Neighbours in Love 2: Trusting the Enemy Next Door
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Elle Fielding
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36
Venom-Filled Words
Book 2: Trusting the Enemy Next Door
JESS
Thou shalt not covet thy best friend’s boyfriend.
That’s a rule I’ve always been able to follow, until Logan Jacobs came into the picture. Now, it’s a rule I can’t seem to stop breaking.
Take this moment, for example. I’m dancing with Logan in a crowded nightclub. It’s supposed to be an innocent dance, a way to deter the persistent guy who won’t stop hitting on me.
And it is innocent—from Logan’s perspective. But from mine? My heart pounds every time our eyes lock. I relish the feel of his hands on my hips a little too much. And then there’s the warmth that kindles low in my stomach every time I imagine pressing myself against him.
I’m attracted to Logan, and I’ve never felt more guilty about anything in my life. Logan glances over my shoulder and grins. I don’t need to turn around to know that he’s grinning at my best friend.
Logan isn’t just handsome—a blond god in human form—he’s also intelligent. Intelligent enough to recognize that my best friend is the whole package. Finally, Kristy has found a good guy.
And I think that’s what I appreciate most about Logan, the way he treats my friend. The way he adores her. I continue to smile and dance with Logan, waiting for Kristy to join us.
But I freeze when she approaches us and I see the look on her face. She’s gazing at Logan and me as if we’ve just torn her heart out.
“Kristy!” I quickly remove my hands from Logan and step back. “Logan said you were looking for me. I’m sorry, I was dancing with some jerk who wouldn’t keep his hands to himself. When I saw Logan, I asked him to dance with me so the guy would leave me alone. I hope you don’t mind.”
Her last two boyfriends both made a pass at me without any encouragement from me, so maybe I should have expected her reaction. But she should trust me.
Even if I have feelings for Logan, and I was just daydreaming about him, I would never let anything happen between us. He could be the last man on earth, and I’d still never touch him. Not when my friendship with Kristy is on the line.
I value her friendship more than anything else. She’s the only person who matters to me, and she should know that. After a moment, Kristy exhales and nods. Thank God.
She remembers that I’m on her side—that she’s my rock and I’m hers. Or at least I used to be her rock. Now, I suspect that honor belongs to Logan.
“It’s fine,” she says, placing her hand on my arm to reassure me. “But are you okay? I saw Alfie dancing intimately with someone else.”
I tear my gaze away from her to look at Alfie. My ex-fiancé as of tonight. Not that Kristy knows about his new status in my life just yet. Our breakup happened half an hour after we arrived at the club.
Watching Alfie dancing with a girl in a too-tight skirt and top, his hands roaming over her hips, butt, and thighs, I wish I felt something more than a fleeting pang of disappointment. Sadly, my feelings for Alfie—like every man I’ve dated before him—are indifferent at best.
Did I want to believe it could be different with Alfie? That I could let myself go and surrender to the madness of falling in love? Yes, but only because, for a short time, I thought we might be having a baby together.
Before the plane had even landed in Melbourne, I knew him leaving Italy to come home with me had been a mistake. I should have told him then that I’d changed my mind about our relationship, but I was weak. And then he kept me company while Kristy spent time with Logan.
I shrug and smile at Kristy, showing her I’m not hurt. “Easy come, easy go. He’s free to play.”
Her warm blue eyes are filled with concern and confusion. “But Jess, you’re engaged!”
“Don’t worry about it, K. Alfie and I… It’s over between us, and I’m okay with that.” I glance between her and Logan and smile. “We never had what you guys have.”
“I don’t understand, Jess. He came to Australia with you. I thought you were going to get married. I thought this was the real deal.”
Disappointment clouds her gaze as she studies me. I know she’s not disappointed in me, just for me. Still, her disappointment stings.
Kristy knows me better than anyone. She knows that companionship and sex are the only things that interest me about the opposite sex. Well, they were before I met Logan.
