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Preacher saw the look but ignored it. On one hand, he wanted to know what Jack had to say. He hoped she had secured the money to pay him back for what he had put into the failed business. On the other hand, he wanted her to leave and never come back. He went with option one, hoping Riley would just give him five minutes with Jack. “She wants to talk to me, Riley—”
“I could use a place to crash tonight, Preacher,” Jack cut in, giving Riley a shitty look as she reminded Preacher.
Don’t do it.Riley crossed her arms over her chest again and waited to hear what Preacher would say. The voice in her head was screaming at him, then she heard him say let’s talk first. “Preacher.”
For fuck’s sake, could he not catch a damn break? “Riley, give us a minute.”
“Oh, I’ll give you more than a minute.” Turning on her heels, she headed for the bedroom. Gathering up her things, she threw them into a duffel bag and walked back into the living room. She didn’t bother with her shoes. It was storming, so it wouldn’t matter one way or another if she put them on. “Have a nice night.”
Slamming the door behind her, she didn’t look back to see if he followed her or not. He wanted to give that two-timing bitch his time, that was on him. She wouldn’t be sticking around to watch that shitshow.
“Riley!” Preacher stepped around Jack to go after Riley when Jack put a hand on his chest. “Jack, this isn’t a good time.”
“She’s just outside cooling off. Give her a minute, and she’ll come back in.” Jack glanced toward the door. “You’ll see, she’ll be back in any second.”
Preacher moved Jack out of his way, heading for the door. He heard the car’s engine roar to life as he yanked the front door open. He attempted to rush out into the driveway to stop Riley, but she was already pulling out. Turning around, he stormed back inside to have it out with Jack.
Walking back inside, he slammed the door closed and headed back to the kitchen, where he found Jack gone. “What the fuck?” Moving across the living room, he headed toward the spare bedroom when the sound of running water stopped him. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Turning around, he headed for his bedroom.
With his anger rising and his fists already clenched, he stepped inside his bedroom and saw Jack in his master bath shower across the way. She had the nerve to take a damn shower inhisbathroom. If he could storm across the room, he would, but he was only managing a steady pace. “Jack,” he snapped.
“Give me a second, Preacher,” she called out, looking back at him over her shoulder. “I was freezing.” Turning around, she tipped her head under the shower, making sure he could get a full view of her nakedness. “Did you catch Riley?” she asked as she glided her hands over her head.
“No, and you knew I wouldn’t.” He watched her look at him with a smirk. “It won’t work this time, Jack. Get out of the fucking shower and get dressed. You’re not staying here.” Turning around, he headed back to the living room to find his phone. He wanted Riley to come back and for Jack to leave.
Walking back into the kitchen, he searched the counters for his phone and couldn’t find it. Patting down his pockets, it wasn’t in them. Picking up magazines from the coffee table, he didn’t find it. Moving the sofa cushions got him nowhere, then he spotted Jack’s purse. Snatching the thing up, he turned it upside down and dumped it out on the coffee table. “What are you doing?” Jack yelled from the doorway.
“I’m looking for my phone.”
“It’s not in my purse.”
Just as he heard her, it tumbled onto the table. Dropping the purse, he picked up the phone. “What’s this?”
“I must have thought it was mine and tossed it in there.”
“Sure, Jack.”
Walking to the door, Preacher pulled it open and told her it was time for her to go. Lightning danced across the sky and thunder rattled the windows. Stepping back as rain blew in, Preacher shut the door. It seemed Jack wasn’t going anywhere until the storm blew over. “You can stay on the sofa, but when this storm blows over, you’re leaving.”
“I thought we were going to talk,” she whined.
“I’m not fucking interested in what you have to say,” Preacher told her as he went to his bedroom to call Riley. Closing his door, he called her number. When it went to voicemail, he left a message. “Riley, call me.” He hung up and sat on the bed. Calling again, he left another message. “Riley, I want you to come back.” Hanging up, he set the phone aside, then picked it up and called a third time. “Damn it, Riley, Jack means nothing to me.” Hanging up, he laid down and stared at the ceiling.
After ten minutes, he resorted to texting.
Preacher: Riley, I need to know you made it home.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Riley hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before. Deciding she had let the earlier argument fuel her decision to leave, she headed back to Preacher’s. She’d gotten voice and text messages for over an hour the night before. The man was relentless. Coming down the highway, she caught sight of the car from the evening before still parked in the driveway.
Pulling her car over, she was surprised when Preacher stepped outside with Jack. Riley’s stomach dropped as she watched Preacher walk Jack to her car with his hand on her lower back. To her, it appeared to be a sweet scene between two people who had spent the night together. Riley leaned over where Jack wouldn’t see her as she passed her car. She supposed this was the answer she was looking for last night. Preacher wasn’t over Jack.
Something bothered Riley about the situation. Always one to listen to her instincts, Riley followed Jack back into Lampsing. She stayed two car lengths back, just to be sure the brunette couldn’t make out who she was. All Riley wanted was Jack’s license plate number. She already knew the make and model of the car she drove. Pulling over to the side of the road, Riley let Jack cruise through downtown. It wasn’t like the girl could get lost in the small town.
Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel of her Chevy Nova, Riley thought about Preacher. She tried not to let her imagination run wild, but damn it, he’d let his ex-girlfriend spend the night. Balling her fist, she thumped it against her forehead. She was so damn stupid thinking the man had feelings for her.
Just because he liked her cooking and they had a little chemistry did not mean he was smitten with her. It had been way too long since she’d been in a relationship. Hell, it had been way too long since she’d been in lust that she’d simply lost her head over some damn good oral sex. Her head was telling her to get over it, but her heart, that traitor, was all kind of sick at that moment.
