Page 92 of One Pucking Surprise
She blinks, caught off guard, and then, to my surprise, she lets out a soft laugh. “Oh my God, baby, you are jealous.” Her tone shifts, tinged with amusement and disbelief as she steps closer, reaching for me.
I step back before she can touch me. “Me? Jealous? Of course not. Why would I be?” My voice hardens as I add, “I could get any woman I want.”
The words are barely out of my mouth before regret twists in my gut, but I’m too proud—and too rattled—to take them back.
Lainey freezes, her hand falling back to her side. Her expression shifts, a mix of hurt and anger flashing in her eyes. “Yeah?” she says, her tone sharp and cutting. “Well, maybe you should’ve done that instead of telling me to move in with you. I knew it was a bad idea.”
The words hit harder than I expect. “Moving in with me is a bad idea now?” I demand, my voice rising.
“Are you even listening to yourself? What are you doing, Zach?”
“So it’s true,” I snap, the frustration spilling over like a dam breaking. “You’re still in love with Drew.”
Her face falls, her eyes wide with shock, and then she lets out an incredulous laugh, one that’s more disbelief than amusement. “Oh my God, Zach. I’m not in love with Drew!”
“You just said you regret moving in with me,” I bite out. “Kind of sounds like it.”
“I meant you asked me to move in for all the wrong reasons!” she fires back, her voice sharp.
“I did?”
Lainey’s expression shifts to anger now. “You know, I didn’t attack you when Clarissa was all over you!”
“What does Clarissa have to do with this?” I growl, my patience fraying.
“Oh, so now you’re protective of her?” she shoots back.
“What? No! I don’t care about Clarissa,” I say, exasperated.
“Yeah, sure,” she mutters, rolling her eyes.
“Lainey, you know I don’t like Clarissa,” I say firmly, trying to pull us back from the edge.
She crosses her arms, her voice rising again. “So you don’t like it when I bring up Clarissa,but it’s okay for you to say something about Drew? I never even dated Drew!”
“But you were in love with him!” I counter. “At least I didn’t love Clarissa.”
Her laugh is bitter this time. “What are you talking about? I never loved Drew! Liking someone and loving someone are not the same, Zach.”
“Are you sure about that?” I fire back. “Because I saw the way you looked at him.”
“Looked at him?” she repeats, her tone incredulous. “That’s what this is about? You’re jealous because I looked at him? At least I wasn’t all over him like Clarissa was all over you!”
“That’s not fair,” I snap. “She touched me—it was unwanted.”
“And you enjoyed every minute of it,” she shoots back. “Just like how you enjoy every minute with every other woman!”
“What are you even talking about now?” I ask, my frustration mounting.
She takes a deep breath, her voice steady but sharp. “You want to get upset with me about Drew? Fine. We might as well get it all out while we’re at it. What about the brunette at the restaurant where you showed up on my date?”
“The brunette?” My brows furrow, and then it clicks. “That was Blair.” I laugh, the sound harsh.
“I know how Blair looks,” she adds, her tone sharp. “She’s a blonde.”
“Yeah, she’s a blonde now,” I reply. “But she was a brunette that night. Lainey, you were jealous then?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she says quickly, avoiding my gaze.
