Before You (Before You #1)(59)

As she walked into the lobby, she immediately spotted Jax’s beautifully toned frame. He was leaning against the ornate fireplace of the lobby lounge, a glass of amber whiskey in one perfectly sculpted hand, talking to someone. Bre could hear the husky tone of his voice, but she couldn’t hear his words or see to whom he was talking.

Bre hesitantly walked toward Jax and his companion, trying to overhear the conversation. She tilted her head slightly to get a better look at them. Her head was bent, and she seemed to be upset, but from the white color of her hair, Bre knew immediately that it was Anna.

Bre froze, but not before she bumped into a table, jarring a vase. She caught it before it fell, but the noise caused Anna to look up. Bre stiffened as she saw the mascara stained tears streaming down her face. Feeling like an intruder, she started backing out of the lounge area without turning around.

Clearly annoyed that Bre had interrupted something personal and intimate, Anna’s eyes narrowed in malice. “What are you doing here? Does watching me cry make you happy?”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. I was just… leaving. Jax, tell Cam I left. I’m not feeling well. Have a good night.” If she needed any further evidence that she should have stayed home this weekend, this was it. She didn’t know what Jax just told Anna, but clearly it was not something that boded well for her.

Placing his glass on the fireplace mantle, Jax leaned toward Anna and whispered something in her ear. Anna roughly wiped her eyes and said, “See you later, Jax. Thanks for trying.”

Feeling sick to her stomach, Bre turned to flee from the lounge area. Nauseous with the thought of what Jax had told Anna, she briefly considered catching a taxi to the airport. This whole weekend was a colossal disaster and she didn’t think she could stomach staying for two more days.

Halfway to the front doors, Bre felt Jax come up behind her and grab her wrist.

“Bre, don’t leave.” Turning to look at him, Jax’s eyes were hard and cold.

“Go find Anna. She’s clearly upset. I’m not your concern.” Yanking her wrist out of his hand, she started walking away from him again.

“Anna’s not my concern, either.”

Furious, Bre turned around to look at him. “What the hell did you say to make her hate me?”

Jax unbuttoned his jacket. “I have nothing to do with why she doesn’t like you.”

“Right, you’re clearly with her. You were practically molesting her on the dance floor.”

“Were you jealous?” Jax smirked.

She turned to look away from him. She knew she shouldn’t be mad or jealous, but telling her mind something didn’t make the feeling go away. “Yes, damn you, Jax. It bothered me, okay? Are you happy? I just thought it would take you more than a few hours to find a replacement.”

“She’s not a replacement. I told you at lunch that I’ve never dated Anna. I’m not interested in her, but at the same time, I’m not going to sit around and watch you be with Cam, either.”

“What are you going to do? Let every girl hang on you so you can prove how inconsequential I am to you? Is that your agenda tonight and for the rest of the weekend?”

“I don’t think we should talk about this in the middle of a hotel lounge when Cam could walk by at any minute.” He lifted his glass, taking a sip of the whiskey.

“You’re right. I’m leaving, so forget this conversation ever happened.”

He grabbed her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “No, let’s go somewhere private. This has to end, Bre. We can’t keep doing this,” he said, his jaw clenched.

“Fine, let’s finish this.”

Pulling Bre’s hand firmly, but gently, he steered her out of the lobby back toward the ballroom. Bre stopped. “I’m not going back in there,” she whispered, her eyes searching his.

Untangling their hands, he pushed the hair that had fallen out of her chignon behind her ear, and they both froze, staring at each other until the tension became almost intolerable. Her eyes dropped to his mouth and she leaned imperceptibly toward him, just barely stopping herself from kissing him. Releasing a shaky breath, she raised her gaze back to his. His eyes were smoky and heated.

Just when she didn’t think she could resist the draw between them any longer, Alec came out of the ballroom, pausing in front of them. His dark eyes flashed, taking in every detail and connection between Bre and Jax. “What’s going on?”

Dropping his hand from Bre’s face without looking at Alec, Jax said in a dark voice, “Nothing. Bre doesn’t feel well. She’s going home. I offered to walk her to the door.”

Alec ignored Jax’s response, but instead he kept his gaze trained on Bre. “Do you want me to find Cam?”

“No. I’ll text him on my way back to his place. I don’t want him to think he needs to leave with me. He should stay and have fun.”

“Do you want me to drive you home? I’m ready to leave. I hate these type of events,” Alec inquired.

“No,” Bre responded firmly.

Alec nodded and walked toward the bathroom.

Jax pulled Bre in the opposite direction down the hall and deeper into the labyrinth of the hotel until he found an empty, windowless, conference room that looked as though the hotel used it for small meetings. Drinks were abandoned on the table and papers littered the surface. Jax closed the door behind them. It was quiet except for the sound of faint laughter and music drifting from the ballroom down the hall.