Had I really said that? I bit my lip, thinking back.
Oh fuck. I really had said it.
No wonder he hadn’t tried to call me.
Gasping, I grabbed my bag and jumped to my feet. “I-I have to go.”
“Yeah, I think you should,” Mom said with the beginnings of a smile tilting at her lips.
As I hurried through the dining room, I thought I heard Mia say, “That went so much better than I anticipated.”
Outside, I grabbed a cab and gave him Jagger’s address. The whole ride there, I kept playing out what I should say to him, nervous I’d left it too late and he wouldn’t even want to see me. I had my key in case he didn’t want to let me in, so I tried to reassure myself I could at least make him listen if he wouldn’t open the door. I would just sit on his couch and keep telling him how sorry I was over and over again until he believed me.
I stepped off the elevator on Jagger’s floor and started toward his apartment. I was already digging through my purse for my key, just in case he wouldn’t let me in, when I heard a door opening. Looking up, I saw Dana step out of Jagger’s apartment. She was in what I thought was one of his T-shirts and, from the looks of it, nothing more. Her legs were bare, her face free of makeup, and her hair in sexy tangles around her shoulders.
Swallowing hard, I stopped walking and just stood there. My heart pounding, I watched as Jagger stepped out with her, and my heart shattered. He was in only a pair of boxers, and his hair was just as unkempt as Dana’s.
It seemed like I was too late. Jagger had already moved on.
“Shaw?” he said my name in a hoarse voice, and I lifted tear-filled eyes to his pale face. “What…are you doing here?”
Wrapping my fingers around his key, I swallowed the knot in my throat and walked on shaky legs the last few yards toward them. I didn’t look at Dana—fuck, I could barely look at Jagger, but I did.
When I was within arm’s reach of him, I thrust out my hand and uncurled my fingers, showing him the key. “I wanted to return this,” I got out in a voice that cracked.
His fingers trembled when he took it from me, and I watched him swallow hard. “Shaw, this isn’t—”
“Doesn’t matter,” I said with a tight smile. “We’re not together, so it really doesn’t concern me.” I attempted to push my broken heart down deep so I didn’t have to deal with it just yet and turned on my heel, heading for the elevator.
“Shaw.” His voice was ravaged with distress, but I didn’t turn back to look at him. How could I when my tears were flooding down my face and I could barely see in front of me?
I stabbed at the call button and whispered a small thanks to whoever was watching over me when the doors opened instantly. Stepping into the elevator, I waited for the doors to close before I released the sob that was shredding my throat in an attempt to get free.
Chapter 30
Jagger
I swallowed a groan just as Kayla came bouncing out of the kitchen to follow her girlfriend. The two of them had slept at my place the night before, thanks to something going on with their air conditioning. It had been so uncomfortably hot in their apartment, they hadn’t even wanted to go in and get a change of clothes the night before. So I’d given her and Dana two of my shirts to sleep in.
The issue had been taken care of earlier that morning, and the two women had waited until I woke up so they could make me breakfast as a thank-you.
Kayla now had their clothes from the day before folded in her arms, but Shaw hadn’t seen her or the clothes. All she’d seen was Dana, in my T-shirt, and me in my boxers. It looked bad. So fucking bad. But it was innocent enough if she’d just stopped for two seconds and let me explain.
Instead, she’d given me back my key, told me it wasn’t any of her business, and walked away.
Reinforcing that she didn’t love me after all.
“Maybe I should explain this to her,” Dana said, biting her lip as she continued to look toward the elevator, as if she expected Shaw to come back at any moment, claws out as she demanded answers. Because if she loved me, that was what she would have been doing.
“There’s nothing to explain,” I told her with a grim smile. “I need to jump in the shower, ladies. Hit me up again whenever you need assistance.”
Kayla blew me a kiss and took Dana’s hand. “Thanks, big guy. You saved us from having to go to a hotel last night. You need anything, just let us know.” As they turned to go and I stepped back into the apartment, I heard Dana telling Kayla about Shaw’s showing up at the absolute wrong time.
Clenching my fingers into tight fists, I grabbed my phone on the way back to my room.
Me: Shaw just showed up at my place.
Mia: Details!!!