Chapter 25
“Was Dad upset I canceled tonight?” I asked, flipping over the top of the pizza box. “I’m just really tired and wanted to stay in.”
Abby shook her head and placed a slice on her plate. “No, he wasn’t upset. He knows you’ve been busy with work.” She took a bite of her pizza, then another. “This was the perfect idea for dinner.”
“You’d eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you could,” I teased, swallowing a bite of the cheesy goodness.
She’d picked up a large pie with pepperoni and sausage from our favorite pizza joint, Angelo’s.
I hadn’t realized how hungry I truly was until she placed the box on my countertop, my stomach rumbling after greedily inhaling the aroma.
“I would. I really would.”
“And you could afford to do it too.”
I was a little jealous that my younger sister could eat whatever she wanted and never seem to gain an ounce of fat. I was slightly curvier than her and had to be more mindful of my food choices. Pizza was one of my favorite meals, and I did allow myself the indulgence several times a month.
“What are you talking about? You look great.”
“That’s because I watch what I eat and exercise regularly.”
“Exercise? What’s that?” She laughed when I threw a small piece of pizza crust at her.
“Exactly my point.”
She tucked her right leg beneath her and leaned back on the couch.
“I’m sure there will come a time when I’m going to have to watch what I eat, so for now, I’m living it up.
” She popped the last piece of her slice in her mouth and reached for another, wiggling her brows at me as she did so.
“So, what’s been going on? Anything new? It’s been forever since we talked.”
“It’s been a week.”
“Like I said, it’s been forever.”
When I was with Mitch, I’d slowly lessened the times I talked to my family or even visited them.
I hadn’t realized it then, but he’d been slowly alienating me from everyone else in my life.
Whenever I’d mentioned I’d spoken to someone, he’d glare at me but wouldn’t say much about it.
Then he’d ignore me for the rest of the day.
In hindsight, he was conditioning me with the silent treatment.
Over time, I’d lost touch with my small group of friends and only had one call a week with my dad and sister.
And every time, he was in the room with me while we talked.
“I know. I meant to call you a few times, but with this new position, I’ve been working early hours, and by the time you get off work, I’m tired and already winding down for the night.”
What I didn’t tell her was that I often stayed up late, lying in bed, thinking about Jackson. He consumed most of my thoughts as of late, and I’d tried everything to get him out of my head. But that was hard to do when I had to see him every day. Talk to him. Touch him.
“Speaking of positions, have you gotten into any good ones with your hot boss?”
“Noooo,” I answered, drawing out my response in faux annoyance.
“But you want to, don’t you?” Abby playfully slapped my leg. “How could you not? That man is unbelievable. Hell, if you don’t want him, give him my number.”
“I don’t think so.” A wave of jealousy rushed through me at the thought that Jackson would be interested in my sister. “Besides, he’s not your type.”
“Gorgeous and sexy isn’t my type? Then please tell me what is.” The slight smirk on her face goaded me, but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.
“Can we not talk about my boss, please?”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes as she shifted in her seat. “What do you want to talk about?”
I didn’t want to discuss my ex, but I desperately needed someone to talk to about what happened last week.
“I ran into Bruno last week, here at the gym.”
“Bruno?”
“Mitch’s buddy.”
“Oh, shit.”
“I know. I asked him to please not tell Mitch he saw me, but he said he couldn’t do that. He then went on to tell me that it wasn’t fair of me to leave Mitch just because he works long hours.”
“That bastard. How about you left him because of years of abuse and because he was the one who caused your miscarriage?” Abby’s face flushed in her anger, and I appreciated the unwavering support for my situation. “He’s a piece of shit. I don’t know why you stayed married to him so long.”
“Me either.”
“At least you’re free of him now.”
I tilted my head from side to side, the left side of my mouth scrunching in a nonverbal disagreement.
“Free of him? Not really. Not yet anyway. Bruno told him he’d seen me, and later that day Mitch showed up outside the gym. Jackson and I had just come back from a run when I saw him. And when Jackson saw how upset I was, he confronted Mitch. He even threatened him.”
