When she glanced his way for confirmation, Jesse sent her a half grin. “Man to man.”
Or something like that.
His answer clearly surprised her. “Oh. Sure.”
While it was no secret that Deke had never liked him, Jesse was thankful Kimber’s hulk of a husband seemed willing to talk. He was the most no-nonsense, straight shooter Jesse knew. And he figured Deke’s unvarnished truths might come in handy about now.
“I get it, man. Good times and fast women are hard to turn down.” Deke took Kimber’s hand. Though the overhead lights cast a glow on his golden hair, no one would ever mistake the big operative for an angel. “But you should fucking stop acting your age in rock star years.”
“Rock star years?” What the hell was he talking about?
Deke cracked a smile. “Cut your age in half and add one.”
Mentally, Jesse did. “I’m not fifteen.”
“Then don’t act like it. Life isn’t about getting high or laid.”
“I’ve been sober for thirteen months.”
“That’s great!” Kimber praised.
“It is, but who knows that?” Deke raised a brow. “Who can corroborate that?” Into Jesse’s telling silence, Kimber’s husband went on. “Obviously, you’ve got an incredible career. It’s your character everyone is questioning. Stop behaving like a douche. Start being a man. It’s not complicated.”
Jesse clenched his jaw. But he’d asked for it, and Deke had never been one to candy coat.
He kept Candia’s plan to change his image to himself. First, the woman would likely change her mind. Second, that said fuck-all about what he intended to do. Paying someone was easy, but it didn’t mean shit. They’d only trot out smoke and mirrors for the world.
“He’s been through a lot,” Kimber argued with her husband. “That’s harsh.”
“Am I wrong?”
Jesse could only shake his head.
“See?” he said to his wife before he turned back to Jesse with a hard glance. “How about women? Still a different one every night?”
Jesse hated to answer with Kimber in the room. His wandering dick had only been one of the reasons she’d ended their engagement. He hated to admit he’d learned almost nothing since their breakup. “I’m no saint.”
“No shit,” Deke tossed back. “Last lay?”
“A couple of cities ago.”
“You remember her name?”
“No.” Jesse grimaced.
“So she didn’t mean anything to you?”
Jesse hesitated. But if he couldn’t be honest, what the hell was he doing? “Nothing.”
“Then why did you do her?”
She’d been eager, pretty, and available. “I guess…I didn’t have a reason not to.”
“If you want your life to have meaning, you have to treat all the parts of your life as if they’re meaningful.”
Deke’s advice surprised Jesse. The dangerous operative almost sounded philosophical. Kimber’s husband had always struck him as being long on intimidation and short on brains. Clearly, Jesse hadn’t seen past the brash and brawn.
His former fiancée scowled. “Deke’s right. I’m sure it feels good in the moment, but giving away parts of yourself to people who don’t value you beyond your fame will leave you feeling hollow.”
