Page 104 of Prey Tell
Fuck.
Well, here goes nothing…
“We’ve been, uh, casually dating.”
Jackson leans back and crosses his arms. “Ha ha. Very funny.”
I grimace, taking another sip of my beer. “It’s true, Jax.”
My voice is soft enough that Jackson rears his head back and glares at me. “Stay the fuck away from her,” he says, his voice like ice.
“Jax—”
He stands, pointing a finger into my chest. “No. I’m glad I told you about myself today, and thank you for the support, but don’t fucking joke around with me right now, Chase.”
I stand up, nostrils flaring. “Jackson, listen to me. It’s real. I care for her. It’s a very recent thing—”
“You’re not joking.” His face is white as he assesses me.
“No. I’m not joking. Please, hear me out—”
“No!” Jackson yells, and a few people look over at us. “I thought you maybe had a casual interest in her, which, by the way, I’d planned to extinguish as much as possible. But now you tell me that you’re dating?” His face pales as he slides out of the booth. “It was you, wasn’t it? The dress box and the black roses?” He’s panting now, looking like he’s either going to punch me or cry. “I’m only going to say this once and only once. You are not good enough for her. Stay the fuck away from her.”
Something in my chest cracks in half. I’m desperate to lay it all on the line. I can’t lose him. Not now, not after he looked so fucking happy a moment ago.
“I’m sorry. Please listen to me,” I beg, holding my hands out. “She’s more than a casual fling. I’ve cared about her for a long time, and I compare every woman to her. She’s… different. She makes me feel something—fuck, I might even love h—”
Jackson steps forward and shoves me back. “No, you listen tome,” he seethes, eyes glassy with rage and betrayal. “I know what you’re like. A different woman every weekend, willing to suck your cock and then disappear forever. You think I don’t see the headlines? I’ve been living with you for two years,” he growls, breathing heavily. “And I’ve known you for twenty years. I know how you are. People don’t change overnight. Jules isn’t like that. She might seem tough, but deep down, she’s like me. Someone who desperately wants to be loved. And you? You’re…” he trails off, glaring at me. “You’re so fucking wrong for her. Just stay away from her.” He grabs his phone and pockets it. “Great talk, by the way,” he adds caustically, placing a twenty-dollar bill on the table before twisting around and walking out.
Guilt racks me then, and I have to sit down to steady myself. I put my face in my hands as I think about everything he told me and how I completely fucked it all up. He was opening up to me, and I ruined it.
I have to talk to Juliet.
Standing up, I glance down at the folder sitting on the table. Sighing, I pick it up and hope that I can tell him about Saint Helena soon.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
THE BREAK
Juliet
I’m pulling my hair into a messy bun when Dylan knocks on the open door of my office.
“Hi!” I chirp, unsure if I should stand and hug him or if I should stay seated. I decide to stand and hug him, and luckily, he hugs me back.
“Hey, Jules.” When I pull away, he gives me a lazy smile. “Sorry to show up unannounced. I wasn’t sure if you saw the editor’s decision earlier this week or…” he trails off, referencing the paper we submitted together a couple of months ago.
I sigh. “Yes. I saw it. I’m sorry, it’s been a crazy week, and I meant to reach out.”
He shrugs and sets his bag down in my chair. “It’s no problem. Are you free to talk about it now?”
“Yeah! Let me save this,” I mumble, closing down the rough draft of my dissertation that I have pulled up.
“How’s it going?” he asks, dropping into the other chair across from me.
“Oh, you know. Working on a Saturday. And probably tomorrow. Hell, I’ll be pulling seven-day weeks for the foreseeable future.”
He laughs. “Tell me about it.”
