“Why did you stop Stuart from dancing with me?”
“Because he has work to do.” He pulls me even closer, his hand on my lower back.
I raise my eyebrow sceptically at him.
“Fine,” he exhales loudly. “Watching him dancing with you was driving me crazy.”
“He’s gay!” I exclaim.
“I don’t care if he’s a fuckin’ monk. I hated seeing his hands all over you. If he wasn’t so good at his job, I’d fire his ass,” he mutters.
“You’d fire Stuart for dancing with me?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know you were so jealous.”
“Neither did I.”
I stare at him for a long moment. “For your information, I asked Stuart to dance with me, and he only agreed to, to help distract me from your sexploits with your groupie.”
“You told him about us?” He looks surprised.
I shake my head, no. “He guessed, he’s not stupid.”
“Shame your boyfriend is.”
I give him a sharp look. “Don’t,” I warn him. “I’m not fighting with you again about this.”
“Why not? I think we’re pretty good at it. Even better at the making up. You felt amazing before, Tru,” he whispers close. “You always feel amazing, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, making you feel as good as you do me.”
My skin hums.
He’s so close. I can feel his heat all over me.
“You’re mine, Tru.”
“I thought you were done with me?” I say, making sure my voice is steady, even though my insides are trembling. “And after watching you with her, I’m feeling pretty done myself.”
I don’t mean it, but I’m hurting badly.
He stares down at me for a long moment. I see such a multitude of emotions pass over his face it’s hard to pin down an exact one.
Jake opens his mouth to speak, when I hear Will’s voice come from behind him.
“Mind if I dance with my girl?”
I was so lost in Jake, I didn’t register Will’s approach.
I feel Jake’s body stiffen under my hands. He looks down at me, a myriad of emotions flicker through his eyes. Then he releases me and steps away.
“She’s all yours.”
There’s more meaning in those three words, than there has been in anything he’s said to me all night.
Panic rips through me. And all I can do is watch weakly, as Jake makes his way through the crowd, all eyes on him, as he heads straight to the bar.
Will pulls me into his arms.
I’m numb. Completely devoid.
“You looked amazing out here dancing with Stuart and Jake,” Will murmurs in my ear. “I was starting to get a little jealous.”
“It’s only Jake,” I downplay, even though inside I feel like I’m dying. “And you do realise Stuart’s gay, don’t you?”
“Ah right.” I see the realisation fire up in his eyes.
Will moves me around on the dance floor, and I catch sight of Jake. He’s doing tequila shots at the bar. He’s not looking anywhere in my direction. And he’s got company again.
Zzhuilette is back and hanging off him like a cheap suit.
Then I watch, with distasteful horror, as she dips her finger in Jake’s tequila glass, draws a wet line across her huge chest and pours the salt across it.
It’s like a car crash that I can’t take my eyes off, even though watching it is making me feel sick to the pit of my stomach.
And Jake, with Tom jeering him on, leans down and licks the salt off her chest, slowly. Then he grabs his shot and throws it back.
I feel a burning shot of jealously and rage so intense that I just want to go over there and kick her ass. And Jake’s too.
I turn away, burying my head into Will’s neck, forcing back tears.
He holds me tighter. “I’ve missed you so much, darling,” he murmurs, running his fingers through my long hair and down my back.
I lift my head looking at him. “Me too.”
And I realise in this moment, I have missed him. So much. My lovely sweet Will.
He would never hurt me. He would never lick salt off the chests of long-legged redheads.
I’m safe with Will. I’ll always be safe with Will.
I just have to let Jake go, and stay with him. It’s the right thing to do.
Life will always be simple, easy with Will.
I reach up on my tiptoes and kiss him firmly on the lips. He wraps his arms around me, holding me tight to his body.
He tastes of beer, and his kiss feels exactly the same as always.
He’s nothing like Jake. Which is good – I think.
Will is sweet and lovely, but… no, something’s missing. And it’s been missing since Jake came back into my life, I now realise.
I wind my fingers around his neck, up into his hair, kissing him harder, pushing myself into him, into this kiss, trying to ignite the fire I feel in my belly whenever Jake kisses me. Whenever Jake looks at me.
But it doesn’t come.
Was it always missing? Or is it because of Jake. Am I done for life now? Will I never again feel with anyone, how I feel when I’m with him. When he’s touching me, kissing me, making love to me.
Am I ruined to him?