Chapter 14: Breaking Point.
*Jane*
I jumped back like I’d touched something hot. My heart was
practically in my throat, but I forced myself to look up.
“Oh sorry” he muttered, backing away quickly.
It was just the janitor.
Who was I kidding? It didn’t just look bad, it sounded even
worse. No one would ever believe Aaron and I were in here just
‘talking.‘ Did it matter what people thought? Everyone already
knew Xander wasn’t faithful to me. Would it be so scandalous
to think I needed some comfort too?
I cleared my throat and straightened my clothing. “Will… how
are you doing today?”
His eyes dropped to the limited space between me and Aaron…
and then lower, to my blouse. Shit. I fought to urge to redo my
buttons, knowing that would just make everything look worse.
“F–fine, Luna Jane. I was just doing my rounds.”
I nodded briskly. “Well, we’ll leave you to it, then.”
Chapter 14 Breaking Point
I shot Aaron a quick look, screamed ‘follow me‘ and stepped out
of the closet like nothing had happened. I was so embarrassed, I
wanted to crawl into a hole and die. To think I woke up this
morning feeling my best. Everything had gone down the drain
pretty quickly.
And as for what almost happened between Aaron and me… I
didn’t even want to think about it. That incident had affected
both me and my wolf. She’d wanted to be close to him. It felt like
his wolf had called out to mine, and that frightened me. So, I
needed to put this all behind me.
My wolf lent me the strength to school my expression, fixing a
professional smile on my face as we stepped back into the main
office area. “And that is the supply closet on this floor,” I said,
loud enough for Will to hear. “I’ll show you to the Sales
Department next.”
Before I could even take a step forward, Aaron wrapped his
hand around my tour. “Jane…” he was looking at me like he
wanted to continue what had almost transpired. I couldn’t let
him go there.
I pushed his hand away slowly. “The Sales department is right
ahead.”
“I don’t need to see any more.” He sighed. That wasn’t what I
Chapter 14: Breaking Point
expected him to say. “I mean I can slowly learn more about the
company while we pretend to be a couple. So, you don’t need to
continue with the tour.”
Again with this couple stuff. It wasn’t a good idea. I knew it in
my gut. But the way he was smiling at me, I wasn’t sure I had
the strength to be direct. “I didn’t agree to that yet. I’m not sure
how that would work.”
He nodded, rocking on his heel a little. “I get it. You need time to
process everything that has happened. Take your time, think
about it, let me know what you think. I’ll be waiting.”
I smiled up at him in appreciation. He was right. I needed time to
process… everything. Deep down, I knew what had to be done
and I wasn’t sure if I was hesitant because of Xander or because
I feared what could happen with Aaron if I let myself fall.
“Well, I should get going,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck,
in a crooked self–conscious smile. “Say goodbye to Xander for
me.”
“Sure I will.”
I stood frozen, watching him go. Even from behind, he looked
unfairly good. I’d spent the entire day trying to keep my
distance… and now that he was finally leaving, all I wanted was
for him to stay.
Chapter 14: Breaking Point
Just as he reached the end of the hall, Aaron turned, catching
me mid–stare.
And then he winked.
I gasped and turned around. I could feel my cheeks turning red.
Shit. I was mortified. Caught red–handed, staring after Aaron
like a love–struck idiot. I’d completely forgotten about Xander
for a second while I was staring at Aaron. But now that he was
gone, reality came crashing down.
I had other obligations, so I needed to get my head on straight.
After a long, emotional day, the first sight I was confronted with
was that of my husband and his Beta cuddling on MY couch.
The same damn movie I and Xander used to watch almost every
weekend was playing on the screen. I waited to see if Xander
would sense my scent, if our wolves would react to having the
other near. But there was nothing.
I exhaled slowly and turned toward the stairs, ready to
disappear into the safety of my room when a voice called out to
- me.
“Jane!” Mia yelled.
Chapter 14: Breaking Point.
I paused.
“We’ve been waiting for you.” She turned to look at Xander as if
she wanted him to corroborate. He gave a half–hearted nod.
“How was your day?”
“Fine,” I mumbled.
Xander didn’t even glance up from the screen as he spoke. “How
did the meeting with Martinez go?”
Really? It sounded like he was speaking to an employee and not
his mate. “The collaboration is going smoothly.”
Finally, he looked at me, and when he smiled, it was like
someone had flipped a switch. One would think the way to his
heart was through business. “That’s great, Jane. Martinez has
been really difficult. I knew you’d be able to handle him. You
just have that special touch.”
Mia’s face turned sour at the praise. She only seemed to ‘like‘ me
when Xander was angry with me or ignoring me altogether.
She leaned in and pressed a hand to his cheek, pulling him into a
kiss. “Come on, baby. We’re going to miss the best part.”
Now I felt sour. I shook my head and turned away from them. I
abandoned the stairs and wandered into the kitchen. The
whiskey was already out on the counter so I poured myself a
Chapter 14: Breaking Point
generous glass. As I moved to take a sip, I heard them giggling.
Well, I guess I would be returning to my room now.
I definitely didn’t want to interact with them again, so I grabbed
my drink and tried to slip away unnoticed, but again, someone
called out to me.
“Are you trying to drown your sorrows, Jane?” Xander asked,
looking smug. “Seeing as your ‘boyfriend‘ didn’t show up.”
“Oh!” Mia perked up, looking too excited for my comfort. “I
received the most interesting video today. Would you like to
take a look Jane?”
Xander frowned. “What video?”
Mia held up her phone, her face scrunched in confusion. “It’s… it‘
s security footage. From the office.”
Oh, god. No.
She was already reaching for her phone before I could even say
anything. I should’ve walked away. I knew I should have. But
something made me move closer, leaning in to peer down at her
screen.
And boy did I regret it.
Chapter 14: Breaking Point
Because right there on the screen was the scene I’d been trying
to forget… Aaron and I pressed together in that damned supply
closet.
