Jaden (Jaded 3)

I looked up. “What?”

“You sighed.”

My eyes widened. “I did?”

He nodded, a fondness settling over his features. “You okay?”

“I am.” And I was. I meant it. Corrigan narrowed his eyes, studying me again, but he saw that I did mean it and he nodded. “Okay then.” Moving forward, he pressed his lips to my forehead, that same loving gesture like always, and he whispered, “I love you, Sheldon.” A second kiss. “I’ll see you later.”

Feeling off balance from all the love and niceness, I swatted his ass as he turned for the door. He glanced back, and I gave him the middle finger. He frowned. “What’s that for?”

I lifted a shoulder up, dropping my hand at the same time. “Just . . . doing my normal thing. We’re being too nice to each other. It makes me uncomfortable.”

Before he opened the door, he flashed me a grin. “In that case, have fun today, bitch.”

“You too, dickwad.”

Barking out a laugh, he opened the door and breezed past Mena.

She started inside, but turned back to call after him, “Goodbye to you, too.”

“Yeah, yeah,” his voice faded as he went to the elevators.

Shutting the door, she rolled her eyes. “I guess saving your life didn’t change everything. He’s still a dick to me.”

I didn’t say a word. I had a feeling there was an idiotic-looking grin on my face as I thought, Yeah, but he’s my dick now. Then I said to her, “Let’s go get our cocktails on. I haven’t been able to drink for a while, and I’m going to rectify that today.”

“Aren’t you on meds?”

“Yes, and it’s called tequila. Let’s go. Poolside, here we come.”

Mena laughed, but followed me out ten minutes later. It was after we had gotten comfortable, after we ordered our first round of drinks, that she said the words that would change everything.

Nothing could’ve prepared me for what was going to happen next.

*

MENA

I wasn’t sure if Sheldon was ready to hear the truth. I wanted to tell her. It was time. She deserved to know everything that I had done for her, for us. I wanted to, but . . . as I followed her from the elevator and to the pool, I wasn’t sure. She had a brave face, but I caught the grimaces of pain.

She looked so tired.

My heart ached for her. She had been through so much. I didn’t know. Did I tell her? Or should I just keep watching over her?

An overweight woman stepped in front of her and Sheldon had to brake suddenly. As a curse spilled from her lips, she sneered at the woman before going around her, zeroing in on our chairs.

That was good. There was some of the old Sheldon. She was a fighter. That’s what Marcus always told me. Man, thinking of him now, I couldn’t help but reminisce. I missed him. We had a good friendship in school. No one knew about us. We kept it secret, but he understood. He loved Sheldon as much as I did. The only thing we didn’t agree on was Bryce and Corrigan. They were so horrible to him, like they were to me, but I understood their heart.

They loved Sheldon. They were protecting her. Anyone who went against them had to earn their place beside her. She was their Queen. The name fitted her, what the media had dubbed her—The Queen Bee Killer.

She had ruled over school, and she would rule everywhere else in life. I had no doubt.

Sheldon was going places. She was special.

“Move it along,” she snapped at two teenage girls. They were giggling together, and Sheldon groaned in the next instant. She said to me, “They’re ogling the lifeguard. Go figure.” The girls hadn’t heard Sheldon so she placed a hand on both their shoulders and barked, “Move. Now. Or be trampled to death.”

One girl gasped. She was all bones with a red bikini on, and I knew instantly she was the popular girl at her school. Her friend glanced nervously at her, waiting to follow whatever the first one would do.