You Know I Need You (You Are Mine #4) - Willow Winters Page 0,4
waving off my embarrassment.
I can’t believe how out of hand things have gotten. As a professional, I’m mortified.
“Please, Jacob.” I shake my head slightly then look up at him, staring into his eyes as I refuse to let him downplay everything, especially with a faint bruise hiding behind the five o’clock shadow along his strong jaw. “What happened the other day was ridiculous. Evan had no right to put his hands on you, and I want to thank you for not pressing charges.”
“I don’t blame him, Kat,” Jacob says and waves off my gratitude with an ease that catches me off guard. My heartbeat quickens and it’s the only thing I can hear for a brief moment while I take in his words.
“It’s fine, really. I mean it, I don’t blame him.”
I slowly take off my coat as I tell him, “I do. I know it looked a little off.” A feeling of confusion clouds my memory of what I’d planned to say.
I was going to thank him for not pressing charges.
Beg him not to hold it against the publishing agency.
And concede that I would not be his point of contact if he did choose go with us. Obviously, I can’t represent him after what happened. I’m prepared for that.
“Evan is in the wrong in every way, and I feel awful.”
“It wasn’t you who did it.” The comfort in his voice makes me slightly uneasy. The next words out of his mouth add to that nervousness. “I’m kinda glad he did.”
“Why?” I ask quietly, the nervousness changing to something else. I should stop this. I know that much. It’s a slippery slope I’m balancing on.
“You two split, right?”
“Yeah,” I answer him, and it makes my throat go dry. My chest feels hollow, with nothing there but the raw emotion I’m trying to ignore. What am I doing? I’m feeling something other than the agony that’s plagued me for weeks.
“He’s not acting like it, judging by the way he talks to you. He’s aggressive. He’s doing what my ex did to me. And I don’t like it.”
“I don’t know what Evan’s thinking right now, but this isn’t him. He isn’t like this.”
“Either way, I don’t blame him.”
I don’t know what to say back. There’s a tension between us that’s different from what I anticipated.
“I don’t like the way I saw him treat you,” Jacob states with a softened voice and then raises up his hands as if expecting me to protest. “I know I only saw a small piece.” He licks his lower lip and adds, “I just didn’t like it. So, if he’s going to take it out on me instead, I’ll take it.”
“It’s not like that,” I say, attempting to stop what he’s insinuating. “Evan doesn’t take anything out on me.”
“It’s just something about what I see between you guys. It gets to me.”
“Between us?”
“How you obviously care for him, even though it’s killing you,” he answers with a sadness in his eyes that could rival mine.
“Either way,” he continues, “I’m sorry and you don’t have a reason to be, so … let’s just agree to let it stay in the past?”
“I didn’t anticipate you being the one apologizing today.”
Jacob shrugs and it’s then I get an even better look at the faint bruise on his jaw. With the rough stubble, it almost blends in, but when I catch sight of it again, I cringe.
Jacob smiles at me and a masculine chuckle makes his T-shirt tighten on his broad shoulders.
“Seriously, Kat,” he tells me and moves his hand to the table, turning it so it’s palm up. “Don’t worry about it. I can see where he’s coming from.”
Jacob’s gaze flickers to his white mug. I glance down at it; it’s chai, and a warmth flows through me at the thought of getting myself one.
“So, we’re all good?” I ask him.
He shrugs again and takes a sip from his drink. “If you’re okay?” he finally answers, and okay is not exactly the word I’d use to describe myself right now.
“For you, miss,” a woman to my right announces, startling me and catching me by surprise. The barista I barely noticed when I first walked in sets down a mug identical to Jacob’s in front of me. The warming aroma of cinnamon mixed with nutmeg hits me immediately and I welcome the scent.
“Thank you,” I tell her although my eyes are on Jacob.
“I thought you’d like it,” he says, answering the unspoken question with a grin. “I know the shop is