Shit. I shot up from my chair and rushed after her, only to watch her put her foot down and shoot down the lane.
I was an idiot. Of all the reactions to my ‘can’t marry you’ statement, I hadn’t expected her to completely ignore what I’d said. Standing on Donovan’s drive I wasn’t sure who the biggest idiot was. Me for letting her go and not reacting sooner, or Mia for not listening to any damn thing I said.
Donovan walked up to me and slung his arm around my neck. “You, my friend, are a fuckup. What was so wrong with saying ‘Mia the wedding is off, get over it’? How the fuck could you stay sitting there and let her go. What’s wrong with you?” Letting me go he stomped inside.
The fact was I’d planted the seed in Mia’s head, so hopefully, I prayed, she’d start to think about what I said, otherwise I was going to have to go through with this whole charade thing. I couldn’t see any other way out of it without Mia’s cooperation. At least if she cooperated things might settle back down pretty quick, but something that still bothered me was why did she want to marry me, when there was no love lost between us?
I needed to head home, because I was running out of clothes and I missed my horse. Kayne, one of the trainers, had been looking after Trigger for me. I also hoped to see Thalia and see her smile.
“Either go and fuck her or stop grinning like an idiot.”
Reece had appeared from where, I’d no idea, but he was standing about ten feet away waiting for my comeback. He was going to be disappointed.
“Tell Donovan I’m heading home for a bit.”
Climbing into my car, I knew I was making a mistake going back, but I’d stayed away too long and soon my so called fiancée would hopefully come to her senses and realize there was more to life.
Chapter 24
Thalia
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It was five-thirty in the morning and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I needed the bathroom for one, but didn’t want to wake Jack up. Jack. He’d come home last night while I was sitting on the porch with Liam. If it hadn’t been for Liam, I would have gone running to him. He’d climbed out of his car and walked towards me with a grin to match mine until Liam had made him aware that he was sitting with me, witnessing how happy we both were to see each other again.
I couldn’t get enough of him and my eyes ate him alive. He’d seemed to pull himself together and then walked straight past us both and into the house. I hadn’t seen him since and wasn’t sure what to make of his behavior.
The wedding was still on as far as I knew, and I was sure the whole town would know if it had been cancelled.
Every time I thought about Jack, my heart would pound and my stomach would flutter with butterflies.
My bladder desperately needed to be relieved so I threw back the covers and slowly made my way to the bathroom, hoping Jack was still asleep. He gave me enough heated looks when I was fully clothed. I had on my favorite baggy sleep shorts with teddy bears printed all over them; they hung from my hips and a tank top in pink. So basically my outfit didn’t leave anything to the imagination.
I slowly pushed the door open and sighed in relief when I didn’t see Jack, although I did feel a slight disappointment, which was stupid. Annoyed with myself, I quickly, walked across the bathroom and slid the lock into place on Jack’s door – I sure as hell didn’t want him to catch me having a pee.
With my bladder finally relieved, I washed-up then opened the lock on his door. Before I could move his door flew open and there he stood, in his practically naked, tattoo, pierced glory. Oh my God. I couldn’t take my eyes from the tattoo on his chest or the ones on his arms, but my eyes kept straying back to his chest, and his pierced nipple.
There wasn’t an inch of fat on him. His shorts hung low on his hips and I mean really, really low. He was bare, and his erection, which was straining for freedom, tented his shorts. I gulped and moved my eyes back up his body, hovering around his pierced nipple, which I wouldn’t mind playing with, and finally met his eyes.
His eyes were like molten liquid. He looked ready to eat me alive. His breathing was about as choppy as mine with his hands flexing at his sides.
I licked my lips.
“Thalia,” he whispered, “you’re driving me crazy.”
My nipples pushed against my top while my stomach fluttered with need. He inhaled when he noticed – his hands shaking. His eyes finally moved from my erect nipples down to my stomach. He froze and dropped to his knees in front of me putting his hands on my hips.
“You have a tattoo?” he asked me this question, already knowing the answer. I had a circular tattoo around my belly button of strawberries, my favorite fruit. Silly, but I loved it and from the sound of awe in Jack’s voice, so did he.
He leaned forward and placed a kiss to one of the strawberries. Without thinking I reached out with my hands and ran them through his hair – he shuddered and tightened his hold on me.