Page 104 of A Dark Fall
“How bloody dare you!” I snap. My businesslike, detached indifference evaporates, replaced by a drunken woman scorned. “You fucked someone else! You couldn’t get away from me fast enough so you could go fuck someone else. Last night, you wanted me to end it, so here I am, ending it. It’s over. Whatever this is ... was ... is finished now.” It surprises me how quickly my rage fades, tears of frustration welling in my eyes instead.
He says nothing. Not a word. No angry demands or apologies. Nothing. He doesn’t deny it or offer an excuse, and I can’t help but wonder why. Am I not even worth that to him?
While the sound of his silence stretches endlessly down the phone, I begin to feel self-conscious about who might have heard my outburst. I’m far enough away from the front of the bar that only passersby would have heard, all gone now. The only person close to me is some drunk Scottish guy shouting on his phone. My stomach lurches. He’s shouting the name of the pub and the street it’s on over and over again for everyone to hear—including Jake.
Oh, dear god.
“I know where you are. I’ll be there in ten minutes.Don’tmove,” he warns and hangs up.
I need to move. Of course, if I go home, he’s going to come there too, but at least we won’t be fighting in front of Nick and his boyfriend.
Back inside, I look for Nick or Jin but can’t see either of them. When I ask Seb where they’ve gone, he points through a drunken haze to the dance floor in the lowered area, where my brother and Jin are dancing with a crowd of others. When I tap Nick on the shoulder to tell him I’m leaving, he guides me off the dance floor and back toward our table, leaving Jin with his friends.
“Are you going to see him?” He eyes me suspiciously, an air of disappointment about him.
I shake my head. “No. I’m just tired, and it’s too loud, and I can’t drink anymore. You know me—a lightweight. Listen, I love Jin. I love you with him, and I’m so happy for you. Say goodbye to him for me.” I pull him into a hug, feeling emotional all of a sudden in a way that isn’t about Jake or his harlot.
When I pull back to look at Nick, he’s smiling, face lighter than it was a moment ago.
“Come on—I’ll walk you out until you get a taxi.” He turns toward the door, tugging me with him.
A shiver of fear runs over me at how badly it will go if Nick sees even a glimpse of Jake’s temper. A hand on his shirt, I tug Nick back.
“Nick, it’s fine. I’m going to walk up to the end of the road and get water and milk from the shop anyway. I’ll get a taxi from up there. Stay.”
He looks as though he’s about to argue with me.
“You’re worried about me getting from here to Tesco on my own? Seriously? I used to live in London, remember?”
Finally, he acquiesces and pulls me into a hug again.“Thanks for tonight,” he says, smiling again. “He loved you too.”
As I step out of the pub, I feel a little lighter, my joy at Nick’s happiness chasing away some of my misery. I head up toward the supermarket, checking my phone as I go, pleased to see no further contact from Jake. Though that’s probably because he’s driving. I quicken my steps.
I’m scrolling through his other messages when I hear a car engine sound behind me, a door opening and slamming closed. I don’t even need to turn around to confirm it. It’s him. I can just feel it.
I turn around slowly to find him staring at me. His eyes are blazing, and his mouth is set in a hard, angry line. He’s angry, but there’s something else on his face too—something like panic, maybe. My stomach does a stupid swoop at the sight of him, and I hate it. I hate the effect he has on me.
He’s dressed so simply in jeans and a T-shirt, but as always, they hang so perfectly on his perfect body. It’s ridiculous, really. As he takes a step closer, my body prickles with heat, needy.Without much effort, I force my mind back to this afternoon, to Vicky in a bathrobe calling me his “doctor bitch.”I go to turn and take a step away from him, but he’s too fast, his hand shooting out to pull me back. His touch seems to brand me, scorching my cool skin.
“Let go of me, Jake.” I glare up at him in warning.
“Baby, please,” he says. I feel the place on my arm where he’s holding me get warmer. He steps into my body, and his smell floods into my nose, delicious and clean. Jake. No ... I can just about deal with him touching me, but I can’t deal with him this close and his smell.
To steady myself, I close my eyes.
“Get in the car,” he says, low.
When I open my eyes to look up at him, his are dark and serious.“I’m not going anywhere with you. Now, let go of me.”
His mouth twitches, and he takes a deep breath as though struggling for patience. “I’m not going to ask you again, Alex. Get in the fucking car.”
I flinch at his tone before straightening my spine and glowering up at him. “It doesn’t sound like you’re asking,Jake.”
His face softens a little. “Will you please get in the car so we can go somewhere and talk? I need to explain, baby. Please.” His tone is so soft and low and lilting it makes me want to move in close and curl myself up in his arms and have him hold me. That’s my stupid naïvety again.
I take a step toward him and press myself into his body, edging my face up so our lips are close. My action and whatever he sees on my face makes him loosen his grip on my arm. I see his gaze drop to my mouth, his tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip absently.
“Go fuck yourself,” I whisper with venom before pulling my arm out of his hold. As I glare up at him, his eyes narrow, and he smiles. It’s slow and devastatingly sexy.