Chapter 22
Thalia
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“Will you stop,” Liam practically shouted beside me sounding frustrated.
“Stop what?”
“You know damn well what. For the past two weeks since Jack moved in with Donovan, we can’t go anywhere without you looking around for him. We’ve been out to dinner a few times and you looked for him. Whenever we’ve been shopping, you looked for him. Thalia, it has to stop. Jack is marrying Mia in about four week’s time. Hell!”
He stomped off into the coffee shop while I perched on the window ledge outside, not having a clue how to reply to his outburst. What he said was true though. I wished that I could deny what he’d said, but I couldn’t. I’d missed Jack these past couple of weeks, since our early morning together on the porch.
I knew he was staying away from me because of his engagement and because he thought I was Liam’s girl. Part of me wished that I’d corrected him, but that wouldn’t have solved the engagement issue. It made me so jealous, thinking about Jack with Mia and what they were getting up to.
Liam had kept me busy by showing me the tourist things and the different towns we’d driven through had been great and helped to pass the time. He’d been good company and had stopped being a jerk after the first couple of days, much to my relief.
“Here.” Liam thrust my vanilla latte at me, apparently still in a huff.
“Look, I’m sorry okay. I didn’t know what I was doing until you pointed it out. I’ll stop doing it, if you’ll stop sulking.” I looked at him and watched a smile appear.
“I’ve stopped sulking, but I don’t think it will be as easy for you to stop looking for my brother.”
I frowned. Realistically I didn’t either.
“Thalia, I’m only thinking about you. You know that right? Yeah, I got pissed because when you’re with me, a guy, you can’t stop looking for him.”
“Liam...”
“I know there’s nothing happening between us like that, but it’s still hard on the male ego you know.”
He was so serious that I burst out laughing and, thank God, so did Liam.
He walked over sitting down beside me, nudging me with his shoulder. “I know he moved out because of you.”
I quickly met his eyes.
“He didn’t say anything. In fact, it was in passing. He just said he needed space before he did something he shouldn’t and I got the feeling he was referring to you.”
“I can’t explain my attraction to him. It’s more than lust.” I let out a sigh.
He choked. “I’d rather not know any details.”
“I feel drawn to him – a connection. Oh God, I sound like an idiot, right?”
“No. No you don’t. Just be careful, okay,” he answered.
“I will. Thank you for caring.”
“Come on, let’s walk to the lake, it’s not far from here.”
Liam took hold of my hand and pulled me up from the ledge. We quickly crossed the road and were walking down the sidewalk when Mia came barreling out from a boutique with another girl.
“Liam and, oh you,” Mia said as though I was an insect on the floor.
“Yes me,” I replied and felt Liam tighten his hold on my hand.
Obviously remembering her manners, she turned to her friend. “Rebecca, this is Liam’s little friend, Thalia. Thalia, this is my best friend, Rebecca.”
I wanted to scream. The bitch had the guy that I couldn’t get out of my head and she was also one of the rudest people I’d ever met.
“Thalia, that’s me. If you’ll excuse us, we were just about to go and find a secluded spot in the forest to make out.”
With that comment, I dragged Liam in the direction we were already heading, leaving Mia and Rebecca on the sidewalk in shock. I grinned, because that had felt damn good.
Liam had a frown on his face when I glanced at him. “That was a good one. I can’t remember the last time someone spoke to Mia like that,” he said, grinning.
“It felt good. You’re going to have to carry on leading the way though, because I have no clue where we’re going.”
“Head through the gap in the trees up ahead.”
Once we started walking through the forest I let go of the death grip I had on Liam. “Sorry.”
“I’m fine, but you do realize that she’s going to go and tell Jack what you said about making out in here.”
Crap. I hadn’t given much thought to anything getting back to Jack. I chewed my lip wondering how he would react if he thought I’d been making out with his brother. I mean my thoughts had been running rampant these past couple of weeks imagining him with ‘her’. Perhaps he’d crack and come see me. I could dream.
Chapter 23
Jack
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