Pushing himself from the mattress, Adrian lifted his weight from her and stood. “You gonna tell me what’s wrong?”
“This.” Jenna motioned toward his face as she scooted herself off the bed. “This is what’s wrong.”
“My face?”
“Thelookon your face when you thought I’d packed condoms. And threatening to kill anyone who dares to touch me? How dare you!” Daggers flew from her eyes as Jenna poked him in the chest. “Let me tell you something, buddy. I get that you saved my friend’s life. And yes, you pulled that jerk off of me when all that shit with Elle went down, but you gave upanyright to have a say in what orwhoI do the second you snuck out of my bed like a freaking coward.”
Jesus.The more pissed off she got, the more turned onhegot.
“I didn’t sneak out,” Adrian stated calmly. “I left. There’s a difference.”
Jenna dropped her hand. “You’re unbelievable, you know that?”
“Actually, I think the word you’re looking for is ‘unforgettable’.”
For fuck’s sake, shut the hell up.
“Get out.”
Shit. She was serious, and he’d clearly taken things a step too far. Time to retreat and recover.
“I’m sorry, okay?” That’s what women wanted to hear when they were mad, right?
A narrowed, suspicious gaze landed on his just before she asked him, “For what, exactly?”
Damn. The question was simple enough. So why did it feel like some sort of test?
“For…upsetting you?”
Jenna’s dark brows turned inward. “Are you asking me?”
“No. I mean, that’s why you’re mad, isn’t it?”
“I’m mad becauseyouwere mad.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
I was jealous. There’s a difference.
“Bullshit.” Jenna didn’t hesitate to call him on his crap. “You were pissed because you thought I might want to sleep with someone else while I’m here. Which, if you and I were actually dating, I could understand. But we’re not dating, Adrian. We’re not anything. You wanna know why?”
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Adrian casually adjusting his painful erection as he did. “I’m guessing you’re about to tell me.”
“Damn right, I’ll tell you. Drive-by, remember?” She put her hands on her hips again. “You showed up, we had sex, and you left. No note, no ‘thanks for the nice fuck’…nothing.”
Her choice of words made him flinch. For his entire adult life, when it came to women and sex, fucking was all he knew. But with Jenna, it had been different. Itfeltdifferent.
“You’re right,” he admitted quietly. “I shouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.”
For some reason, his comment saddened her. “It was a one-night stand, Adrian. Or one-morning stand. Whatever. It doesn’t matter.” She waved her hand in the air. “The point is, you can’t leave the way you did and then expect me to be celibate the rest of my life. And you sure as hell can’t just show up here and expect me to just fall right back into bed with you.”
“I told you. I’m here because Gabe and Ellena—”
“Need to mind their own business,” Jenna finished the sentence for him. “Look, Adrian…I appreciate the thought, but I’m a big girl, and I’ve been taking care of myself for a long damn time. So, you’re off the hook.”
His brows rose. “The hook?”
“You’re here out of some sort of misplaced obligation to keep me safe. But you don’t owe me anything.”