AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you want me to talk to you or not?” I stand. “Leave if you’re going to swear at me!”
“Sorry,” he says quietly. “I don’t know. Summer maybe.”
What do I say to him? I hardly know any of them, but Ruby’s famous for her tenacity and ambition, she wouldn’t give up her music career.
“The kid will have a dad that can help out, you know? It’s not like she’ll be stuck at home minding the baby.” I pause. “ItisJem’s?”
Jax’s mouth hardens. “Yeah. At least it’s not Dan’s. Her ex.”
“And Jem’s fine with it?”
“I dunno. Can’t imagine he’ll stick around. This is Jem fucking Jones we’re talking about. She’s screwed!”
I inhale sharply at the vehemence in his tone. “They seem close to me.”
Jax grunts and I sit back next to him. Talking about Jem has hit another nerve I don’t want to expose. “I know this is a shock, but it doesn’t mean the end. It’s a baby, not a split!”
Another grunt.
“I’m sure once you all sit down and talk through the future plans, you’ll feel better. I know it sounds mercenary, but people are investing time and money in Ruby Riot. You’ve signed contracts. This isn’t about to end any time soon.” He stares at the floor. Am I wasting my breath? “Sleep on it, Jax. Talk to her in the morning when you’re calmer.”
Jax’s eyes glaze for a moment and he blinks at me. “Did I upset you?”
“No, I’m tired. I was going to finish my movie and crash. I want to explore some of Paris tomorrow before we move on.” I stand.
As if noticing for the first time, Jax takes in the shortness of my shorts and the fit of my top before turning a drunken smile to me. “Can I stay?”
“No!”
“I want to make it up to you, make you feel special because I fucked up tonight.” He stands too and wraps a finger around a loose tendril of my hair.
“Don’t, Jax,” I warn him as he edges closer. “I don’t want to kiss you.”
“Why?” He brushes his lips against my cheek and I jerk my head away.
“How do I know what you’ve been doing tonight? Or who with?”
“I told you! I was on my own at the bar!” He rubs his brow. “There was a girl at some point, I think, but I didn’t do anything with her. I wanted you.”
My stomach turns. He was with a girl. How do I know he’s not lying about whether he did anything? She could’ve knocked him back and now he’s trying me. Tonight has pinpointed my lack of trust and I don’t think I can be involved with Jax. He didn’t call me, and I immediately jumped to conclusions. If this relationship or whatever we are continues, it’s going to ruin my time on tour.
“I don’t want to be your second choice.”
“What? No!” He strokes my hair. “You’re not! I want you. You’re special, like… I dunno. Special.”
I half-smile at his struggle to express himself. “A challenge?”
“Is that what you think?”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
“Tegan...” Jax folds his arms around me and hugs me to his chest. I’m happy the smell of alcohol and his inebriated state have deadened my usual heart-thumping arousal from being close to him. “That’s not true,” he mumbles, breath tickling my skin.
I disentangle myself from his arms and duck my head as he moves in for a kiss. “We’ll talk tomorrow. When you’re sober.”
“Huh. Fine. Whatever.”
See. This is why I can’t continue. I’ve never been a jealous person around guys, but this is crazy. I hardly know him.
