Page 19 of Playing With Temptation

I knew deep in my soul Julian killed my best friend.

I knew it.

But no one would listen.

CHAPTER SIX

“Have I told you today how amazing you are?” Chelsea asked from behind the bar.

“Yup. And you bought me a beer,” I told her. “Now can we drop it? I’m trying not to think of the torture.”

Chelsea gave me a jaunty wink that held no remorse. “You know, I thought it would be West who put up the biggest fight.”

So did I. But after having a week to think on it, it was on brand for West—it stroked both his ego and, depending on who won the auction, it would end with a different kind of stoking, the kind that West got off on.

Instead of answering Chelsea, which would only encourage her down a path I didn’t want to go, I changed the subject. “Busy night.”

“Saturdays always are. Kids back with Shay?”

Fuck. I walked right into that one. The start of a week without my kids. A topic I never liked to discuss, mainly because I didn’t like to think about it.

“Yep.”

Thankfully, Valentine and Sophie sidled up next to me at the bar before Chelsea could ask any more well-meaning questions about my kids.

“Hi, Jase,” Sophie greeted, stepping forward for a hug.

“Hi, doll.” I returned her embrace and waited for her to fit herself into the curve of her fiancé’s arm before I took a jab at Valentine. “You ready to dump this asshole yet and run away with me?”

Valentine didn’t get a chance to respond. With a flick of her wrist, she waved me off and stepped away from her man while muttering, “Always such a flirt.” Then much louder, with more enthusiasm, she declared, “Perfect timing. We just got here.”

I turned to see who Sophie was greeting, not knowing that my world was about to splinter for the second time in a week.

And splinter it did—into a million spikes, each one piercing my chest.

“Rainy, this is my fiancé, Valentine Malone, and our friend Jase⁠—”

“I know Rainy,” I cut Sophie’s introduction short, staring at the woman who owned my heart.

She was staring back at me in panic.

What the fuck?

“Oh, that’s right, she was at the Hope Center last week when you were there playing basketball.”

Hope Center.

Need, compulsion, longing.

Rainy was my mystery woman?

Rainy.

My Rainy, who had a son in Juni’s class and was likely married to that boy’s father.

Fuck!

I glanced down to check for a ring, but her left hand was in her pocket.