Ray
Ray kissed Sloane goodbye, then closed the door and headed for the elevator. He had tried to talk her out of meeting with Jack again, but she wouldn’t even hear of it. He would just have to learn to trust her. When she hadn’t caved and agreed to call off the meeting, he had tried to let her bring him along. No dice. She shook her head, smiling wryly. She could hardly have turned up to break up with Jack with her new boyfriend in tow. How would that have looked?
When Sloane had realized that was a no go too, he’d tried to talk her into letting him walk her to the bar. Nope. Not a chance. There was no way he would have just walked her there then left. He would have gone in with her, or at least made sure that Jack saw them together. Ray might not have had anything to hide, exactly, but she didn’t want to rub her new relationship in Jack’s face. They had never agreed to be exclusive, or even made it anything official, but Ray wasn’t the type of woman who dated more than one man at once. She hated that meeting Sloane had forced her to do just that, even if it was only for a couple of days.
In the end, Sloane had agreed to wait for her at home, and she could just imagine that he was in there right that second, wearing a hole in her hardwood floors. She’d promised him she’d be home as quickly as she could and wondered at what point during the last two days it had becometheirhome and not just hers. Sloane hadn’t moved in with her exactly, but it felt as if he had, and she wouldn’t have minded if did. She smiled to herself when she remembered the pout on his lips when he realized he wasn’t going to get his own way. It had been priceless and had almost made her laugh out loud, but she’d managed to keep her amusement contained. Just.
After stepping out of the elevator, she strode through the lobby then out onto the street before turning left and strolling along the sidewalk to get to the bar. She hoped Jack would be waiting for her inside, but he was standing out in the street and watched her approach.
“Hey,” he greeted her with a sigh. “It’s so good to see you. I’ve been worried.”
He leaned in to give her a kiss and she turned her head so that he kissed her cheek instead of her lips.
“Hey, Jack,” she said.
He looked at her strangely, a small frown marring his forehead before he walked to the bar door and held it open for her. Once inside, they headed for the bar and Jack ordered them drinks. Ray took a seat on one of the bar stools and after Jack had paid for the drinks, he slid his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans then hopped up onto the stool next to her.
“It’s so good to see that you’re okay,” he said. “After that madman grabbed you and kidnapped you, I was worried sick. I mean, I got your message to say that you were home and safe, but it wasn’t the same as hearing your voice, or seeing you.”
Ray tried to smile, but it came out as more of a wince. She glanced at the two women seated on the table nearest to them and realized they were both staring covertly at Jack and trying to catch his eye. She turned back to him and tried to see him objectively.
Jack had dark brown hair and tanned skin and a lithe, athletic body. He was undoubtedly good looking, but whereas she’d once been attracted to him, she was surprised to note that now, his looks held no appeal for her whatsoever. She may just as well have been staring at a shop mannequin for all the effect he had on her. And despite being good looking, he was nothing compared to Sloane, who gave her butterflies in her stomach every time he caught her eye.
She took a long sip of her wine, needing the Dutch courage for what she was about to do.
“Talk to me, Ray,” Jack said, leaning forward to put a hand on her knee. “Tell me what’s going on.”
She glanced at his hand and winced, wanting him to remove it. “I’m sorry, Jack, but I don’t want to see you anymore,” she said at last.
Jack blinked, staring at her in confusion. “What do you mean? Why not?”
She sighed. “It’s difficult to explain.”
“Well, try,” he snapped.
“I’m just not ready for a relationship,” she lied. “And I think it would be better if we didn’t see each other anymore.”
She grabbed her wine and took another long sip as he stared at her for a couple of beats.
“Has this got anything to do with the man that kidnapped you?” he asked. “Has he blackmailed you, threatened you?”
“What? No, of course not. He would never.”
Jack stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Are you defending the man that kidnapped you? Surely you weren’t with him long enough to get Stockholm Syndrome.”
“Don’t be silly,” she snapped. “This is nothing of the sort.”
“Then why don’t you tell me what it is, exactly?”
She frowned. “There’s nothing to tell. I just don’t want to see you anymore. I’m sorry. I would have told you over the phone, but I thought it was something I should do face to face.”
“How big of you,” he snapped, his face contorting into a sneer.
She got to her feet. There was absolutely no need to stay for a minute longer. She’d said what she’d come to say. It was time to go home to Sloane. But before she could walk away, Jack’s hand shot out and he grabbed her wrist, his fingers biting into her skin.
“Ow, Jack, what are you doing? You’re hurting me.”
“You’re gonna regret this,” he spat, his eyes colder than she’d ever seen them.
