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When we pull into his driveway, I see Killian waiting for him on the front steps, and the way he frowns and his eyes narrow when he sees me in Alec’s truck has my entire body on alert.
Nothing good can come from this.
“Shit,” Alec says as Killian makes his way over to the truck, his hands in fists, his eyes glaring at me. He looks pissed.
“Why’s he so angry?” I ask, and Alec peers over at me, his face slightly pale.
“Um, shit. I…can you just wait here for a minute?”
“I don’t…why should I wait here?” I ask, and Alec shakes his head.
“Please. I don’t want you to be in the middle of this.”
I nod, unsure why he’s acting this way, but not wanting a confrontation right now. Not after we just decided to be exclusive, when he’d kissed me so tenderly and claimed me like he did. So, I do as he asks, slouching back in my seat as Alec climbs out of his truck and slams the door. His hand wraps around Killian’s arm, and he pulls him away from where I can hear what they’re going to say. I rest my head back and stare at them. Fuck, they don’t look like friends right now. No, they look like enemies. Killian is leaning in, his hand flinging from the truck to Alec’s chest, shoving it slightly as he talks animatedly.
Alec glances over at me and then back at Killian, his mouth turned down in a frown, his fists clenched by his sides. What the hell is going on? Is Killian jealous? That has to be it. Why else would he be so upset? I don’t understand it.
“You have to tell him!” I hear Killian shout and my head lifts from the headrest, my heart thundering in my chest. They can’t be talking about me, right? Tell me what? Is there something Idon’t know about Alec? There’s no way. He seems so open. He can’t have any deep, dark secrets or anything…right?
I watch as Alec grabs on to Killian again and pulls him toward the other side of the house, disappearing from view. I can hear their raised voices and then…it’s silent. I can only hear the panting from my parted lips. Suddenly, Killian shouts a loudfuck youand then he storms away from the house and down the driveway. A second later, I hear a car screeching away from the curb.
I turn my entire body to watch him speed off and then jump slightly when Alec pulls the truck door open and stares inside.
“Fuck, Jude. I’m sorry about that,” he says, his voice kind of choked.
“Um, is everything okay?” I ask, and he nods, swallowing roughly.
“Yeah, um, but I should probably bring you home,” he says, and I feel my stomach churn.
“Oh. Yeah. If that’s what you want.”
He stares at me, looking almost unsure.
“I mean, unless you want to come inside. Spend the night with me?”
I nod, stumbling out of the cab and into his arms. He pulls me into him, his face pressed into my neck as he breathes heavily. Almost like he’s relieved that I chose to stay.
And why wouldn’t I? There’s nothing to run from, right?
He leads me into his house without another word, but it’s in the darkness of his room when I’m lying nearly on top of him, feeling his heart beating steadily under my cheek that I gather the courage to ask, “Do you have something you need to tell me, Alec?”
He swallows and sighs. After a long pause, he breathes out, “I— no.”
For some reason, that doesn’t sound convincing, but I don’t want to push it, don’t want to give him a reason to bring me home, so I let it go. And I’m okay with it. I truly am. Right now, I just want to be near him. I don’t want to find out something that would make me want to run—that would ruin this. Call me naive and stupid, but this is so fucking new. I don’t want to destroy it by being nosy and meddling in something that may not be my business after all.
So I shove the doubts away, close my eyes, and fall asleep.
CHAPTER 14
ALEC
I’m going to murder Killian, I think as I slog through work the following day. Jude left this morning, looking groggy and adorable, his cheeks red, his hair mussed. I’d kissed him long and hard before he walked out that door because, for the first time since starting this shit, I was truly worried I’d lose him.
But he didn’t bring up Killian, who had shown up like an unhinged boyfriend last night and put me in my place. Instead, Jude just stumbled out of my house with an awkward wave and a blown kiss toward me.
He looked shy as he did it, almost regretful, but I just beamed at him like a loon until he got into the ride share and drove off.
It was only then that I forced myself to get to work. Doing my mindless, menial tasks only slightly helped to minimize my anxiety about this whole thing with Jude.
