Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 156145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
In fact, Jeff looked better than ever.
Lucy, no doubt, looked like she’d just been up to illicit activities in the back room—because she had been.
She looked up at Roman and didn’t know what she was supposed to say or do. Jeff hadn’t seen her yet, but it was just a matter of time before he did. She wasn’t ready. She’d fought long and hard to get past the damage he’d done to her, but occupying the same space as him was enough to bring the truth flashing in front of her eyes.
She was still making her choices because of Jeff.
A hand pressed against the small of her back and Gideon’s crisp scent wrapped around her. He stepped into view, blocking Jeff from her sight—or her from Jeff’s. If Lucy felt off center, Gideon looked ready to shoot fire out of his eyes at Roman.
“Hey, man, like I just told Lucy—I didn’t know he’d be here or I’d have let you know. He just showed up.”
She pressed a hand to her chest. I can’t breathe. An invisible band closed around her, tightening with each exhalation until black dots danced across her vision. Two years later and he still had so much power over her. She hated it. She hated him.
“Holy shit. Look what the cat dragged in.” Jeff’s voice came from directly behind Gideon.
Roman and Gideon looked at her, identical expressions on their faces. Asking how she wanted to handle this. If Lucy so much as blinked, she had a feeling Gideon would sweep her out of there without hesitation—and Roman would block Jeff from following if he tried.
But that was what she was so very tired of—letting Jeff’s bullshit dictate how she handled any given situation.
Lucy lifted her chin, giving a slight nod. Gideon frowned, but he and Roman parted, taking up positions facing Jeff and only leaving a small sliver of a gap between them—standing sentry between her and her ex.
For all his pleased tone, Jeff’s blue eyes were cold. The redhead on his arm didn’t seem particularly happy, either, and Lucy spent a worthless few seconds wondering what he’d told her about this encounter. It didn’t matter. Jeff didn’t matter.
Or at least, he shouldn’t.
She put all of her not inconsiderable willpower into appearing surprised. “Jeff. I had no idea you came here anymore.”
“Not often.” The look he shot the men in front of her was downright lethal.
Apparently his friendship with them hadn’t lasted any longer than hers had. Lucy had known that about Gideon, but it comforted her to think of Jeff feeling just as abandoned as she had, even on that small scale.
He didn’t jump in to say anything else, so she went with the first thing that popped into her mind. “You look well.” Meaningless chitchat.
“I am well. Better than ever, really.” His gaze jumped between her and Roman and Gideon. “You three look cozy.” There was no mistaking the undertone of the statement. Which one are you fucking?
Looking too much into this. Get hold of yourself.
Gideon surprised her by taking a step back and pressing his hand to the small of her back. “We were just leaving.”
At that, Jeff’s mask slipped. His brows dropped, the first indication of what had always turned into a huge fight—one she had no chance of winning. Jeff seemed to take in her dress for the first time, his gaze leisurely raking over her body, pausing at her breasts and her bruised-feeling lips. “You and Gideon, huh? You took a pretty high-and-mighty stance with me when you broke off our engagement, and now you’re fucking my best friend. Classy, Lucy, really classy.”
No matter how much she told herself that his opinion didn’t matter, it still felt like he’d sucker punched her. “It’s not like that.”
“It’s exactly like that.” Gideon spoke over her. He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her against his side. “You fucked up and lost her. That’s not on anyone but you, so don’t start spouting that bullshit.” He looked down at her, his expression hard. “You ready to go?”
“Please.” She didn’t want to stand there any longer than strictly necessary. The fact she hadn’t sprinted for the exit was a win, as far as Lucy was concerned. Asking anything more of herself was out of the question.
Gideon nodded and glanced at Roman. “Next time.”
“For sure.”
He didn’t give her a chance to say anything further before he steered them out of the VIP section and through to the front door. But what else was there to say? Anything she could come up with on that short walk sounded defensive, as if they’d done something wrong.
Well, I am sleeping with him.
But not dating him. Even if I was—it’s been two years.
Two incredibly long and lonely years.
Lucy couldn’t stop her shoulders from sagging the second they turned the corner away from the club. “That was terrible.”