“He did?” Abby’s mouth curved into a huge grin. “What did he say?”
I ignored her glee. “He said that if he ever showed up here again, he’d regret it. And Mitch knows that Jackson is an MMA fighter.” I blew out a frustrated breath. “I hope that knowledge is enough for him to finally back off and leave me alone.”
“Has he come back since or called you?” she asked.
“No.”
“Then maybe Jackson scared him off.”
“Maybe.” My shoulders quickly rose, then fell.
“I hope so.” Abby draped her arm over the back of the sofa and stared at me, her smile increasing.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, regretting my question because I had an inkling the next words out of her mouth were going to be about my boss.
“Jackson saved you. I think he likes you.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied. She told the truth. Not only did Jackson come to my defense when Mitch showed up, but he did like me, as I did him. Or, at the very least, he desired me. We just hadn’t crossed that line, but not for lack of temptation.
“I do. The way he stared at you when I stopped by that one time… it was undeniable. I don’t know what your issue is. There’s obviously chemistry between you. Just act on it.”
“It’s not that easy,” I replied, realizing my mistake as soon as I uttered the words.
“Ah-ha!” she exclaimed, pointing at me as if she’d uncovered a thousand-year-old mystery. “I knew it! You want him.”
I wanted to gush that I really liked him and that all I could think about was what it would be like to kiss him, but I chose my words carefully. I could become lost in the image of Jackson all over again.
As if you ever stopped fantasizing about the man.
“Okay, yes, I’m attracted to him, but he’s my boss. We can’t cross that line.”
“But you want to.” Her words formed a statement and not a question.
“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. In fact, we came close a couple times.” I lowered my voice toward the end, but she heard me clearly enough.
“What do you mean you came close a couple times?” She tossed her plate aside and turned to focus solely on me. “I need details.”
My audible sigh didn’t get her to back off; instead, she moved closer.
But I was secretly happy about this turn of events, needing someone to talk to about what had been occurring between me and Jackson.
Perhaps if I said these things out loud, they’d make more sense to me. I could dream, couldn’t I?
“The first time was when I went over to his place, which is right next door, and I’d been rubbing oil on his shoulder because it was bothering him.
Long story short, he dislocated it a while back, and every now and again, it’s sensitive.
Anyway, I wanted to ask him a question, one I quickly forgot when he flippantly said that I could do whatever I wanted.
I teased him and told him not to say that.
At that point we were just playfully bantering.
But then he put his hand on my waist and stood up, saying that he was serious and that I could do whatever I wanted right then, and he wouldn’t object.
But that I had to be the one to make the move because he wanted me to be in charge. I’m paraphrasing.”
I stopped talking in case she wanted to interject, but all she did was fan herself.
When she still didn’t comment, I continued.
“And the second time was right after Mitch showed up. Jackson walked me up here and even came inside to make sure I was okay. At one point I broke down in tears and he comforted me, telling me that he wouldn’t let Mitch hurt me.
I felt safe with him, which was probably why I tried to kiss him.
But he didn’t make a move. Instead, he told me he wasn’t going to take advantage of me, you know, because of what had happened with Mitch.
And that if something did happen between us, he’d be unbearable because he’d be jealous.
Honestly, only some of what he said registered.
I was too busy praying he’d take me up on my offer.
But in the end, he just left. This happened last week, and since then, we’ve just been cordial toward the other.
He trains, I do my job where he’s concerned, and that’s it. ”
It was an enormous relief to get all that off my chest. I’d been dissecting every interaction between us, and it was nice to give life to those rampant and sometimes uncertain thoughts.
“Wow” was Abby’s initial response, which wasn’t helpful.
“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?”
“I’m still processing. Wow,” she repeated. “Give me a second.”
I nodded, giving her time to gather her thoughts because I needed to continue this conversation. She was the only person I had to talk to about this stuff.
“Okay,” she finally said, drawing in a deep breath. “The good thing is that he let you set the pace the first time. He didn’t push for you to do anything. That’s a point in my book.”
“A point? You’re keeping score now?”
