Dangerous Exes (Page 27)

“Don’t need help in that area.” I pressed a hand to her thigh. “But thank you.”

“Remember not to talk about the moon at night.”

“Goo-Poh.” Did I mention she was a bit . . . superstitious?

“And no talking about money.”

I sighed.

“Does he sleep on the left or the right?”

I had no clue! I guessed. “Left?”

She muttered something in Chinese and spat on the floor.

“You’ve never acted like this with my other boyfriends.”

“Pah, those other boyfriends were boys, not men. This man has muscles that could make any woman turn her head.” She grinned shamelessly. “Our ladies spent days talking about that man’s muscles, the men asked him what he drank for sperm count. He said he didn’t have to!”

I burst out laughing.

“Isla, are you hearing? He doesn’t have to! Because his sperm count is so high he simply lives his life in the great blessed way a man should! He will reproduce like a rabbit!”

Great. Visual.

“Actually, that’s not why I’m here.”

“It’s not a Tuesday.” She nodded solemnly. “When you texted, I worried he hurt you during a sexual act. Kids these days, they go too fast, the injuries from dog—”

“Goo-Poh!”

“It is too deep?” She used her hands.

I closed my eyes.

“Don’t be such a prude,” she harrumphed. “If he tries that, you simply add a bit of an arch to accept his blessing into your womb.”

“Got it. Accept his blessing.” I was leaving this room scarred. Changed. With horrible visuals of her closed eyes and hand movements.

“It’s not real,” I finally admitted. “The relationship. We’re doing it because we were caught in a bad position that would affect my business and his reputation. Nothing was happening between us when we got engaged.” She scoffed like she didn’t believe me. “But it looked bad.”

“It looked bad because something almost happened,” she pointed out. “The press saw something—it reported what it saw, what everyone saw who clicked on the YouTube video.”

There was a video? “What do you mean?”

“Guilt.” She threw her hands up. “And a shiver.”

“A shiver,” I repeated. “As in I was shivering?”

“Oh, not that kind of shiver, the kind where the body reacts in such a powerful way it pulses, it moves. Both of you, you were pulsing, your auras were glowing. Oh, something was about to happen, just think—you could be pregnant by now!”

“Joyful day,” I said in a deadpan voice. Pregnant by a guy who doesn’t love me. Every girl’s dream!

She smacked the back of my head. “Don’t mock the blessing.”

“Sorry.” I held up my hands. “I just needed some advice, things are . . . complicated.” She sighed like she knew exactly what that meant. “And I think I’m falling for him, but today—”

“Say no more.” She patted my knee. “Let me get my tonics.”

“No!” I jumped to my feet. “I don’t need tonics or oils, your love teas. I just need advice.”

“No.” She went to her cupboard and clasped her hands, then cracked her neck. “You need my tea. It was passed down four generations.”

I loved her. I did. But tea wasn’t going to fix the growing attraction I had for him, and the way he shut me down earlier was proof that he wasn’t on that page. Embarrassment washed over me. I’d literally sucked him, touched him, I’d done things I’d never even done with Wayne because I never wanted to.

And I was still enemy number one.

Apparently, sex changes nothing.

Still hated.

“Here.” Goo-Poh handed me a small pouch of tea leaves. “Just use two. If you use more than two, there’s no telling how much it will affect him.”

“Goo-Poh!” I gasped. “I’m not drugging him!”

“Do you want him or not?”

I chewed my lower lip. Was I really considering this craziness? Yes, I wanted him. Yes. I was finally admitting I wanted more of him, more of his talk, more of his kisses, more of everything.

But I wanted it to be real.

Not brought on by her horny tea.

“Thanks.” I was about to tuck it in my purse, but I frowned. “It’s labeled Headache Tea?”

Betsy just shrugged. “I have to hide the good stuff.”

“Right.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Thank you. I’ll give this to him.” Over my dead body. “And I’ll think about what you said.”

“Yes.” She pressed her hands against my cheeks. “You accept his blessing,” she just had to add. “Wide.”

“Yup!” I backed away slowly. “As wide as I can go!”

“That’s my girl.” She was way too excited about my sex life. I left her apartment not feeling any better about our situation but determined to make it right.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

JESSIE

“What crawled up your ass and died?” Colin did his next set of cleans and dropped the barbell, giving me a scowl as I bent over and started my set.

I heaved the bar up and dropped. “Everything.”

“Huh.” He watched me complete my set, then walked over and faced me, his eyes probing, searching. Damn him. “Because last time I saw you, you looked . . . what’s the word I’m thinking of? Oh, there it is, satisfied.”

I gritted my teeth.

“Content.” He shrugged. “Spent.”

“That’s enough,” I growled.

“And now defensive.” He held his hands up. “Just saying, is the honeymoon already over?”

“Hilarious, since it hasn’t even started,” I griped, adding another ten pounds to each side. Isla had texted me about an hour ago asking to meet after work, and already I was feeling irritated.

Not at her.

It was all self-inflicted.

I’d snapped.

Projected.

Blamed.

I’d done all the things I hated doing.

And it was directed at her because she was available, close, making me feel vulnerable, making me want, making me fucking terrified.

“I think she’s good for you,” Colin said, interrupting my thoughts as I started my second set.

“Oh?” I finished my last five and dropped the bar. “Why the hell would you say that?”

Colin stared me down, waited a few seconds, and said, “You don’t even realize it, do you?”

“Realize what?” I wiped my face with my towel and tossed it to the ground.

He punched me lightly on the shoulder and winked. “You’re wearing a red shirt.”

That was it.

That was all he said.

I moved my attention to the mirror.

And there it was.

Plain as day.

A shirt I didn’t even realize I’d grabbed out of my dresser rather than my closet and put on when I was pissed and ready to start my workout.

Not black.

Not white.

Not gray.

Red.

Fucking red.

Like her dress.

Like her lips.

Like I imagined her nipples would be.

I closed my eyes and hung my head.

“Don’t sweat it.” Colin came back and tossed me a dry towel. “Baby steps, just try not to keep all this sexual frustration pent up for too much longer, you don’t want to end up biting her tongue, knocking a tooth out, or, God forbid, impaling the poor woman.”