Page 124 of Blush

Once Mandy and I are outside the club in the hallway, she turns on me.

“What was that all about?”

“You know damned well what that was about. What were you doing with him?”

“I didn’t know it was Ben.”

“For God’s sake, Mandy, he’s my boss.”

“Hello? Did you not hear me? I said I didn’t know that, Jack. What do you care? Why would you carewhoI play with at the club?”

I seethe in anger. In rage. But the rage…it’s morphing into something else. Shame.

“Mandy—”

“No, Jack. I can’t keep doing this.” She takes a deep breath and holds my gaze, her voice breaking. “What’s going on? You brought flowers to another woman, but you don’t want me to be with another man?”

Chapter Forty-Five

Amanda

Jackson opens his mouth, closes it, and finally opens it again. “Mandy…”

I stand, my arms wrapping around my middle.

He immediately removes his jacket and arranges it across my shoulders. “I’m sorry. You must be cold.”

His jacket smells like him—like pine and musk and cinnamon and man. He’s had that smell as far back as I can remember.

Once I’m covered, he whispers, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Seriously? He really thinks I’m going to just fall into line and be his amenable little bestie, his sweet and innocent submissive?

“No. I’m not going anywhere, Jack.” I unclasp the collar around my neck. I grab one of Jack’s large hands and place the color inside his open palm, close his fingers around it. “Please give this back to Ben. I’m done with both of you for tonight.”

“Don’t, Mandy—” His mouth comes down on mine again.

It would be so easy…so easy to melt into him…into his kiss… In a moment, I could be somewhere else in my mind, not in an empty hallway next to a BDSM club.

I could float away on a cloud of love and lust and promise, kissing Jackson with all my passion, all the love I feel for him.

So easy…

He deepens the kiss, and I welcome his tongue with mine. We kiss, we kiss, we kiss…

Until—

I break it with a loudsmack.

“Jackson, why can’t you play fair?”

I sniffle, but damn it, I willnotcry for this man. He’s put me through too much in the last week.

But I will give him one last chance. “Are you going to answer my question?”

He doesn’t reply.

Not that I thought he would.