Page 151 of Till The Sun Dies (Checkmate 2)

32

Laine

Let’s Go Out

The next evening, after another relaxing day sitting on the beach and pretending I’m totally cool and unaffected each time Ang’s eyes would come up and meet mine – which was often – I apply a final coat of mascara in my bathroom mirror and grin when Jessie walks in and slaps my ass.

“You look beautiful, Baby.”

“Thanks.” I study her reflection and take in the tiny denim shorts showing off her thighs and the cute top that, when she turns, shows off the entirety of her back from the thin strap behind her neck to the waistband of her shorts. “I love your top.”

She flashes a grin and works her hair back into a half up-half down do. “You would. It’s yours.”

I laugh and keep working on my mascara. “It’s of the pre-psychological-abuse-Laine era. Very vintage.”

“I like your dress.” She slides her finger over the ball of my shoulder. “I know you picked this out just for him.”

I smile. “Swear to God, if he doesn’t notice it, I’m gonna strangle him with a towel. I bought this dress after years of paying attention to the things he’d say; favorite colors, favorite cut, favorite heels and hair. This outfit is ten years of market research curated just for him. If he doesn’t tell me I’m pretty, then I’ll stab him. I don’t want a blind man, anyway. He’ll be the boyfriend that needs me to find the remote even though it’s right under his nose.”

“Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

I lift a brow. “Exactly.”

Jess leans toward the mirror and flashes a smile to inspect her teeth. With a quick slide of her finger beneath her bottom lip, she turns. “Let’s go.”

Snagging my hand, she leads me away, making me drop my mascara brush to the counter. She pulls me into the fancy suite, snatching up a cell and tiny purse, before walking toward the door with a huff when my anxiety starts to catch up with me and I start digging my heels in.

“Nope. We’re going, Baby. We’ve been waiting for this.” She snatches my purse and frowns at the unexpected weight. Tossing it into my arms, she swings the door open and slingshots me into the hall. “We have to go out.” She doesn’t release my hand as she leads me to the elevator at the end of the hall and straight in.

I turn to her when she presses the lobby button. “Where are the guys?”

“They’re coming in a minute. I told Kane I wanted time with you first. I’ve been a shitty sister, so we needed time alone first.”

“I doubt he took that well.”

She snorts. “Kane rarely takes anything well.”

When the elevator stops at the bottom, she refuses to release my hand, dragging me toward the revolving front doors and into the street outside. The soft ocean breeze instantly blows our hair back, but since it’s summer and only eight in the evening, the sun is still up and annoyingly hot.

“He has attachment issues,” she continues with a smile. “But it’s not unwelcome or anything. I love it about him.” She turns to me and shows off a pearly white grin. “He always wants to snug, and he gives thebesthugs. He loves to show his affection, and when he presses a kiss to my forehead…”

I roll my eyes. “Can you stop?”

She snickers. “Sorry. I know there’s been chatter in the family about me and him. I dunno, especially after everything that happened with you, it’s important to me that you know I’m happy.”

“I know that.” I squeeze her hand. “Everyone knows that. We know happiness when we see it.”

“Are you happy for me?”

“Yes.” I pull her in until we’re hip to hip. The beach is just across the street. Twenty steps and our feet would be sinking into warm sand. “Yes, I’m stupidly happy for you. Your happiness has helped me the last little while, because instead of swearing men off completely, watching you and Kane has reminded me that good men exist and not all relationships are poisonous. I haven’t seen Graham in ages, and in the grand scheme, it’s probably not enough time, but–”I still kissed Angelo last night. I asked for it, then I made the move.I spent the night – in a bed right beside him – wondering if it’s too soon, if I should still hate men, if I’m going to have nightmares, but instead of Graham, Angelo would be the star…

“There are no rules,” Jess murmurs. “You don’t have to follow anyone’s timeline except your own.”

“I know.” Walking, I lay my head on her shoulder for a beat. “Without you and Kane, I might’ve locked myself away until I’d done more damage to my psyche than Graham ever did. I would’ve convinced myself all men were bad, so much so, I might’ve even projected some of that onto Luc and the guys. But instead of wallowing, I was forced into walking in on you and Kane thirty times a day.”

She laughs. “He’s insatiable. Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” I drop a kiss to the ball of her shoulder and let out a cleansing sigh. “At first, it was…” I search for the word. “Confronting, I guess. I didn’t know that scary dude, but he’s so truly sweet underneath all the ink. He’s a gentleman, and soft, and kind, and loving. The outside is just for show. It’s to keep the weak away, but once you’re in…”

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