front
of Jake’s t-shirt in clenched fists. Jake was capable, more than, but he wasn’t
going to fight back, regardless of what Nash would do and he was letting him
know that more than words ever could. And all of a sudden Nash was disgusted
with himself. They’d fought side by side, had each other’s backs, trusted each
other implicitly. He was the one person Nash hadn’t ever been able to
successfully push away, regardless of how hard he tried.
“Sorry, man,” Nash mumbled.
Jake whistled when Nash let him go and stepped back. “You
kissed her. On the mouth and in a public place.”
“So?” Jesus, Jake couldn’t talk. He’d made a spectacle of
his own the first day they’d arrived. “Just fucking drop it. Any talk about
her, any comments at all about her are off-limits. Got it?”
Jake just held up his hands with a slow smile before he bent
and picked up the duffel he’d dropped.
Nash clenched his jaw. Why the hell was he so angry anyway? What
was this seething, churning burn he had? It was a building pressure he had no
clue how to release, but deep down he knew. Lexi hadn’t been just another woman
he’d hooked up with, some chick he’d picked up and fucked. In every way that
counted she was different. God, she made him laugh for fuck’s sake and he’d had
precious little to laugh about. He’d had great sex before, but nothing in the
ballpark of what he’d experienced with Lexi. Man, the way she gave herself to
him, so open and trusting…yeah, no one had ever done that for him before. She’d
zeroed right in on what he liked and gave to him generously, as if it meant
something to her too. The thought of her being with some other guy like that was
like acid in his insides.
He pushed the thought aside. Didn’t matter. None of that
mattered. Wasn’t his fucking business. He wasn’t entitled to any of those
feelings and he shouldn’t feel guilty about anything. He had no reason to. He
hadn’t misled her, he’d been completely honest. Despite what she’d said and how
she’d acted, he knew. He’d hurt her. He would have done anything not to have
hurt her, but he had, and that rubbed at him until he was raw like nothing ever
had before.
*****
Lexi groaned when she got back to her complex and saw the
Barbie twins. God, did they ever go anywhere alone? She hadn’t seen them since
that time by the pool with Nash and so far she’d been successful in avoiding
them since. She glanced around. This time there was nowhere to run.
“Hello, Lexi.”
“Lexi! Hi!”
She thought about ignoring them, she did, but while she
might be a bitch and cutting and sarcastic when it suited her, it went against
everything in her to be outright rude.
“Hi, ah…hi.”
God, how did they know her name and she didn’t have a clue
about theirs?
“Where’s that sexy guy of yours?”
Right. Of course. They were interested in Nash. Great.
“Away,” she bit out. Yeah, like she was going to tell them
he’d just left and she was never going to see him ever again, that he wasn’t hers ,
never had been and never would be.
“That’s too bad. He’s so hot. Where’d you get him?”
“Picked him up in a bar.”
Lexi hadn’t meant to just blurt it out, but they were
looking at her as if she must have been paying him or something and she let it
get the best of her.
There was a moment of silence until they both laughed. “That’s
funny. You almost had me.”
Yeah, she was the life of the flippin’ party.
“You’re so lucky.” It was grudgingly offered by the slightly
taller one.
“Yeah? How so?” Lexi was pretty sure what she was feeling at
the moment was anything but “lucky”. Pain, loss, grief? Maybe. Lucky? That
would be a big fat no .
“We saw him, you know, the day after the pool. He’d come
back from a run, all sweaty and sexy. We tried our best, but he turned us down.
Flat. He didn’t even want to stay and flirt or check us out or anything. I’m
guessing he was in a hurry to get
of Jake’s t-shirt in clenched fists. Jake was capable, more than, but he wasn’t
going to fight back, regardless of what Nash would do and he was letting him
know that more than words ever could. And all of a sudden Nash was disgusted
with himself. They’d fought side by side, had each other’s backs, trusted each
other implicitly. He was the one person Nash hadn’t ever been able to
successfully push away, regardless of how hard he tried.
“Sorry, man,” Nash mumbled.
Jake whistled when Nash let him go and stepped back. “You
kissed her. On the mouth and in a public place.”
“So?” Jesus, Jake couldn’t talk. He’d made a spectacle of
his own the first day they’d arrived. “Just fucking drop it. Any talk about
her, any comments at all about her are off-limits. Got it?”
Jake just held up his hands with a slow smile before he bent
and picked up the duffel he’d dropped.
Nash clenched his jaw. Why the hell was he so angry anyway? What
was this seething, churning burn he had? It was a building pressure he had no
clue how to release, but deep down he knew. Lexi hadn’t been just another woman
he’d hooked up with, some chick he’d picked up and fucked. In every way that
counted she was different. God, she made him laugh for fuck’s sake and he’d had
precious little to laugh about. He’d had great sex before, but nothing in the
ballpark of what he’d experienced with Lexi. Man, the way she gave herself to
him, so open and trusting…yeah, no one had ever done that for him before. She’d
zeroed right in on what he liked and gave to him generously, as if it meant
something to her too. The thought of her being with some other guy like that was
like acid in his insides.
He pushed the thought aside. Didn’t matter. None of that
mattered. Wasn’t his fucking business. He wasn’t entitled to any of those
feelings and he shouldn’t feel guilty about anything. He had no reason to. He
hadn’t misled her, he’d been completely honest. Despite what she’d said and how
she’d acted, he knew. He’d hurt her. He would have done anything not to have
hurt her, but he had, and that rubbed at him until he was raw like nothing ever
had before.
*****
Lexi groaned when she got back to her complex and saw the
Barbie twins. God, did they ever go anywhere alone? She hadn’t seen them since
that time by the pool with Nash and so far she’d been successful in avoiding
them since. She glanced around. This time there was nowhere to run.
“Hello, Lexi.”
“Lexi! Hi!”
She thought about ignoring them, she did, but while she
might be a bitch and cutting and sarcastic when it suited her, it went against
everything in her to be outright rude.
“Hi, ah…hi.”
God, how did they know her name and she didn’t have a clue
about theirs?
“Where’s that sexy guy of yours?”
Right. Of course. They were interested in Nash. Great.
“Away,” she bit out. Yeah, like she was going to tell them
he’d just left and she was never going to see him ever again, that he wasn’t hers ,
never had been and never would be.
“That’s too bad. He’s so hot. Where’d you get him?”
“Picked him up in a bar.”
Lexi hadn’t meant to just blurt it out, but they were
looking at her as if she must have been paying him or something and she let it
get the best of her.
There was a moment of silence until they both laughed. “That’s
funny. You almost had me.”
Yeah, she was the life of the flippin’ party.
“You’re so lucky.” It was grudgingly offered by the slightly
taller one.
“Yeah? How so?” Lexi was pretty sure what she was feeling at
the moment was anything but “lucky”. Pain, loss, grief? Maybe. Lucky? That
would be a big fat no .
“We saw him, you know, the day after the pool. He’d come
back from a run, all sweaty and sexy. We tried our best, but he turned us down.
Flat. He didn’t even want to stay and flirt or check us out or anything. I’m
guessing he was in a hurry to get
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