Always Been You

Tim grinned at her. “Or maybe you actually find me very irresistible, and you are just looking for an excuse to spend time with me”

“Oh please. Get over yourself” Chloe said, rolling her eyes. “Did I forget to add proud to that list. Oh I did. You are such a brag too. Come on let’s go to class” she started to walk away and Tim followed her.

“So now we are going to class together now?” he said. “How cute. Who knows we might become best friends”

Chloe didn’t say anything. But she couldn’t help but smile.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“See,” Tim said. “You look beautiful when you smile. You should smile more often”

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Katherine hated every second of this god forsaken party. Yes, there were some people she was familiar with. Some even family friends now, but it was hard to enjoy a party when your husband’s ex was there to annoy you… And Shay had gone the extra mile tonight, without caring that she was there. Without caring that there were people around.

Katherine knew that if she stayed one more minute in that hall to watch Shay Trevor flirt with her husband one more time she was going to explode. So she simply excused herself and went into the bathroom.

The last thing she was ever going to do was embarrass herself and her husband in public by getting into a fight or an argument with Shay. She knew that was exactly what the woman wanted and she wasn’t going to give her that satisfaction.

She stared at herself in the mirror and touched up her makeup. Never in her life did she think she would have to fight over her husband with another woman.

But she wasn’t too surprised. Some women were just like that -without shame. And if Shay Trevor had decided to throw away her dignity, she wasn’t going to do the same. She was better than this. All she had to do was get through this damn party and she hoped that it would end real soon.

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“I have to admit, Jensen, I never expected you to go to these lengths.” Shay tsked, appearing at his side, her familiar scent teasing his nostrils.”I didn’t mean to piss you off. That was never my intention. I was just joking around, you know the way I am. You know me. I didn’t know your wife would take it so seriously, but anyways, since it has already happened, I’m going to use this as an opportunity to tell you how I really feel”.

Jensen frowned down at her. At one time, he’d found the floral fragrance alluring. Now it was just cloying. She trailed fingertips down his arm and over the back of his hand. Tilting her head to the side, she offered him what she probably considered a coy smile. She didn’t pull it off. Not when he knew the real woman behind the mask. He knew she was lying. He knew she had intentionally flirted with him, trying to piss Katherine off. Trying to make it seem like there was something going on between them.

He shifted his arm, knocking her hand away. Foolish as hell of him to think he could slip unseen into the closed-off room that reminded him of his den at home. He’d needed space and time to walk off the killing rage that had consumed him when Shay had almost caused a scene.

If not for Katherine, he would’ve caused one too at the party. But his name in that soft voice and the fear darkening her lovely eyes had stopped him. Reminding him that he had worked so hard for this day and he couldn’t let anyone ruin it.

Still, even with rage roiling inside him like a volcano set to blow, he hadn’t wanted to leave her alone when she went to the bathroom. He knew that she was hurt, and very angry. Who wouldn’t be? But she did a good job of keeping her emotions in control… For his sake.

But right after he marched into an empty room to cool off with a glass of bourbon from the bar, Shay appeared. Goddamn, he didn’t have the patience to deal with her machinations right now.

“What lengths, Shay ?” He asked her. He lifted the tumbler to his lips, downing the last of the dark alcohol before setting the glass on the mantel. “You knew exactly what you were doing. I don’t have time for your games.” he said.

“Time for me,” she corrected, assuming a hurt expression. “That’s what went wrong with us, you know? That’s why it didn’t work out between us. You spent so much time at the office or out of town at meetings, I felt neglected. I missed you and couldn’t stand the loneliness.”

He snorted, and anger blazed in his eyes. “You know whatever we had back then wasn’t serious. We both knew that. I made it clear to you. But even if it was, you thought now is the right moment to bring shit up?” he said.