Seeing how Logan acts with Kristy makes me yearn for a deeper connection than I’ve experienced before. It makes me yearn for him, even though I know he and I will never happen.
I give Kristy the most reassuring smile I can muster. “Things with Alfie are complicated, but it was a mistake to think we could make it work. I’ll explain it all later. Right now, I just want to dance for a bit. Let loose.”
Seeing Kristy’s worried expression, I wink at her and walk away. I head straight for the bar, in need of a drink.
I’ve never been one to knock them back. After all, one doesn’t land the high-profile modeling jobs I do with a reputation as a party girl, but tonight I want the lift a sweet, girly cocktail can give me.
I politely decline the three different men at the bar who offer to buy me a drink and instead pay for my own. Then, drink in hand, I turn back to watch Logan and Kristy dance together again.
The way he looks at her, touches her, loves her… The two of them are lost in each other, their minds filled with each other. I should look away, but I can’t.
Their feelings are a magnet, drawing my gaze. What does it feel like to be so wrapped up in someone that nothing else matters but them? Have I done the wrong thing by keeping every man at a distance?
If Logan and I had met first, would he have been like that with me?
“Kristy needs to watch her back, doesn’t she?”
Whirling around, I see Logan’s best friend standing less than a foot away from me. Adam Granger’s navy-blue eyes are filled with disgust as they meet mine.
The same confusion and anxiety I always feel in his presence make me want to flee. I’m always in control. Cool, calm, and collected. Nobody gets under my skin, but Adam comes close.
There’s something about the way he looks at me, as though he can see my deepest, darkest secrets and despises me for them, that unnerves me. It’s as if he can’t stand the sight of me.
The last time I saw him in the bustling club, he was swaying to the beat with a petite, busty brunette, their bodies melded together. I wish he was still lost in the rhythm with her instead of standing here, shooting daggers at me with his eyes.
I brace myself for the inevitable confrontation, meeting his gaze head-on and feigning indifference to his sudden presence.
“What are you talking about, Adam?”
He shakes his head, disbelief etched on his face. “You’re obviously into Logan. But he’s with Kristy, so you need to stop pursuing what isn’t yours and leave them be.”
A rush of adrenaline and fear sweeps over me as his words hit home. He knows. He knows I’m attracted to Logan.
I thought I’d done a good job of concealing my feelings for Logan, and maybe I’ve managed to keep everyone else in the dark. But Adam sees what others miss.
He’s a popular radio host, known for his sharp insights into life and his provocative celebrity interviews. He earns his living by speaking his mind and unearthing people’s secrets.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I retort, feigning confidence.
“I’m not a fool, Jess. The way you were looking at him while you two were dancing was a dead giveaway. Plus, you’re always gazing at him. Even though you’ve got your handsome Italian boyfriend here.”
I want to deny it, but I don’t want him to see how much he’s shaken me.
“And how would you know that? Have you been watching me the whole time?” I flutter my eyelashes, laying on the charm thick. Maybe I can irritate him enough to make him leave. “Have you been keeping an eye on me, Adam?”
His expression darkens, a muscle in his jaw twitching. I know he’s not interested in me, but it’s amusing to see how repulsed he is by the idea.
It would be funny if he didn’t look like he could strangle me right here and now.
“I’m concerned about Kristy. That’s why I’ve been watching you.”
“You don’t need to worry. I would never do anything like that.”
“But you want him, don’t you?”
He steps closer, his eyes flashing with anger. He’s never been this close to me before, and I realize he’s taller than I thought. Six-foot-three at least, maybe six-foot-four.
His dark-brown hair is styled in a messy, gelled look instead of hanging over his forehead. It adds to his height, making me feel small, which is unusual considering I’m five-foot-ten and a half—taller in heels.
I take in his chiseled jaw, full lips, and high cheekbones, surprised to find he has a face better suited for television than radio.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I manage to say, my breath hitching.
“You can’t even admit it. You disgust me.”
“Your opinion of me doesn’t matter, Adam.”
“You’ve been treated differently because you’re beautiful, and now you think you’re better than everyone else.”
