Fever (48 page)

emotional energy on this guy. He’s a big boy. You can’t make his decisions for him and, furthermore,

you damn sure shouldn’t feel guilty because you straightened out your life and he refuses to do the

same.”

“You’re right,” she murmured. “I know you’re right. But it’s hard. Really hard to just do a

complete one-eighty when for the last several years he’s all I’ve known. It’s natural for me to worry

about Jack because I’ve always worried about him.”

Ash cleared his throat. “There’s actually something else I wanted to talk to you about. Now is as

good a time as any since we’re alone. You and I have only seen each other a couple of times since

that first night, and it’s not exactly a topic I wanted to get into around other people.”

Heat suffused her cheeks. Oh God. He was going to bring up the night of the threesome.

Mortification seized her and she couldn’t meet his gaze.

“Honey, look at me,” Ash said gently.

She shot to her feet, leaving her mug on the coffee table and turned away to stare out the window

over the city. Outside, lights twinkled as day faded to night.

“Bethany.”

She jumped when she heard his voice directly behind her. He’d followed her to the window and

now she had no choice but to face him.

He touched her shoulder and she slowly turned to meet his gaze. There was warmth and

understanding in his eyes.

“I know you probably don’t think I’m good enough for him either,” she said in a low voice.

“Especially with how we met. That night . . .”

He put his fingers to her lips. “That’s bullshit,” he said bluntly. “I owe you a huge apology and I’m

going to say it now.”

Her eyes widened. “Why would you have anything to be sorry for?”

“Because in the beginning, I didn’t think you were a good idea for Jace. I’m his friend and I was

worried.”

She nodded, her heart sinking. Logically, she’d known his friends wouldn’t have embraced her in

his life, but somehow hearing it made it hurt more than thinking it on her own.

“I was wrong.”

She blinked. “You were?”

“I was one hundred percent wrong, honey. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to Jace. And I

brought up that night, not to make you uncomfortable, although that’s exactly what I’ve done, but

because I don’t want this awkwardness between us to go on. Jace is like a brother to me. We’ve been

friends for years. I don’t want that to change. You’re important to him. He’s important to me. Which

makes you important to me as well.”

“Really?” she whispered.

He smiled. “Yeah, really. I won’t say I didn’t enjoy that night. That’s a fact. You’re a beautiful,

desirable woman. Can’t change it. Don’t really want to. You’re special, Bethany. But I also know

Jace loves you a hell of a lot and I can see that you love him too. What I’d like is for us to be able to

put that night behind us and move forward. I’d like us to be friends.”

She smiled, her entire face widening with joy. “I’d like that too.”

He reached out and touched her cheek, caressing a line down her cheekbone with his thumb. “There

you have it then.”

“What the fuck is going on here?”

Jace’s voice exploded into the living room and Bethany jumped, Ash’s hand sliding from her face

as both she and Ash whirled in the direction of Jace’s voice.

Bethany’s eyes widened in alarm while Ash’s darkened with anger. Jace looked . . . furious.

• • •

The day had gone to hell fast with the departure of two investors for their Paris hotel project. Damn

it, he’d worked long and hard on getting them committed and now they’d waffled at the eleventh hour.

He and Gabe had spent most of the afternoon on the phone trying to find out what the fuck was up

and he’d left far later than he’d planned. All he wanted to do was see Bethany, take her for a nice

dinner and then make love the rest of the night. Tomorrow morning would suck because with the

withdrawal of the two largest investors, it was entirely possible others would follow suit. They had

to repair the problem and fast. Even if it meant sinking more of their own capital into the venture.

The doors opened and he was greeted by the sight of Bethany and Ash standing across the living

room in front of the window. And she was smiling. Her entire face was lit up like a goddamn

Christmas tree. It was the first time he’d seen her really smile with that much enthusiasm in a week.

She was looking at Ash like he’d just hung the fucking moon.

And then Ash touched her face. It wasn’t a casual gesture at all and it sent alarm bells clanging in

his head. There was an intimacy to that touch. And the look on Ash’s face. Tender. Affectionate.

What the fuck was going on?

His temper exploded, a result of a shitty day gone even shittier by finding Ash in his apartment,

touching his woman and her smiling at fucking Ash in a way she hadn’t smiled for him in days. All he

could think about was that night. Ash’s mouth on her skin, his dick inside her mouth, her ass. The

gasps of pleasure that Ash had wrung from her. It made him crazy.

“What the fuck is going on here?” he asked icily.

Ash and Bethany both whirled around to look at him, Ash’s hand sliding from Bethany’s face.

Bethany’s eyes widened in alarm while Ash immediately looked pissed off. Fuck that.

“Ash came by to see you,” Bethany said in a low voice.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Jace growled.

“You know what? Fuck you, man,” Ash snapped. “Can’t believe you’d come in here like this,

especially after all we had to say in the office today. Moreover, can’t believe you’d disrespect

Bethany this way.”

“The way I see it, I’m the one being disrespected in my own apartment,” Jace bit back.

“I’m out of here,” Ash snarled.

He paused and sent Bethany a look of apology.

“I’m sorry, honey. Really sorry. If you need anything, call me, okay?”

And that just set Jace off even more. That Ash was actually suggesting that Bethany would need him

as a result of whatever the fuck was going on here and now.

“I’m sorry too,” Bethany whispered.

Her face was a wreath of mortification, red suffusing her cheeks. As Ash stalked by Jace, he

muttered, “What a dick,” and then got into the elevator.

When Jace glanced back up at Bethany, prepared to demand an explanation, tears glittered in her

eyes and her shoulders were slumped in defeat. She wouldn’t even look at him.

