Love is a Battlefield

by Vivian Arend

  There was nowhere she would rather have him.

  Letting herself into the apartment felt eerily like entering a tomb. A mess of boxes lay scattered in the living room, items pouring out of the top of them as if they’d been hastily filled.

  Jack moved in front of her defensively, and Pepper didn’t bother to protest. She called out a warning. “Kendra. I’m home. We need to talk.”

  A loud crash rang from the back bedroom that Kendra had claimed. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  “Well, she’s a fucking dreamer if she thinks that’s all it will take,” Jack muttered.

  Pepper agreed, but none of it made sense. “Sit down. I’ll go get her.”

  He hesitated then reluctantly shifted toward the couch, perching gingerly on the armrest as if ready to leap to her defense at a moment’s notice.

  She wasn’t going to do anything stupid, but this had to get cleared up here and now. She cautiously stuck her head around the corner into Kendra’s room to discover her friend had most of her stuff packed into suitcases. “Going somewhere?”

  Kendra glanced up, her eyes puffy and red from crying. “Don’t be a smartass.”

  Fighting back a retort that wouldn’t get them anywhere, Pepper moved farther into the door opening. “Obviously you’re packing, but I think I deserve a little more information. I’m going back to the living room, and I expect you to join me there when you’re ready.”

  She didn’t bother to wait for a response, just stomped back to Jack’s side. She leaned into his body and breathed slowly, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. If Kendra didn’t come out this was going to get even more awkward.

  But the petite blonde joined them not even two minutes later, dropping the suitcases she carried in either hand by the front door before turning back to face them, arms crossed, face pulled into a sullen pout. “What?”

  Not this again. Pepper was ready to scream. “How about you explain what the heck happened today. You straight-up lied to me, to Jack. Heck, I found out that you lied to Adam, too.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Kendra’s gaze darted to take in Jack before returning to Pepper. “You got it all in the end, just like always. Everything you ever want you get. It’s just no damn fair.”

  This was like some bizarre Picasso painting where everything started to melt and droop and made no sense at all. “You lied to me because I get everything I want—Kendra, are you high?”

  Kendra snapped her head in anger. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

  Obviously not, but just in case she’d missed something blatant, Pepper thought back for anything the woman could be referring to. She shook her head slowly. “As far as I know, I’ve been operating under the assumption that you were my friend. Now I find out you’ve been lying to me ever since we left school, maybe even before—”

  “Friends don’t steal the guys their friends are interested in,” Kendra snapped.

  “You can’t steal a guy who’s not interested in you,” Jack interjected, his arm around Pepper a solid base for her to lean against.

  Kendra made a face. “You were interested in me, but you’re not the one I was talking about. You’re just another example of exactly how little Pepper cares about anyone but herself.”

  Now Pepper was completely lost. “Who are you talking about?”

  “Ben.” The word shot out like a bullet from a gun. “He and I were friends, and maybe about to become more, then suddenly you show up and you’re all la-di-da-di-da, and he’s not only got the hots for you, he’s willing to fool around with you and another guy just to make you happy!”

  Kendra stepped forward a couple of paces. At Pepper’s side Jack tensed, ready to protect her. Only, the other girl stopped far enough away, her eyes flashing with anger as she glared daggers at Pepper.

  “You didn’t even once notice what you were doing. And then we got here, and I thought maybe it would be better, but no. As soon as you find out I’m interested in Jack you had to swing your hips and seduce him. So fuck you. I’m gone.”

  Pepper’s head was reeling from trying to take in the outpouring of venom, even as Jack swung up a hand to stop Kendra from stomping off.

  “You are one misguided little girl, but you’re welcome to your delusions,” he said flatly. “Before you get the hell out of here, I want you to know if you ever come near Pepper again, you will regret it.”

  Kendra sniffed, the threat rolling over her without much impact. “You wouldn’t do anything to me. You wouldn’t dare.”

