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“Me, too,” I confess. “You want to know the worst part? I think I’m in love with him. Or at least, I thought I was falling for him. Now, I don’t know how I feel. My heart feels like it’s split in two.”
“My sister just went through this drama with the Kane twins. Everything turned out okay for her once she heard Trent out. Hear Jamie out. It might not be what you think.”
Jordan’s never been the understanding type. In fact, I had expected her to say I should tell Jamie to fuck off. Instead, she’s on his side. She might be right. The picture of Jamie kissing that girl could be a misunderstanding. But I have a hard time believing he fell onto her lips.
Slipping out of her arms, I slide off the mattress and fix the cranberry sweater dress I borrowed from Jordan along with a pair of Ugg boots. At least I could afford the black tights I have on underneath.
I’m sure the girl in the picture with Jamie doesn’t have to borrow clothes from her friends. She looks like a million bucks with huge diamonds dangling from her ears. How can I possibly compete with her? She’s clearly part of his world. Why else would she have attended the conference with him? Were they together? It sure looks like it from the pictures The Queen posted on her website.
What The Queen said about me hurts most. She called me a sorostitute, a derogatory term for a sorority girl who sleeps around. I’m far from one. This bitch thinks she knows me. At one point, Jamie said he was looking for her. I might be angry with him, but maybe he has a lead on her identity.
I want to destroy her.
Now that she’s ruined my life, I have an ax to grind.
Two hours later, I find Jamie in the back of Broad Street Beans alone with his elbows propped up on the table. A sad expression crosses his adorable face as he stares out the window to his left. He looks so handsome, so peaceful all by himself.
I pull out the chair across from him, the legs scraping against the tile floor.
He turns to face me, his eyes wide and full of sadness. “You’re here.” Jamie sighs. “Thanks for coming.”
I cross one leg over the other, keeping my hand on my knee to calm my nerves. “How could you, Jamie? I trusted you.”
“I know how it looks, but I didn’t kiss her.”
“Don’t lie,” I shout without meaning to, now lowering my voice to a normal volume. “I saw dozens of pictures of you and her. Did you accidentally kiss her?”
“No, she kissed me. But it’s not like that, I pulled away from her. You didn’t get to see that part. She used a moment of weakness for my family to take advantage of me.”
I tilt my head back and laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Jamie. She took advantage of you? Really? C’mon, do you hear yourself right now?”
He leans forward, his elbows on the small wooden table. “It’s the truth, Shan. You have to believe me.”
“I don’t have to do anything,” I snap, so mad I could spit. “I know what I saw. You know what you did. And The Queen obviously knows the truth. Why else would she make fun of me and call you out at the same time?”
“She’s a trouble maker. So is Cece.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Cece? So you’re close to her.”
“I’ve known her for most of my life,” he hisses. “Her dad and my dad are friends. There’s nothing between us. Just give me a chance to show you how much you mean to me. You’re the one I want. I choose you, Shannon. Don’t let that picture come between us. Nothing happened.”
“I want to believe you, Jamie. But it’ll take a lot more than a few words for me to trust you again.”
He stretches his hand across the table, holding his palm up for me to place my hand in his. Hesitant, I do what he wants. Heat skates along my skin, his warmth rushing up my arm. I feel safe when I’m with Jamie. No matter how mad I am at him, I want this to work.
“Just give me a chance,” he says, his voice low and pleading. “Don’t give up on me yet.”
I squeeze his hand, forcing a smile. “I like you a lot, so you get one pass. But don’t make a fool of me, Jamie.”
His eyes burn a hole through mine. “I promise. You have my word. Nothing happened and nothing ever will.”
Jamie undresses me and then lowers me to his bed, rolling me onto my side. He stands above me, staring down at me with hunger in his eyes as he slides his hand up my inner thigh. Even the slightest touch produces tiny bumps along my skin. Jamie drives me wild.
