Dirty Bad Boys Box Set: Forbidden Romance Collection

The tight grip on my arm startles me, and on first instinct, I wrestle my arm out of his grip.

“Hey. Jesus, Malone, would you just stop for a second?”

I turn to face him and surprisingly, he looks concerned.

“What, Haden? You want to point out how funny that picture was? Or how I mustn’t be any good at sex which is why he strayed?”

“Calm down, will you?”

“I’m sorry. Someone sent me a photo of my fiancé practically fucking another woman a week after we broke up. Excuse me for thinking that the word calm does not belong in my vocabulary right now!”

“Ex, Presley. Ex-fiancé. Plus he wasn’t fucking her. Woman, you need a reality check. Men don’t huddle with their pals eating bowls of ice cream as they watch The Notebook. They go find some new pussy and fuck it like a jackrabbit.”

He said what?!

A thousand shades of red are flashing before me, and for a split second, I wonder what it’s like to do time in jail for murdering someone with your bare hands. The nerve of the prick! The worst part is, I’m scared there is some truth to it and the ass is me, living in a world of denial. Stop telling yourself Jason is, was, the perfect guy.

“Wouldn’t hurt you to follow in his footsteps,” the Jerk chides.

I lift my hand to strike him but he catches me just in time, strengthening his grip on my wrist. “Don’t even think about it.”

“I tell you what, you leave me the fuck alone and I promise I won’t smash that pretty boy face of yours,” I fire back.

“Pretty? C’mon Pres, you can do better than that.”

“I’m not your friend, so cut the nickname bullshit. Honestly Haden, let me go. Despite what Jason’s done, I need to go home.”

He lets me go and, defeated, I straighten my arm.

“I’m not surprised he strayed. You need to pull that stick out of your ass and put something else in there instead, Ice Queen.”

What did he just call me? I’d heard a rumor that someone in the office had dubbed me Ice Queen but it never occurred to me that it would be him. I let out a fake laugh as I watch his cocky grin quickly disappear.

“It will be a cold day in hell before you are attached to the end of any stick coming near me.”

He closes the gap between our bodies. I never paid attention to how tall he is until he stands head-to-head, facing me. Running his finger along my chin, he leans in and whispers in the softest voice, “Frigid little Presley couldn’t please her man. . . . Small Dick probably got fed up with you.”

And with that, there is no holding back. I step away to gain some distance and swing my fist in his face to connect with his jaw.

Bam.

Game over.

Chapter Four

I run so fast from him, still reeling from the fact I had punched him in the mouth. The adrenaline is coursing through my veins at a rapid rate, and when I make it home I slam the door hard, terrified yet somehow exhilarated from the excitement of it all. Collapsing onto my bed, my knuckles begin to throb in pain; seeking comfort in an ice pack and bottle of red will do the trick.

What was I thinking?

Somehow, I had allowed the anger and uncertainty to build up so that it was only a matter of time before I flew off the handle. How stupid was I to think Jason would sit around and not look for another woman? The hurt and jealousy was so much more painful than I anticipated, to the point that I was driven to punch Haden after his tactless comment.

Did he have a point though?

No, the Jerk was just clutching onto straws and had no sense of decency. He had it in for me (God knows why) and the bottom line is I have to watch my back. The cunning bastard was probably used to getting his way no matter who he stepped on. Well, take that, dipshit! I doubt he’ll be able to get laid with a face like that, especially when he admits a girl hit him.

Nothing sounds more appealing than a quiet night in, but Vicky rushes over the second I call her to tell her what happened. Before I know it, the bottle of wine is empty, and Vicky will be my savior tonight.

“Pres, what were you thinking?”