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Her gaze softened. “Good. I didn’t think you would. But that leaves the question, how did she know?”
Jack closed his eyes and massaged his temples with his free hand. He didn’t want to think about it, but it was pretty obvious that Lucy must have followed him. And that she must have seen him and Eva through the window at the Sky Bar, a thought that sickened him. Semi-public quickie or not, he hadn’t thought anyone would see them, especially not his ex.
Was Lucy the reason Eva had been having that strange “watched” feeling lately?
No, there had to be more to it. The security cameras had shown a man breaking into Eva’s apartment. And Lucy might be crazy, but she wasn’t a felon. At least, he hoped she wasn’t.
Jesus, what if she was one of those Fatal Attraction kind of women? She certainly had the money to hire someone to break in to Eva’s place, if that’s what she wanted to do.
What a fucking mess. Eva didn’t need any more drama in her life. Not after everything else that had happened to her.
Jack sighed. “I’m sorry, Eva. Lucy is a part of my past that doesn’t seem to want to stay there. I hate that she’s sticking her nose into what should be between us and no one else.”
Eva shrugged. “You don’t have to explain, Jack. I mean, I believe that you and that woman are no longer a thing, but I never said you couldn’t date other people while you were educating me.”
“Date other women?” He stared at her, surprised. “You mean that?”
She shrugged again. “Well, yes. Sure. This is a business arrangement, right? It’s not emotional. You’re free to have feelings elsewhere. I don’t want to hold you back.”
He swallowed the bile that had risen in the back of his throat and repeated her words slowly. “My feelings…” What the fuck was she getting at? “And what feelings are those, Eva?”
“You know. Affection or whatever.” She smiled playfully, a smile that started to disappear the second she saw his hardened expression. “Or maybe you don’t know.”
He found the key in his pocket and started to work the lock, an unexplainable ire frothing in his veins. He pushed open the door harder than he’d intended, and it hit the doorstop with a loud bang.
She stood in the hallway, eyes wide. “Did I say something wrong?”
He shook his head tightly. “So you wouldn’t mind me fucking other women while I fuck you? As long as I only have ‘feelings’ for one of you?” he asked as she went inside the apartment. He followed, pausing in the darkened foyer and setting down the wine. He had no plans to drink it.
He slammed the door behind her and crossed his arms. “I could line you all up and fuck you one after the other. Does that sound about right?”
Horror dawned on her face. “Well, no, of course not. I just—”
“I know the word on the street is I’ll stick my dick in any beautiful woman who will hold still long enough. Isn’t that right?”
She looked at the ground, fidgeting, clearly too embarrassed to admit the obvious truth. “Well, I don’t think it’s quite—”
“Stop.” He held up a hand, not wanting to hear her skate around what everyone in the world knew.
It was his own doing, anyway. Not too long ago he’d prided himself on being able to bed any woman he wanted, any time he wanted. Now he wanted to punch a wall. It was his player reputation that made people like Lucy think that they could drop by unannounced, naked and ready to go, and he’d be all in.
Fuck.
He glanced back at Eva, the rage boiling inside him calming a little when he saw how worried she looked, how eager to say the right thing to talk him back from the edge.
“ Is that what you think I am?” he asked in a softer voice. “Some kind of machine? An animal with no self-control, who lets his dick call the shots?”
She blinked. “No, Jack. Not at all. But this isn’t a normal situation. A teacher teaches. He doesn’t get emotionally involved with his student.” She glanced at the floor, her thick lashes sweeping down to hide her eyes. “I want to learn how to drive a man wild, and you agreed to teach me. Simple as that. It doesn’t seem fair for me to hold your dating life captive while you’re fulfilling your obligations to me.”
Simple as that. She’d said it entirely too casually.
“Simple as that,” he echoed.
But none of this was simple. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so out of control, and now Eva was staring at him like he had three heads.
“I don’t understand, Jack,” she said softly. “What’s wrong? What’s gotten into you?”
Hell if he knew. She was calling a spade a spade—everyone knew he refused to be tied down. But he didn’t like Eva being okay with that. He wanted her to be hurt. Or maybe jealous. To at least show some goddamn emotion instead of being so cold and businesslike.
