Page 67 of Pursuing Desire

“Me?” I ask with a raised brow. “I’m Jess’s friend. I’m surprised she didn’t tell you we’re here together.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Jess trying to shrug off the arm Anthony still has around her shoulders. She shrinks back into her corner.

I hold out my hand for a pleasant shake, not because I want to touch the slimeball but because I want to see if he has the guts to touch me. A satisfied smirk crosses my face when he ignores my hand and turns to Jess.

Anthony’s squirrely little putrid face takes on a look of surprise. One side of his mouth turns up sarcastically, and he shakes his head. “You’re here with him? You were the all-high-and-mighty perfect princess when I had my little fling, and now look at you. Opening those pretty little thighs to the first cock that comes your way. Nice,” he says sarcastically.

Jess ignores Anthony and turns her pleading eyes to me. “Dax, this isn’t what it looks like. I don’t know what he’s doing here. I didn’t invite him.”

I settle back lazily into the cushion of the booth and cross my arms over my chest. I’m trying like hell to be aloof and unaffected, but I’m still in disbelief that she’d do this to me. No, not disbelief. I’m hurt, and I’m angry, and I know I don’t have a right to be, but it doesn’t change anything about how I feel.

I can’t look at her, can’t form words for her. Instead, I level a penetrating stare at the jackass sitting beside her.

“So, what brings you to town?” I ask Anthony casually.

I have to bite my tongue to keep from saying what I really want to say. I wonder if they can tell how hard I’m gripping my own arm to keep myself in check.

Anthony’s lips turn up in a smile that doesn’t quite make it to his eyes. “Just here to see my girl. After we spoke on the phone yesterday, I knew I had to see her. I missed her so much, you have no idea. I have to be honest though, I didn’t expect to find her here with someone. She never mentioned it when we spoke.”

“Shut the hell up, Anthony,” Jess says through clenched teeth.

This rocks me to my core. She’s been talking to him all this time? My mind is reeling with the memories of the dozens of times we’ve been together. Her phone was always on silent, always turned over, so I couldn’t see who was calling. Was this all a game to her?

This time, I can’t hold back the shock on my face nor the accusations that come to my mouth. “You lied to me. You’ve been in touch with him this entire time?”

I cringe at the shakiness of my voice.

She holds up her hand to stop me. “No, Dax. I swear. He’s purposely giving you the wrong idea. I only talked to him one time, and that was to tell him to leave me alone.”

Anthony’s hand snakes out and grabs Jess’s wrist. “What the fuck is that? Is that an engagement ring?” His voice rises to a decibel he shouldn’t be capable of reaching.

Jess tries to pull her arm away, but Anthony doesn’t loosen his grip.

“Let go of me. You’re hurting my arm,” she pleads. She tries to pull away again, but Anthony doesn’t budge.

“I’ll let you go when you tell me how the hell you’re engaged when you were just engaged to me a month ago,” Anthony says menacingly.

I see the pain spill onto her face, and I can’t stand it. No matter what she’s done, I’m not going to allow her to be hurt.

“Remove your hand from her, or I’ll break your arm,” I say with deadly calm. “I usually don’t like to pick on puny guys who look like a strong breeze would blow them over, but I’d make an exception for you. Go ahead. Give me a reason to do it.”

Anthony takes one look at me and immediately snatches his hand away. “Whatever, asswipe. I’m not afraid of you.”

The little twerp’s false bravado actually brings out a real chuckle from my throat. It’s a pissed off I-want-to-smash-your-face-in chuckle, but a real one, nevertheless. “Then go ahead. Touch her again,” I taunt.

Anthony pins Jess with a look of hatred and leans in toward her. “If you’re trying to make me jealous by pretending to be engaged to him, it’s not going to work. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I’m not falling for it. Here’s the deal. If you want your condo back, you’ll get your ass up and come with me. I’m not discussing our personal matters in front of him.”

Instead of shrinking back further into the corner, as I expect, given the circumstances, she pulls herself upright. Her spine is rigid, and the look on her face is a frozen mask of immovability.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she says, her eyes glittering angrily. “I told you before, I don’t want anything more to do with you.”

Anthony’s lips turn up in a sardonic half smile. “Fine, it’s your funeral, bitch.”

The twerp finally did it. He broke the last straw that was holding my sanity together. I heave myself out of the booth and tower over him, one hand on the table and the other on the top edge of the booth.

“You heard the lady. She asked you to leave. I think you better get the hell out of here.”

Anthony sneers at me, his lips twisting up angrily. “Threaten me all you want, but she’s not getting the condo, and you’ll never get me to agree to sell it. You can have your dirty slut. I don’t need her anymore.”