He steps up to the desk and sticks his pointer finger at my face. “I never cheated on her. I have no idea where that fucking scrunchie came from!”
My smile can no longer be contained. “Funny how shit just turns up sometimes.”
He withdraws a couple steps and angles his head slightly, keeping his gaze on me. “Were you . . .” He narrows his eyes. “Were you at myhouse?”
I raise my eyebrows. “That’s a pretty bold accusation.”
Though, in this case, an accurate one.I can’t be sure if he used any of the condoms from the drawer to cheat on Kelly, but that’s not the point. Thor happened to mention he’d seen Jason talking with a woman at a bar the week before her birthday, nothing more than a laugh and a handshake, but it was enough for me to build the rest of the story. I don’t need proof to make her believe it. Perception is everything, and suspicion will always work harder than the truth.
Lucky for me, he cared more about his ego than his home security. I’d noticed that a water stain under one of his outdoor planters wasn’t centered beneath the flower pot. A quick lift and there was his spare key just waiting for the wrong person to find it.
Jason retreats another step. “What the fuck . . .” His eyes dart in the direction of Kelly’s laughter in the back of the shop, and I round the desk, blocking the path to her and standing my ground.
“This won’t play out the way you think it will,” he warns. “Trust me—it doesn’t end in your favor. I’ll tell her.”
“Yes it will, and you’re not going to mention my name. Remember . . . I know where you live.”
He releases the flowers from his grip and lunges for me. My fist connects with his face, and the snap of bone meeting cartilage echoes off the walls.
Jason drops with a grunt, his head bouncing off the hard floor. He sucks in a breath of air and I sink to my knees, crouching over him and landing another blow to his jaw, spraying blood across his cheek. The pound of adrenaline pulses through me—I don’t want to stop. He needs to learn exactly what happens when he fucks with what’s mine. She’s never been his, and if I have to physically remove him from the equation, I’ll do it.
His hands flail as he tries to gain purchase on my shirt, eventually curling his fingers into the fabric, and rearing back his other arm to clock me in the mouth. The impact of his knuckles splits my lip, and the taste of copper floods my palate.
He spits blood in my face and I laugh—he just wrote his name on his coffin.
“You’re a fucking psycho!” he stammers, blood pouring from his nose.
My palm finds his neck and I press my thumb to his windpipe, itching to feel it collapse under the stress. I increase the pressure and his eyes widen.
“You have no idea how big a psycho I can be.” I grin, lower my voice. “Walk into my shop again, and I’ll make you scream so fucking long the devil will ask me to keep it down.”
“Whoa.” Casper’s voice cuts in from beside me, and he reaches under my arms and pulls me back. “Thor! Need you up front,” he calls over his shoulder.
“I’ll fucking expose you,” Jason says through clenched, bloody teeth. He props up on his elbow and stabs a finger in my direction. “I’m not done with her. Over my dead body.”
Heavy footsteps sprint from the back of the shop. “Ah, shit,” Thor mutters, quickly assessing the situation.
“Have it your way.”
Casper tightens his hold, and Thor pushes me back.
“What’s going on—Oh my God!” Kelly shrieks.
“Kel!” Jason says, wide-eyed. “Your boss is a fuckin’—”
Thor grabs Jason by the collar of his shirt, hauls him up, and guides his shuffling feet toward the door. “Time to go.”
I shrug Casper off me and wipe my lip on my sleeve.
The bell rings over the door as Jason is shoved out of it. He points back at me through the window, pinning me with a scowl.
Kelly is glowering when I spin around. Not sure if it’s all the testosterone, but she looks hotter than ever when she’s furious.
She throws her arms out to the side and scowls. “The fuck just happened?” she whisper-shouts, trying not to attract attention from clients.
I scrub a hand over my face and wince when I hit my swollen cut lip.Damn, that stings.What am I supposed to say, the truth? Pass.
Her sharp stare burrows into my skin. I take back nothing. I’ve never had a problem exhibiting self-control, but after that letter and seeing her ex back-to-back, I didn’t stand a chance.
