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“I feel like I’m being interrogated. Maybe being a prosecutor would’ve been a better fit for you than being a journalist,” I grumble.
“I’m just surprised. All you two have done for months is snark and snarl at each other.”
“Well, you were the one who used to say we should fuck it out. We took your advice.”
I take another sip of my drink, really not wanting to have this conversation while I’m still trying to figure out how to get Abigail to give me a real shot.
“Look, we had a couple moments, shall we say, after the night Aiden punched me. Then after she came to my club, one thing led to another, and we slept together. She’s made it clear from the start that she has no interest in a relationship with me, but I don’t know, when we’re together the attraction kind of takes on a mind of its own. One minute we’re fighting and the other we’re naked and going at each other in a completely different way.” That’s putting it mildly. Every time she opens her mouth to give me shit, it’s all I can do to not devour her sexy-as-fuck lips.
God, I’m screwed.
“Wow. I had no idea. And she refuses to take it further?” Lindsey sounds as shocked at Abigail’s hesitance as I am.
“One hundred percent against it. She had a bad experience with a breakup a few years ago. Her family apparently thinks she should’ve given her ex another chance, and they’ve tried to push them together several times. I guess that’s why she decided to move from Charleston. They still give her shit about it, too, so she rarely goes back to visit.”
“She’s mentioned her ex, but all she’s said about her family is they aren’t close. I know her sister’s getting married next month, but she wasn’t sure if she was going.”
“She’s going, and I’m going with her. Hopefully, with me there as her date, they won’t try to push this jackass on her.”
“Wait, wait, wait. So,you aredating then?“ Lindsey asks, confusion lacing her words.
“No. I’m not arealboyfriend. Her mom was giving her shit about her not going, and I offered to go with her to take the pressure off. She’s certain they’ll try to hook her up with her ex again,“ I explain.
“Well, aren’t you just her knight in shining armor. And there’s no chance you could be using this as an in with her? Maybe show her what an amazing boyfriend you would be so she gives you a shot at the real thing?” The way Lindsey phrases the “questions” has me thinking she’s not actually asking.
“Of course, I want her to give me a chance. But this is more than that. You should have seen her talking to her mother. It’s like she was caving in on herself. I fucking hated it.” And I really want some more time with her away from what she considers prying eyes in Philly. She’s worked for a newspaper long enough to know if we were ever in public together, we’d surely get noticed by someone from the press. Now that my brother has found happiness with Kasey, everyone is waiting to see if I’ll ever settle down.
“This whole thing is like one of those books my mom likes to read. Girl meets boy, girl hates boy, boy comes in and saves girl from her horrible family. I love it,” she says with a giddy tone.
“Don’t start getting excited over there. The girl, in this case, is as stubborn as they come and refuses to give the boy a chance. I’m not counting on this working, but I’m hoping it’s a step in the right direction. Her family and her ex have done a real number on her.” I’m not one-hundred-percent sure what that entails exactly, but I have a feeling it’s more than a simple case of her parents wanting her and her ex back together and her parents being all-around assholes.
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning any double dates or anything. I have to admit I find it amusing that the one girl you want is the one girl who, up until a few weeks ago, couldn’t stand you.” Lindsey laughs at her observation. I don’t find her particularly amusing.
“Please don’t run to Kasey with this. Abigail finding out anyone knows could put a serious wrench in my plans.” I’m not above begging at this point.
“My lips are sealed,” she promises. Just then, I hear Aiden yelling something about her lips being sealed around something else and Lindsey laughs.
“Okay, I gotta go. Keep me posted. I can’t wait to hear how this turns out.” I hear the smile in her voice and mirror it with one of my own. I appreciate her optimism.
“Alright. We’ll talk later.”
When we hang up, it’s all I can do not to call Abigail. I just want to hear her voice. That woman has me in knots today, but I have to be careful about how I go about everything with her. She spooks easier than any other girl I’ve known. But maybe that’s the difference. She’s a woman, not a girl. My usual charm and wit aren’t enough to impress a woman like Abigail. She needs to have someone fight for her affection.
Good thing she has no problem putting me in a fighting mood.
Chapter 8
Abigail
February
I’vesuccessfullyavoidedbeingin the same room alone with Jackson since January. There have been two group dinners I absolutely couldn’t get out of, only because I didn’t want to make it obvious I was avoiding him. One at Donovan and Kasey’s to celebrate Donovan being sworn into office and another at Lindsey and Aiden’s to celebrate Aiden’s birthday.
At both dinners, I could sense Jackson was waiting to get me alone. Or maybe the longing glances and knowing smiles were my imagination. I was too busy concentrating on convincing myself what a bad idea it would be to slip my panties off and into his pocket to pay much attention. There’s something about him that makes me want to be reckless and impulsive, knowing he would love it. But it took me a solid week not to get butterflies in my stomach after the cabin every time my phone chimed with an incoming text, hoping it was him.
After almost two weeks of radio silence, he started sending me random texts every few days. None of them were sexy or flirtatious, just questions about my likes and dislikes. When I asked him if he was writing a tell-all about my life, he said he figured it would be a good idea for him to know personal things about me. You know, to sell the whole boyfriend story.
Currently, I’m lying on my bed after having folded laundry and thinking I need new outfits to wear in Charleston. I’m no slob by any stretch of the imagination, but there is something to be said about a hot new outfit and a pair of fabulous heels to make a girl feel confident walking into a room filled with people that’ve done nothing but make her feel like complete crap over her life choices. Some new battle armor, if you will. While searching through one of my favorite sites online, I get a text from Jackson.
