Make Me Hate You(16)

“Oh, that’s right!” I sat up, excited. “You’re going to look so hot with all that sweat dripping off you. Send me some behind-the-scenes clips?”

I waggled my brows, and Jacob shook his head, though his eyes devoured me hungrily then, especially when he saw my hardened nipples under the tank top I was wearing, the thin, built-in bra doing nothing to hide my arousal.

“Why don’t you call me tomorrow night, and I’ll give you a private show?”

I made a lewd gesture that had us both laughing, and then I sighed, leaning toward the screen to study his smile. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“Just trying to keep up with my superstar girlfriend.”

I scoffed.

“I’m serious,” he said. “Don’t downplay what you’ve built, Jaz. It’s amazing. Trust me, I know a lot of podcasters, and none of theirs are as lucrative as yours.”

I flushed, tucking the strands of hair falling from the messy bun on my head behind my ears. “It feels surreal sometimes,” I admitted. “Like someone is going to call me one of these days and tell me they made a mistake and all those deposits in my bank account were meant for someone else and they need all the money back.”

Jacob chuckled. “Well, believe it, babe. That green is all yours.”

“Speaking of which,” I said, stomach churning a little. “I really need to figure out a budget and how to save. I’ve never seen money like this in my life,” I admitted, which wasn’t news to Jacob. He knew everything about my past, about my upbringing, and though I never told him exact numbers, he knew I made well over six figures with my business now.

“I don’t think you’re being irresponsible with it.”

“No, not too much,” I said, but inside, I felt the exact opposite. No one knew the amount of online shopping I did.

And oh, did I do it.

“I travel a lot, though, and buy without thinking. I don’t even look, because I know the money’s in there, you know? And I’m not saving anything for retirement, or for a rainy day…” I shrugged. “I just think I need to grow up a bit. I’m twenty-five, and I have this really successful business for now. But, it’s not guaranteed to last. The podcast could tank tomorrow, social media could die, and all my revenue from endorsements and ads and my shop would go down along with it.”

“That won’t happen.”

“It could,” I said, and that part of my chest that flared to life at anything uncomfortable had me inhaling a stiff breath and forcing a smile. “But, we don’t need to worry about that right now.”

That was my M.O. Anytime something got too serious, too real, I’d assure myself and everyone around me that everything was fine and there was no need to worry.

And I’d believe it.

Right up until the point everything blew up.

“Okay, then,” Jacob said, letting me change the subject. He arched a brow. “Have you ran into the dreaded boy who broke your heart yet?”

I nearly choked, because though I’d wanted to change the subject, this was not what I had in mind.

Again, Jacob knew everything about me — including the main reason why I avoided coming back to Bridgechester after I left. Yes, the memories of my mother played a huge role in that decision, but more so, it was that I couldn’t face Tyler after he’d touched me the way he had and then changed his mind, saying it was a mistake, taking it all back.

I had never told Jacob the name of the mystery boy who broke my heart, and I was thankful for that fact now.

“I don’t want to talk about that either,” I said, which was a clever, albeit selfish way to avoid the subject without outright lying to him.

Thankfully, I knew Jacob’s sexual appetite was as healthy as mine, and with me being gone for a few days already, I knew just the way to get his mind off everything else.

I bit my lip, leaning forward and playing with the neckline of my running tank as Jacob’s eyes heated. He watched the trail of my fingers and I could almost see it, the way his cock would twitch to life just before his erection started growing.

“You look so hot right now,” I husked. “You know what you should do?”

His eyes darkened with lust. “What’s that?”

I smirked, licking my lips as my fingers dipped under my tank top. “You should—”

Suddenly, there was a commotion of voices outside my bedroom door, and then it flew open without so much as a knock. I ripped my hand from under my shirt just as a shadow of something disappeared around the corner, and Morgan bounded inside my room and onto the bed, tackling me in a hug that sent me down into the mess of sheets.

“IT’S BACHELORETTE PARTY DAY!”

She was still in her pink-and-white-striped pajama shorts and matching tank top, her short hair a frizzy mess that rivaled mine. I laughed as she squeezed me tight and then bounced on her knees on the bed like a seven-year-old at her first sleepover. When she realized Jacob was on my laptop screen, she flopped down on her stomach, face right up on the camera.

“Oh my gosh. Hiiii, Jacob!”

“Hey there, Morgan,” he said on a chuckle.

“I can’t wait to meet you in real life next weekend!”

“I can’t wait either. I’ve heard a lot about you.”