“Looks like it.” She laughed. “As far as the second time, he didn’t want to take advantage of you, knowing how vulnerable you were. That really speaks to his character. I like him even more now.”
“So, is that two points?” I asked, my smile mirroring hers.
“He’s up to three.”
“Where did the third point come from?” I asked.
“It came from him being unbelievably hot.”
“That tracks,” I replied, sharing in her laughter. I started to say something else, but there was a knock on my door.
“Is that him?” Her eyes widened as she gently bounced on the couch in excitement, readjusting her dark strands into a messy bun. “I wouldn’t mind getting another look at him, this time up close and personal.”
“All right. Calm down. I don’t know who is out there.”
The only people who knew where I lived were Jackson, his team, and my family. Mitch flashed through my mind, but while he knew where I worked now, there was no way he’d know about this apartment. None of the utilities here were in my name because everything was included, a perk of my job.
As I moved closer to the door, my instinct told me Jackson was on the landing, and I was proved right as soon as I peered through the peephole.
“Hi,” I greeted, opening the door.
“Hey, you got a second?” He stepped into my apartment before I answered. Then he saw Abby. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you had company. I can come back later.”
“That’s okay. We don’t mind,” Abby said as she stood.
“That’s my sister, Abby.” I pointed in her direction, as if there was anyone else here.
“Hey,” Jackson said, jerking his chin in her direction.
“Hey yourself.” My sister was suddenly next to me. “You’re even hotter up close,” she blurted.
“Abby,” I scolded, shoving at her arm.
“What? He is. He knows he is.”
“Oh my God. Stop.” I glanced back at Jackson. “Sorry. She has no filter.”
“That’s okay. I’ve been called a lot of things. ‘Hot’ is preferable.” The corners of his mouth lifted, and I almost melted right there on the spot.
It wasn’t often he smiled or casually conversed. He was either ornery or all business, especially this past week. It was nice to see this side of him, one I’d glimpsed only a few times before.
Abby stepped in front of me, her focus entirely on the man standing before us. I had no idea what else was going to come flying out of her mouth that would mortify me. When I tugged on her arm to silently warn her, she shifted away from me.
“Thank you for protecting my sister from her ex.” She briefly touched Jackson’s forearm. “I can’t stand that guy, and I don’t trust him. But I feel better that she has you around.”
“Of course. Sophie is part of my team now, and I protect those around me.” His gaze veered toward mine, the softness behind his eyes making my belly flip.
Don’t get lost in your fantasies again.
Abby grabbed her phone from the coffee table and sat back on the couch. “You guys can talk about whatever you need to. I’ll entertain myself.” She winked at me, but I didn’t believe Jackson saw it.
Before I could ask him what he came over for, he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the kitchen. Because the apartment was so small, we weren’t that far away from my sister, but we did have a bit more privacy.
When I gently tugged my hand from his, disappointment flashed across his face, but it was so quick, I thought perhaps I’d mistaken the expression.
“My shoulder is bothering me again. I want to spend extra time on it tomorrow.”
“Sure. Did you want me to work on it now?”
“No. Visit with your sister. I can wait.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” he answered, moving toward the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Nice to finally meet you, Jackson,” my sister said in a singsong voice.
He smiled once more and nodded in her direction before looking at me. I couldn’t help but think he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t.
After I closed the door and rejoined my sister on the couch, she smacked my leg. “If you don’t take that man for a test drive, I’m going to think there is something wrong with you.”
Her wide eyes and huge smile had me conjuring images of the man in the nude.
“I’ve seen him naked,” I said, not realizing I’d spoken the words out loud until my sister responded.
“When?”
Instead of answering her, I added, “And he’s seen me naked too. Both times were not planned, of course.”
She waved her hand in the air as she swallowed a mouthful of pizza. “That’s it. I’m moving in here. I need to be around when all this stuff goes down. Not that I want to see you naked or anything, but this situation between you two is just too juicy.”
“Nothing else is going to happen.”
Directly after uttering those six words, a pang of disappointment swirled in my belly.