  “He wouldn’t have to.” Pepper stepped in front of Jack, nudging away his warning hand. “He’s not threatening to physically harm you. There are laws about harassment, and even though I feel sorry for you, I have no objection to using the law to its fullest extent.”

  “So high and mighty,” Kendra muttered. “I hope you’re happy. You took all the good things I tried to give you as a friend, and you just ground them underfoot. You’re a terrible person.”

  With that, Kendra vanished into the back corridor, and Pepper gasped for air. She must’ve been holding her breath because she felt lightheaded.

  “It’s not true.” Jack spoke softly, one arm coming around her as he pulled her against his body. “You are one of the best people I know. Whatever her issues are, they’re hers.”

  Pepper nodded, her chin cradled in his fingers as he caressed her cheek gently. “Still sucks to think I’ve been living with a crazy woman.”

  “You’re safe. That’s all that counts.”

  It was stupid, but at that moment Pepper noticed a familiar shirt hanging out of one of the boxes. “That…bitch.”

  She slipped from Jack’s arms to pull the fabric free. So. That answered the question of who had gone through her suitcases.

  Something else dawned on her. “Oh my God. Jack.”

  He tensed. “What is it?”

  “The perfume…” Pepper’s breath caught in dismay. “She took it from my suitcase—it must have been Kendra who threw the bottle in the parking lot.” Another thought struck, this one even more horrifying. “And your car. Oh God. She was there that day. Do you think…would she really…”

  All words escaped her. She couldn’t speak properly. Couldn’t think clearly.

  She’d gone numb.

  Of all the crazy, mixed-up, fucked-up things Jack had ever dealt with, the double-cross of Pepper’s supposed best friend had to rank right near the top of his seriously-shitty-moves list.

  Pepper’s face had gone ashen, and even he couldn’t hide the shock and fury that pounded him in the gut. It had cost him a lot of money to fix his father’s car after the insurance company informed him his premium would skyrocket if he filed a claim, since he couldn’t prove he hadn’t caused the accident himself. But it wasn’t the cash that boiled his blood—it was the thought that Pepper could have been in the car when the damage was done. That she could have been hurt.

  He opened his mouth to respond, but Pepper stepped away from the boxes, letting go of the shirt and bra she’d been holding. She whirled around to the doorway, where Kendra had just appeared.

  “Did you do it?” Pepper said coldly. “Did you bust up Jack’s car?”

  Kendra met Jack’s eyes, and he was overcome with blind rage when he noticed the tiny smirk on her face. “So what if I did?”

  “You…lunatic!” Pepper charged forward, two steps from lunging at her ex-best friend before Jack hauled her backward. His entire body shook with anger, but he refused to give Kendra the satisfaction of seeing him lose it.

  “Stop,” he told Pepper, locking his hands on her waist. He felt her shaking, too, her shoulders trembling so wildly she was swaying on her feet. “She’s not worth it.”

  “Your car, Jack!” Pepper shouted. “Your father’s car!”

  “It’s just a car, Candy Cane. And it’s fixed. It’s over.” His frigid gaze traveled back to Kendra. “What I said stands—you come near either one of us again and we’ll slap a harassment charg
e on you. Understood?”

  “Oh, spare me the macho posturing,” Kendra muttered. “I never want to see either of your faces ever again.” The blonde shifted her grip on her two suitcases and took a step to the front hall. “I’ve arranged to have my stuff shipped to my parents’ house. Have a nice life—you two assholes deserve each other.”

  Ten seconds later, the door slammed and Kendra was gone.

  “I can’t believe she damaged your car,” Pepper whispered. “God, Jack, how crazy and vengeful does someone have to be to do something like that?”

  “Pretty crazy and vengeful.” He swallowed before meeting her distressed eyes. “She’s right, you know.”

  Alarm skittered across Pepper’s face. “What do you mean?”

  “We do deserve each other,” he said softly. “But not in the negative way she meant. We’re perfect for each other, Candy Cane. I hope you know that.”

  A ghost of a smile lifted her lips. “Of course I know, Jackjack.”