I swallow hard, taken aback by the venom in his words. I wonder which beautiful woman broke his heart and turned him into such a jerk.
I’ve met men like Adam before—men who despise women because of a bad experience. But they eventually warmed up to me. Everyone does. Everyone except Adam.
His comment is personal. And I’m not sure how to handle it or why I even care. Maybe it’s because he’s Logan’s best friend, or maybe it’s because he’s the first person who has ever truly disliked me.
Whatever the reason, I refuse to let him see that his animosity affects me.
“You have a problem with beautiful women, Adam?” I rise on my tiptoes, bringing our faces closer together, trying to match his height and pretend he doesn’t intimidate me. “Did some cheerleader dump you at prom, and now you’re out for revenge?”
His eyes harden. “You don’t know anything about me, princess. Don’t pretend for a second that you do.”
“You don’t know me, either.”
“I know your type. You’re the kind of woman who uses her looks to hide her biggest flaw.”
“And what, pray tell, is my biggest flaw?” I don’t want to know his opinion. I really don’t, but the question slips out before I can stop it.
“Ugliness.” He lets the word hang in the air for a moment. “I see you for who you are. You may look good on the outside, but underneath, you’re hideous.”
His words, laced with venom, leave me gasping for breath. My heels hit the floor. No one has ever spoken to me like that before, let alone said something so cruel.
Finally, he steps back, and I try to take a deep breath, but the pain in my chest makes it difficult as I replay his words in my head.
“Stay away from my friends, princess,” Adam warns. “Leave them alone, or you’ll wish you never met me.”
His friends? Logan and Kristy are my friends, too. And I have no intention of letting Kristy go.
I force a smile, hoping it doesn’t betray my trembling hands. My body is shaking from the harsh exchange.
“I already do, Adam. Don’t you worry about that,” I say.
I finish my drink and head back to the bar. My hand is still shaking as I set down the empty glass and signal the bartender for another.
I hate that Adam gets under my skin. He shouldn’t have any power over me, yet every time we’re in the same room, I find myself trying to avoid him.
I hate that his words affect me so much. I hate that he shatters the self-control I always maintain and that his words hurt.
The only person who matters to me is Kristy. Her opinion is the only one that counts.
My stomach drops at the thought of Adam warning Kristy to be wary of me. What if she believes him?
I don’t want to think she will, but the look on her face when she saw me dancing with Logan? It makes me think she might. I can’t bear the thought.
I’ve never seen her as happy as she is now. Knowing that I desire Logan will ruin it for her. She’ll doubt Logan’s loyalty, even though he’s completely devoted to her.
She’ll be on edge, waiting for something to happen between him and me, waiting for him to choose me over her because her last two boyfriends did.
I can’t let that happen.
Just yesterday, my agent rang me up with a job proposition—a part on a fresh game show in London. I initially declined, having just returned to Australia after a lengthy absence.
I was concerned about leaving Kristy alone again, especially since I’d missed her like crazy during my previous trip. But now, Kristy isn’t alone, and maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to give myself some space to deal with these feelings I have for Logan.
“Or you’ll wish you never met me.”
Perhaps Adam would be more likely to keep his trap shut if I were in London. I despise the idea of succumbing to Adam’s threats, but the alternative—Kristy’s unhappiness—is simply unacceptable. Maybe the kindest thing I can do for her is to step back and let her enjoy her new relationship.
We’ll have to figure out what to do with the lease for the place we’re currently sharing. She might decide to move next door with Logan. Or maybe he’ll move in with her.
Whatever she chooses, I’m okay with it. She’s flourishing with Logan, and she’s never been less dependent on me. So what if I need her?
So what if her absence will hurt me more than anything else?
I observe Kristy as she gazes at Logan, her eyes brimming with adoration. She wraps her arms around his neck, a radiant smile on her face.
I decide to call my agent first thing tomorrow morning to see if I can reconsider the job offer. It’s time for me to leave Australia once more.
