Instead, I turned back to the room and I was trying to decide between the CEO of a company I knew Alex wanted me to woo and a CFO Nate had asked to me to talk to when a soft, familiar laugh drifted to my ears.
As soon as I heard it, my entire brain just stopped. Everything else in the room faded out instantly, every other noise dulling to a distant hum.
No. No way.
I turned on instinct, like a puppet on a fucking string, and there she was. Jacque.
She stood across the room, her thick dark hair falling over her shoulders in soft waves. She wore a deep red dress that hugged her in all the right places, instantly making me want to tear it off her.
Holy shit.
She looked unbelievable, even just standing there, talking to some old woman. It was like the old woman wasn’t even there, though. Not to me.
Relief, shock, and want all tangled together deep within, making it hard to breathe as I watched her. I didn’t know just what the universe was playing at tonight, bringing us together here, in a different city and the last place in the world I’d have expected her, but I couldn’t say I was opposed to it.
After a whole week of not seeing her at all, I’d take it. Even if it was probably going to end with either nothing—or her taking my heart and ripping it out all over again.
CHAPTER 40
JACQUELINE
New York was a big city. A massive one, actually. Every single day, millions of people moved through it, living entire lives I would never touch or intersect with, and yet, out of the thousands of men who could’ve been taking up space at this bar tonight, therehewas.
Jesse fucking Westwood.
Looking right at me with those hungry eyes I knew so well.
My breath caught when I saw him, my fingers tightening around the stem of my glass. I shouldn’t have been surprised he was here, or that he was surrounded by women, all of whom seemed to be vying for his attention, but somehow, it caught me utterly off guard anyway.
Jealousy swelled up like a beast rising from the depths of my soul at the sight of him looking as handsome as always, but with other women keeping him company tonight. Abruptly, I tore my gaze away and tried to ignore the stabbing jealousy and the intent desire to go over there, deciding instead that I was absolutelynotdoing this.
I wasn’t going to stand across a crowded room, having some kind of silent, emotionally charged moment with my sort-of exlike we were in a movie. We’d ended things. It still hurt and I still wished it hadn’t been necessary, but he and I were over.
Yet, my brain betrayed me immediately.Because I dream about those eyes. Every night.
“Jacqueline?”
I blinked hard as I snapped back to reality, remembering that I’d been speaking to an elderly client of our firm and some of her friends. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Evans. Did you say something?”
“Oh, no.” She waved me off. “Don’t worry, dear. Are you alright? You’re looking a bit pale of all of a sudden.”
“I’m fine,” I lied, forcing a smile to my face. “I just saw someone I thought I recognized.”
She laughed. “That happens to me all the time. These things are so exhausting that even one’s eyes eventually start playing tricks on you.”
I nodded, pretending to tune back into the conversation between her and our group, but it was like I could feel his eyes on me. It burned into my skin, a tingling awareness that he was tracking me no matter where I went or who I spoke to.
I didn’t look back at him, knowing exactly what I’d find if I did. He would still be watching me and I didn’t trust myself with that. Especially since evidently he was already moving on, utilizing the party as an opportunity to pick up women.
So I laughed when I was supposed to and contributed just enough to every conversation not to be accused of having been completely disengaged this evening. I was so intent on pretending none of what Jesse was doing bothered me that I lost track of how long I’d been here, how many conversations I’d half-listened to, and how many times I’d had to stop myself from turning around.
Until eventually, I just couldn’t do it anymore. As the evening progressed, I’d kept feeling his eyes on me and it was starting to drive me to tears. Jesse, with that disheveled dark hair, hiscollar somehow already undone, and the casual ease with which he moved, was just too close.
At all times.
“I’m going to get some air,” I said, stepping away from the latest group I’d been part of before anyone could question me.
I slipped away quickly, weaving through the crowd until I found a quieter section of the venue. It was less crowded here, a smaller conference room away from the makeshift bar area that had been constructed overlooking a balcony.