  “Yeah?” He brushed his fingertips over the soft edge of her jaw line. “What else do you know?”

  The cloud of hostility and betrayal hanging in the air slowly dissipated like a puff of steam, something sweet and tender rolling in to take its place.

  “I know a lot of things, actually.” Pepper leaned in to his touch, sighing when his thumb teased her lower lip. “I know that I’ve taken so much for granted.”

  He blinked in surprise, but she hurried on before he could argue. “I’ve griped and complained about my family so many times, without once stopping to think about how good I have it, how lucky I am to have them.”

  Jack ignored the pain that constricted his chest. She was right—she hadn’t realized how incredible it was to be surrounded by family who loved and supported her, and for some reason, hearing her admit the error of her ways lightened the heavy weight pressing on his heart.

  “I also know that I work well under pressure,” Pepper said with a smile. “I know that I can handle my own with women like Charlene, who, by the way, I was so damn jealous of. Not only because she’s older and prettier and more sophisticated, but because she had you first.”

  He had to smile. “I’m gonna call bullshit on the ‘prettier’ part. She doesn’t hold a candle to you, not just in the looks department, but in every department.”

  “Aw, that’s sweet of you to say. But I’m not jealous of her anymore.” Pepper shrugged. “Because I know something else.”

  He tipped his head. “Yeah, what’s that?”

  “That you love me.”

  The grin returned to his lips. “Oh, really?”

  “Definitely.” The confidence ringing in her voice was a major turn-on. “You love me.” She flashed a smirk. “And you’re in luck—I just happen to love you, too.”

  Pure joy soared inside him, and he gave himself a mental fist bump, tempted to do a little victory dance. Other women in his life had dropped the L-bomb before, but he’d never said it back. Hearing those words leave the mouth of the woman he was absolutely fucking crazy about was…a fucking amazing feeling.

  “You love me, huh?” He couldn’t seem to wipe the goofy grin off his face.

  “Sure do.”

  “Even though I’m bossy?”

  “I’m bossier, so it’s not like I can hold that against you.”

  A laugh flew out. God, he loved her. With all his frickin’ heart.

  “Now say it back so I can know for sure,” Pepper ordered.

  “Say what?” he asked innocently.

  “Jack.”

  He cocked a brow. “Pepper.”

  “Jack.” Exasperation darkened her eyes.

  “Fine.” With an exaggerated sigh, he crossed his arms over his chest and said, “I love you.”

  “Good. Now once more with feeling.”

  His shoulders shook with laughter as he cupped her cheeks and gazed into her emerald-green eyes. “I love you, Pepper Wilson. I love you so much it hurts. I love you so much I can’t sleep at night. I love you so much I—”

  Her lips were on his before he could finish. She kissed him so greedily he was gasping for air by the time she released him, but the dizziness didn’t leave him, because now she was tearing at her clothes, pieces of fabric whipping in front of his eyes and landing on the floor. Until she was gloriously naked. Naked and beautiful and his.

  All his.

  “Wait.”

  Pepper froze at his command, complete perplexity on her face. “What?”

  He was a crazy stupid bastard for stopping them, but he didn’t want this to happen right there, where the shouting and anger and betrayal was still fresh and raw.

  He jerked his T-shirt off, dragging the fabric forward over his head. Her eyes flashed with interest until he handed it to her. “Put it on.”

  “You’re…” Her nose wrinkled in that adorable way he loved. “Why?”

  He snuck the neck over her head and she slipped her arms into place in spite of her confusion. Once she was covered, he caught her by the hand, pulling her toward the door. “We’re going out.”

  She snorted, but slipped her feet into sandals. “Crazy man.”

  “I have this apartment I need you to check out.”

  “Sure. No problem.” She stood in the elevator next to him, one hip cocked to the side and mischief all over her face. Fingers stroked his bare chest as they waited to arrive at the parking level. “I have no underwear on, you know.”

  Jack chuckled. “Hold that thought.”

