AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What happened? Start at the beginning.” Adriana takes a long drink of her fruity cocktail.
“I told you about the drunk guy who accosted me last week.” Adriana and Luz nod. I'd texted our group chat, but I'd left out the details about Jonah. I was embarrassed and wanting. And obsessed with Jonah. I'd been firmly in his orbit for the last week. Just like I was with Eric. I mentally kick myself. “That happened outside the diner where Jonah gets breakfast every day. Well, just coffee.”
“Psycho,” Adriana mutters. Luz smacks her on the leg.
“I was taking photos, and this guy wouldn’t get out of my face. So Jonah threatened to kill him, and then he told me he would teach me how to box.”
Luz nearly spits her drink on the floor. “He what? You didn’t tell me this.”
“Because I didn’t know what to think. He threatened to kill the guy,” I repeat. My pulse thuds uncomfortably at the memory of the icy rage that suffused Jonah’s face, the way he didn’t hesitate to act.
“I change my mind. I like him,” Luz volunteers.
“You’re a pushover.” Adriana rolls her eyes. “So then you went to the gym?”
I swig my beer for courage. “He boxes every morning. He said he was going to teach me to defend myself.”
“And then he went down on you? I’m confused.” Luz scrunches her face up.
“Me too,” I mutter. “It’s just as insane as it sounds. One moment, he was agreeing to let me punch him in the face, and the next, he was yanking my pants down.” Except it wasn’t yanking. It was more of a slow, sensuous slide, asking for consent and caring only about my pleasure. But I can’t bring myself to tell my friends how Jonah Crown melted for me. That’s a secret for me alone.
Adriana gapes. Luz just grins and does a happy little dance on the black vinyl couch.
“He doesn’t hate you.” Adriana's eyes narrow.
“Oh, he totally still hates me. He told me so himself.”
“No. He doesn’t. He protected you. He’s going to teach you how to box. And then he gave you an orgasm, expecting nothing in return. Wait, he didn’t expect anything in return, right?”
I shake my head.
“He likes you.” Adriana sits back triumphantly. “You should use this against him.”
“What? No way.” The thought of taking Jonah’s secrets and baring them to the world makes me feel ill. “And he doesn’t like me. He clearly regrets touching me. He even said it could never happen again. And you should have seen the look on his face. So cold. Like a mask.” I shiver. “No. This is firmly in the regret column for him.”
“And for you?” Adriana cocks her head.
“I don’t know.” I shake my body out, like I can get rid of the memories. “The fight was awful, but he’s right. He’s my boss. It’s not happening again. Time to move on. Hey, Luz, do you have any more doctor friends you can set me up with? Preferably someone who won’t bother to remember my name. James was way too nice. Sam too.”
Luz nods enthusiastically. “Yes. Totally. Davenport will give it to you good. He’s a total cad.”
I laugh and cough on my beer. “A total cad. Sounds perfect. One night with him and I’ll forget all about Jonah.”
Adriana is still watching me with knowing eyes. “You want him.”
“I do.” I shut my eyes briefly and inhale for strength. “I so do. Fuck, I’m pathetic. I can’t even pretend I don’t want to bang him.” I look at my friends with pleading eyes. “Do you know how hard this week has been? I can’t stop thinking about him naked. When I was sick on Monday, he brought soup to my apartment. Soup and an apology for our fight.”
“Wow,” Luz whispers.
“I know. And then after the apology, he and I agreed to a truce and swore that we would never touch each other again. I’m an idiot.” I sigh, but start flipping through the karaoke book.
Luz chugs the rest of her beer and slams the bottle down on the table. “The music will fix everything. Callie, start us off. And don’t pretend to look through the book, because I know you’re going to pick Britney.”
I start with the same song every time—Britney Spears’s "Oops, I Did It Again." A classic.
Adriana groans when the opening bars fill the tiny room.
“Don’t start. You know this is how we always begin.” I shimmy my way through the song, forgetting about the outside world for the three minutes it lasts. Singing transports me.