His stomach knotted and he immediately regretted the conclusions he’d jumped to. He couldn’t

even call them conclusions. He’d lashed out because he was already pissed, frustrated and tired. All

he’d wanted was a quiet evening alone with Bethany and he’d arrived here to see Ash up close and

personal with Bethany.

Fuck, but he’d done it again. Spoke without thinking. And now Bethany was next to tears. He’d

embarrassed her and he’d pissed off his best friend. He was beginning to make a regular practice out

of being a first-class asshole.

“Bethany,” he said in a quiet voice as he closed the distance between them.

She flinched away the moment he tried to touch her. She turned her head, clearly trying to hide her

tears from him. And that pissed him off even more. Not at her. At himself. Because he’d fucked up.

“You still don’t trust me,” she whispered brokenly. “I don’t know why we’re doing this. I can’t do

this, Jace. I won’t be with a man who continues to think the worst of me when I’ve done nothing to

deserve it. I’ve given you everything. My trust, my heart. You may have given me material things, but

you’ve given me nothing that truly matters.”

“My love doesn’t matter?” he demanded.

This time she met his gaze with her liquid eyes. They were fiercely determined, her mouth drawn

into a tight line.

“You cannot stand there and tell me you love me when you think so poorly of me. You may be in

lust with me, you may be infatuated. But you do
not
love me.”

“Don’t tell me I don’t love you!”

His pulse was roaring in his ears and panic clawed at his throat. He damn well did love her, and

the hell of it was, he did trust her. After he’d calmed down, he knew damn well she and Ash weren’t

doing shit behind his back. He trusted her and he damn sure trusted his best friend. Neither of them

would ever do anything to betray him.

But he’d reacted emotionally and lashed out at the two people he cared most about. Because he

was a hotheaded dick with a shitty temper and a propensity for biting the people closest to him.

Jesus, he had to get his shit together. Starting right now.

“You say you love me, but your actions say otherwise.”

Her voice was quiet and resigned.

“Words are just words. The evidence is in how you act, how you react. What is wrong with you?

You never even asked what Ash was doing here. Didn’t ask why. Other than asking us what the fuck

was going on in that accusatory, shitty voice. And it wasn’t really a question you wanted an answer to

anyway. It was more of an ‘Aha! I caught you in the act!’”

Jace closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, baby. I know damn well you weren’t doing anything behind my

back. I knew it then too. I’m in a shitty mood, had a shitty day and I took it out on you and Ash.”

“Apologize to
him
,” she choked out. “You hurled a horrible insult at him. He’s your best friend.

You’ve been best friends for twenty years. You’ve only known me a few weeks, so I guess I can’t ask

for more in the trust department. But what you thought of him was just shitty.”

“I know. I know, baby. And yeah, I’ll absolutely apologize to him, but first I have to make it right

with you.”

“You can’t make this right,” she said sadly. “No amount of saying
I love you
and
I trust you
makes

it true when it isn’t.”

“What are you saying?” he whispered, fear paralyzing him.

“I’m going to pack my stuff and go. And no, I’m not running off or being irrational. But I can’t stay

here. Not anymore. I’ll go back to the other apartment. It’s not like Jack is there anyway. I’ll figure

out what to do next.”

As she started toward the bedroom, Jace caught her arm and pulled her roughly against his chest.

“No. You aren’t going,” he said with fierce determination. “The hell you’re going anywhere.

We’ve been over this, baby. You stay and fight. Throw something at me. Yell at me. Do whatever you

have to do. But you stay and fight for what we have.”

Her gaze was heavy and dull when she looked directly in his eyes.

“What good does it do for me to fight when you won’t?”

He sucked in his breath. Then he tightened his grips on her shoulders, curling his fingers inward to

keep him from shaking.

“You aren’t going anywhere tonight,” he growled. “It’s cold and it’s snowing. You stay here where

it’s safe.”

She closed her eyes, averting her face with a sigh. “Fine. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“The hell you will.”

He fingered her collar, flicking at the diamond.

“You sleep in my bed. That’s not negotiable. No fucking way you’re going to sleep on the couch.”

Her shoulders slumped even further and she wrenched away from his grasp. Without a word, she

walked toward the bedroom, leaving Jace kicking himself with every breath.

Christ. He had to catch Ash before this went too far. He had been a complete dick. He’d let

Bethany cool off. He’d catch Ash, apologize and then he’d come back to Bethany when emotions

weren’t running so high. And then he was going to grovel like hell and swear on all that was holy that

he’d hold his fucking tongue in the future.

He pulled out his cell and punched Ash’s number in.

“What the fuck do you want?” Ash demanded.

Jace winced at the fury in his friend’s voice.

“You very far?”

“I’m getting into the car now.”

“Don’t. Have him circle. I’ll be right down. Meet me in front.”

“Fuck you.”

“Just do it, Ash,” Jace said softly. “You and I both know I was an asshole. I’m not letting you leave

pissed off.”

“Too late for that,” Ash snapped.

“I’ll be down in two minutes.”

He disconnected the call and hoped like hell Ash wasn’t so pissed off that he wouldn’t come back

inside. He already felt like the biggest jackass on the planet.

Jace hurried into the elevator and rode down. When he got off, he made certain he positioned

himself where he’d see if Bethany tried to bolt. When he glanced toward the entrance, he was hugely

relieved to see Ash stalking back through the doors.

When Ash saw Jace, his features twisted into a glower and he strode to where Jace stood.

“What the fuck is your problem, man?” Ash demanded. “I cannot believe the shit you just pulled.

Apart from the fact that you insulted the hell out of me, you shit all over Bethany. A woman who has

done nothing but love you and put up with your bullshit from the start. You want to talk about being an

asshole the other day? What the fuck was that shit you pulled just now?”

Jace held up his hands. “I’m sorry, man. I know there wasn’t anything going on. I do. I don’t even