  Pepper was astonishingly silent during the entire drive to his place, and the trip to his door. Once she was through the entrance, though, her curiosity obviously couldn’t be contained any longer. “Jackjack, you’re a nut. We were like three seconds away from having sex.”

  He stepped up to her, reaching down to cup her ass and lift her in the air against his body. She tangled around him like a vine, arms to his neck, legs around his hips. All of them connected and so nearly skin-to-skin his cock was ready to explode.

  But he looked into those big eyes and saw a hell of a lot more than just freaking awesome sex.

  He touched his lips to hers. One second. Pulled back just enough that when he spoke their mouths still touched, like they were breathing the same air. “And now I’m going to make love to you. And then we’re going to talk about where we want to live.”

  Pepper grinned. “You were hopelessly romantic for a second, dude, and then you lost it.”

  He didn’t fucking care. “I love you, Pepper.”

  She smiled at him. A full-out Pepper heart-on-her-sleeve smile. “I love you, too, Jack. Now let me have Big Jac—”

  He drowned out the rest of her words with his lips.

  Emma

  The morning sun spilled over the tenth-floor hotel room, and like a cat, Emma was curled up in the corner of the couch, steaming cup of tea in her hand. Her third of the day—the one trouble with being on the West Coast. Even now at not-quite seven a.m. she’d needed to be up for hours to keep in touch with the rest of the team back in New York.

  What was supposed to be a two-week trip had extended for a bit longer, but she was enjoying the change of pace. There was nothing quite like New York, but then there was nothing like Paris or London—all of the places she’d lived over the years had their own unique flavor with wonderful things to enjoy.

  She stared out the windows of the corner suite, gazing down at the beach and the paved boardwalk running along the entire length of the hotel. A long dock extended from the beach, the water simmering around the solid structure. The trip had been a great way to break up her routine, coming out to San Francisco for the charity benefit.

  A reluctant smile tugged her lips. Not that she could call anything in her world routine. The trip had turned out far more interesting than she’d expected.

  There were still two wine glasses on the coffee table, an empty bottle on the small bar counter. Not as many as a week ago. Partying that hard wasn’t something she did very often anymore, but her new
friend Suz had brought out the devil inside.

  Last night they’d simply shared a bottle of wine and chatted. That was something sorely missing in her life. Friends who weren’t part of the industry, or models trying to get ahead as they showed off the latest fashions. The world of design was glamorous and star-making, and both exciting and tedious at times, but Emma loved every second of it. At least the way she worked the industry.

  Secrets. She had them, and as long as she did, things should continue to be amazing.

  Down on the boardwalk, a solidly built male figure jogged into sight, and she watched in admiration as his legs turned over again and again, thick thigh muscles supporting a trim body with broad shoulders and well-formed biceps. She was high enough up that the details of his face and whatever logo graced his pale green shirt were just a blur, but there was enough to see to keep her interested as he slowed to a walk in front of her hotel.

  Something about the way he moved seemed familiar, and Emma found herself on her feet, one hand pressed to the floor-to-ceiling glass as she tried to ease the strange sensation that she’d seen him before. The man turned toward the beach, stepping off the path and moving to a bench surrounded by grayish white sand. When he propped a leg on the bench, Emma got to admire his butt as that niggling feeling at the back of her brain continued to grow.

  She must have seen a million people over the past year. Why should one admittedly fine man make her heart start to pound?

  She watched him while he watched the birds, a crowd of them swooping in as he pulled something from his pocket and scattered food in front of him.

  Another memory struck, and it was crazy, but she abandoned her perch at the window, rushing back through the suite to slip her feet into a pair of sandals, pulling a cover-up around her shoulders, and grabbing her room key before dashing for the elevator.

  The mirrored wall in the elevator gave her plenty of time to tell herself she was crazy. Her hair lay loosely braided over one shoulder, she didn’t have a stitch of makeup on, and here she was, racing down to the beach so she could casually spy on some stranger.