she’s right. “Okay, nugget.” I look at my belly. “Tomorrow we will try again.”
nine
Jaxon
The door slams shut, and I stay frozen almost in time. More time than I should stay frozen, that’s for sure. But my head is reeling, ever since I opened the fucking door and saw her standing there. Her hair was different than it was that night, not curled and perfectly styled. No, this time it was still flowing loose as it blew softly in the wind, and my thumb and forefinger rubbed together as I remember how silky it felt in my hands. My eyes went straight to the best feature on her face, her eyes. Fuck, her whole face could be covered and I would know her just by her eyes. “Jaxon,” Tiffany calls my name, and I look from the empty doorway to her. Her arms are folded under her chest. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Her voice comes out shakily.
I know just by her tone that a drama fit is coming, and I know it’s about to get a whole lot worse by the time she leaves here. Especially with what I’m going to tell her. “I have no idea what you are talking about.” I turn to the side when the sound of the oven beeps as I try to calm down. Ariella was here, in my house. The only thing going through my head is how the fuck did she find me? Not only that, but she also just ran out of the house and I didn’t fucking chase her. What is up with that? The first thing I should have done was call her name and tell her to stop and come back. But I had to handle Tiffany first, and I don’t think Ariella needed to see this.
“You can’t honestly be fucking serious right now!” she shrieks as I grab an oven mitt and take my meal out of the oven. “Who the fuck was that girl?” Her voice goes so loud that if we were in one of the cartoon movies, the glass would crack and the steam would be coming out of her ears as she rocked from side to side.
I put the tray down on the top of the stove before taking off the mitt and tossing it to the side, and I turn around and look at her. “No one.” I lean back on the counter as she raises her eyebrows. There is no way in fuck I’m going to tell her who Ariella is or what she is to me. Besides the fact it’s none of her business, the last thing I want is for her to do anything to Ariella. I’m going to protect her at all drama that Tiffany is.
“Are you really fucking doing this?” She slaps her hand on the counter, her eyes in slits.
“I’m not doing anything.” I remain calm, calmer than I have been in a while, even though I know she’s about to blow her fucking lid.
“You are just going to bring some random girl in here”—her voice goes higher and higher—“and not expect me to say something to you? Some fucking puck bunny.” Her words coming out show you how disgusted she is by that word.
“Okay.” I hold up my hand. “That’s enough. I’m going to stop this right now before you say something that is really going to piss me off, and I say things that I’ll regret later.” My voice rises more than it ever has in our relationship. When we would fight, I never raised my voice. It’s something I got from my father. I wouldn’t let her words get to me, but calling Ariella a puck bunny was pushing it too fucking far.
“Oh, it’s enough now, is it?” She shakes her head as if in disbelief. “Now it’s enough, after I insult that?—”
She stops talking when I take a step toward the counter in between us. “Listen, Tiffany.” I put my hands on the counter in front of me, outstretched to the side.
“No, you listen here, Jaxon Stevenson. I’ve put up with a lot of shit from you.” Her words almost make me burst out laughing. I look at her for a second before I talk.
“From me?” I point to myself; now I’m the one in disbelief. “What the fuck have I ever done to you?” My finger points to her.
“You haven’t even acknowledged our relationship.” She points between the two of us.
“That’s because we don’t have a relationship,” I declare and she gasps, putting her hand in front of her mouth. “We haven’t had one in a while.”
“What are you talking about? I stood by you through all of it.”
“Through what?” I question, getting pissed, the calm out the window now.
“When you were all sulking over last season.” She rolls her eyes.
“You mean when I was holed up because I had surgery,” I snort, “and I was in rehab doing physical therapy? When I had to slowly work my way back up to skating?”
“Yes, that.” She points at me. “You were all ‘woe is me.’ Do you know how much it took to stay with you?”
“No, how much?” I ask her, not really giving a shit. This conversation is so over, it was over before it even started.
