Page 43 of Rules, Roses, and Rivals
Whynow?
He kissed me like I was his first—no matter how much I knew that wasn’t true. It didn’t matter, he made me feel it all. This wasourfirst kiss.
And I?—
I’d already done this with someone else.
Not just kissed. Not just touched.
I’d gone further.
Much further.
WithMathieu.
“Jake—wait,” I breathed, heart slamming against my ribs. “Stop.”
He froze, his forehead pressed to mine, his breath hot against my cheek.
“What is it?” he whispered, stilling his hands, but not pulling away. Not yet.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “I can’t. We have to stop.”
Confusion flared in his expression. Hurt started creeping in behind it.
“Too fast?” he asked, voice quiet. “Are you okay?”
I pushed gently against his chest, needing space to breathe. “Jake… We can’t—we…”
He pulled back just enough to look at me, lips parted, chest still heaving.
I couldn’t meet his eyes. Not yet.
“Frankie?”
“I’m dating someone,” I whispered. “Remember?”
Silence.
His hands dropped from me like I’d burned him. I looked up. I had to. The anger in his face made my stomach lurch.
“Frenchy.” His voice was cold now. Sharp. Not like Jake at all.
“Mathieu,” I said quietly more to remind myself than him. Mathieu didn’t deserve this. God, Jake didn’t either. What the hell had I done?
He nodded once. No emotion on his face. None I could name. Then: “Did you kiss him?”
I opened my mouth. Closed it.
He laughed. “Never mind. Stupid question. Of course you did. Probably a lot more than that, huh?”
The air turned brittle.
I said nothing.
His smile was tight, humorless. “Frankie. Did you sleep with him?”
My silence gave him the answer he didn’t want.
