Page 30 of Fighting Temptation (Men of Honor 1)
“Alright, suit yourself,” he shrugs, seeming annoyed I turned down his offer.
Feeling uncomfortable I change the subject, “How’s work been going for you?”
“Great!” he says smiling easily again, “I just landed a big client from Charleston. There were three of us fighting for this company and I received the call yesterday that I got it. I’m getting quite the reputation already,” he says proudly. Wyatt has just started up his own private practice, specializing in Corporate Law.
“That’s really great Wyatt. Congratulations.” I’m about to ask another question but the words get stuck in my throat when my gaze lands on the 3 people walking in: Jaxson, Cooper and Kayla.
What the hell?
Wyatt notices my shock and turns around, “You’re fucking kidding me.”
Kayla looks at me apologetically as they take a seat at the bar. Jaxson sits with his back to it and I can feel him staring at me. When our eyes meet my heart starts to pound from the intensity of his gaze. I hate that after all this time he can still make me feel this way.
“You told him we were coming here!” Wyatt asks accusingly, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“No, I didn’t.”
Jaxson takes his eyes off me when Wyatt turns around. They glare at each other and you can feel the hatred roll off them in waves. It causes my stomach to fill with dread.
“Maybe we should just go,” I say apprehensively.
“Fuck that, we aren’t going anywhere. If that asshole wants to watch then let him, he’s going to have to get used to it anyways.”
His last remark adds to my anxiety. I have to be up front with Wyatt tonight. I feel awful, but I don’t want to lead him on. He already thinks this is more serious than it is.
Kayla gets up from her chair and nods her head for me to follow. “I’ll be right back, I’m just going to head to the ladies room.”
Wyatt nods distractedly while texting someone furiously on his phone. I get up and trail behind Kayla. As soon as we enter the bathroom she turns to me quickly and starts apologizing, “I’m so sorry Julia.”
“What the hell is going on Kayla?” I know something has to be wrong because not much can make Kayla squeal, she’s a tough one to crack.
“Listen Jules, Jaxson went ape shit, like I mean crazy! He and Coop got into a fist fight over this.” My stomach sinks, hating that he and Cooper got into a fight because of me. “He was demanding to know where you guys went. Of course I gave him a piece of my mind and told him to go to hell. But… both he and Coop say you’re in danger Julia. I know they’ve said it before but, this time was different,” Kayla pauses for a moment looking worried. Then she shocks me when she says: “Jules they told me that Wyatt physically abuses the girls he’s with.”
“What!?” I look at Kayla like she’s crazy.
“I know, I told them that he has never laid a hand on you, but they’re both swearing it’s only a matter of time. Please don’t be mad at me, I didn’t know what to do. I was worried about you.”
“I’m not mad at you. I just don’t know what to think. Wyatt has never even attempted such a thing. It has to be a misunderstanding,” I say, desperately wanting to believe that. He’s always been so calm with me, although I have seen some stuff tonight that surprises me. But still, can I really see Wyatt physically hurting a woman?
“I don’t know Jules, if this was just Jaxson then maybe. But we both know Cooper, most of the time, is pretty reasonable. I don’t know why they never told us before. Even now it seems like they’re holding something back.”
“Well you guys don’t need to worry about me because this is going to be the last date for us. I really tried to have feelings for him Kayla but they just aren’t there,” I say feeling guilty.
“Don’t feel bad Julia, you can’t change what you feel for someone.”
Isn’t that the truth.
“Anyways Cooper and I are here to make sure Jaxson doesn’t cause trouble. He promised he wouldn’t.”
“Ya right, him just being here causes trouble,” I sigh tiredly, “I’m going to get Wyatt to take me home after our drink, which will hopefully be soon. Please try to contain Jaxson, I don’t need anymore drama tonight.”
“I will. I’m really sorry again Julia.”
I hug her tight, “Don’t be sorry, I understand. I would have done the same thing,” I give her an easy smile showing her I mean it.
“Ok, let’s get back out there, before all hell breaks loose,” Kayla says opening the door.
I feel Jaxson’s gaze on me the moment I follow Kayla out the door but I ignore it and don’t look over in his direction. Wyatt watches Kayla return to her seat. “Everything alright?” he asks with annoyance.
I try to think of something fast to say. I don’t want to tell him the real reason why Kayla told Jaxson where we were.
I nod and try to paste a reassuring smile on my face. “Yes everything is fine. Unfortunately Kayla just got bullied into telling them where we went.” Which isn’t a lie… it’s just not the whole truth.
Wyatt grunts angrily, “It’s none of their fucking business.”
I stiffen from his comment, he reaches over and grabs my hand, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Can we just ignore him? I don’t want this to ruin our night.” He’s stroking my hand with his thumb and I can feel Jaxson’s gaze burning a hole in my back.
I give Wyatt an easy smile and remove my hand from his making it look like I need it to grab my beer. “Yes, of course.”
I take big gulps of my beer, wanting desperately to finish it and get the hell out of here. When I finish I put the glass on the table and feel a good buzz. I haven’t eaten much today and I still rarely drink. I look at Wyatt’s glass to see his still half full of whisky.
