“Were you going away with Harris?” Kaleb’s face has dropped, and it's obvious he truly wasn't watching us before. If he would've seen all the luggage and us walking out together, our conversation would've been so much worse.
“My friend Mallory and I were going to meet him in Alabama, but he offered to drive us instead. It's just a weekend away that I desperately need. Nothing more, Kaleb.”
“I bet he did.”
“Stop. I'm not dealing with that either. I've told you we are nothing more than friends, I need you to own that.”
“I've seen you with him, Jade. It's hard for me to not want to kill him.” Yeah, well, it’s hard for me to not want to kill you right now. I don’t say that. But I sure as hell feel it. What I do say is what he needs to hear.
“He also went to battle with you and had your back the whole damn time. This will be a deal breaker with me. You two have to get along.”
“Fucking hell, Jade. He would fuck you right now if you offered.”
“He's a guy, of course he would. I'm not talking about this again, so you need to deal with it. I've told you we are nothing more than friends and that's the truth.” I watch him watch Harris. He's glaring at him, and right now, I wish I could go back in time and not meet Kaleb the same way. Being wrapped around Harris probably wasn't the best first impression I could give, but it is what it is. That's how it happened, and it's what probably sparked Kaleb to go after me like he did in the first place.
“I'll deal with it.” The muscle in his jaw moves as he tightens it.
“Yes, you will. Right now.” I wanted to make amends with things in my past, but I need to do it with my present as well. These two guys need to know where I stand, and I can't think of a better time than right now. “Follow me.”
I walk away, leaving him no chance to react, then walk up to Harris and tell him we all need to sort this shit out. “Let's talk inside.” Mallory looks entirely confused, however, she follows us in instead of pumping me full of questions outside. I know she’s biting her damn tongue.
Once we get inside, I let it all out. “Harris, I'm seeing Maverick. Kaleb, I'm not seeing Harris. You two have to stop with the alpha bullshit and let me breathe before I kill you both. Harris, you know I love you, but it was never more than friends even though we almost crossed that line. It would've never been more than a fuck. I want to see what Kaleb and I have beyond the insanely great sex. I deserve this. I want to see where it goes, but I need you two to stop. This isn’t helping any of us. In fact, it’s driving me crazy. It ends now.” Kaleb’s fucking smirk spreads across his lips, while Harris looks as confused as ever.
“Who the fuck is Maverick?” Mallory’s voice pulls me into a smile. How comical this shit must look to her. I’ve never been in a relationship before, and now there are two men in our apartment. This whole scenario is new to her, so I can only imagine what she's thinking.
I point to Kaleb. “He's Maverick.”
“You people and your using last names crap. How can I keep up? Nice to meet you, Maverick, Kaleb… Whatever your name is.” She moves forward to shake his hand. “I'm Mallory, her best friend, who knows absolutely nothing about you or the shit she just spewed, but you better know I will be drilling her very soon.”
“Drill away.” He doesn’t even bother to hide his arrogance. The damn bastard is so confident. The way he stands there with his arms crossed around his massive chest and those tattoos daring me to come and lick them. Ugh.
“And you almost fucked this one? Damn it, Jade. Crush a girl’s heart, why don't you?” Harris looks at Mallory but still hasn't moved from his spot. He's processing all of this, and I can see his wheels turning. He's about to let loose what he's thinking.