All of which she’d ignored.
She’d signed a damn NDA, so she wouldn’t go to the press, but I never said anything about going to Isla about it.
Shit.
Why did it feel like whenever I got close to something good I messed it up?
Because that’s what Isla was. Good. So damn good.
Every little quirk about her made me want her more, rather than send me running for the hills.
I actually liked her messy side more than her controlling side. What shocked me most? That I was able to have sex without cleaning the kitchen before.
I chuckled to myself and shook my head. Things were changing. Now that Vanessa was out of the picture, I was going to change.
I had no choice but to move forward.
I just hoped Isla would join me for the ride.
Chapter Forty-Two
ISLA
Goo-Poh was calling at four a.m.
I was going to murder her.
Jessie was asleep next to me, so warm, so big.
I snuggled next to him then answered. “What?”
“Are you still sleeping?”
“All the normal people are sleeping!”
“I’ve been up for hours!”
I rest my case.
“So, the delivery will be made in the next two hours, be ready and awake, I’ll be there as soon as I grab the food. And I know we did away with chickens years ago, but I still bought five for you to set free in your yard. We’ll have them pass beneath the bed, and if the rooster is first you will have a boy!”
I was already holding the phone away from my ear in horror.
“Goo-Poh!” I hissed. “Listen to me, do NOT bring chickens into Jessie’s home!”
“It is as much your home as it is his.”
I gritted my teeth. “This is a chicken-free zone, and no roosters! The bed is already a bit much, but I know you’ve done this for every girl in our family, so I’m allowing it.”
She sniffed.
“Are you crying?”
“I chose the most beautiful red sheets!”
I covered my mouth with my hands when I looked at Jessie’s stark white sheets, white duvet, gray walls. Yeah, he was going to shit a brick.
“Great, sheets are great, just no chickens!”
“But—”
“Goo-Poh! No chickens!”
“Fine,” she huffed. “Do you have any spare children that can jump around on the bed before the marriage?”
My mind immediately went to Blaire and Colin. “Yeah, I think I can rustle up a few children.”
They should be so lucky to have to stay out of this.
“Oh good, this will mean you will have many children.”
“Great, Goo-Poh, love you.”
She hung up.
Typical.
Jessie’s gravelly voice stirred me. “Chickens?”
I groaned. “Go back to sleep.”
“She’s not bringing chickens, right?”
I sighed.
“Your hesitation isn’t comforting me.” He groaned and flipped onto his back then pulled me to his side.
Like it was normal.
Like next week I was walking down the aisle for real.
Like this was our reality.
When both of us were just living without discussing the ramifications of our actions.
I was too afraid to be the first to say something.
Too afraid he’d agree with me.
Too afraid of my own logic—mixed with his.
I was petrified that he’d finally realize that this wasn’t him, that rushing into something like this was so out of character it was only a matter of time before he said the dreaded “We need to talk.” And it would break me.
I tried to straighten my spine, readying my heart for the initial break. Warning my chest it would hurt.
Badly.
“Stop thinking.” Jessie kissed my head. “Just . . . breathe, Isla.”
Funny, because I’d been holding my breath.
I exhaled.
“I’ll be here in the morning,” he whispered so lightly I almost missed it.
Tears welled in my eyes as I clutched him like a lifeline.
He’d gone from my greatest threat.
To my hero.
All within the span of a week.
The easy friendship we’d been trying for before all the drama with Vanessa was back.
With more feelings involved.
And I didn’t know what to do with them except keep breathing and know that when Jessie made a promise.
He kept it.
Chapter Forty-Three
JESSIE
I was on my third cup of coffee when the doorbell rang. I don’t know what exactly I was expecting, but it wasn’t a bed two times the size of the one I already owned.
Goo-Poh was firing off instructions to the poor men carrying it and, by the looks of it, doing a mental calculation of all the things she was going to change about my house.
I was going to break out in hives before the day was done.
“Where is my niece?” Goo-Poh leveled me with a glare. “We must prepare the foods.”
“Food?” I repeated dumbly as Colin and Blaire walked into the house, matching looks of horror on both their faces. Yeah, welcome to life with Goo-Poh.
She waved me off. “The foods, the foods! The ones that I present on a platter, you will both sit on the bed and eat the foods. I can’t believe she said no to the chickens.”
I was going to reward Isla for that later.
She walked out of the bedroom in a pair of skinny jeans and a white top, something that almost disappointed me, I was so used to seeing her in color.
Goo-Poh handed Isla two bags.
I walked over and peeked inside.
Red sheets.
Blood red.
I smirked.
Her pale skin against those sheets?
I could like the bridal bed very much.
“Is that a dragon?” Colin pointed to one of the bedposts the guys were bringing in. On each post was a gold dragon wrapped around a pole, creepily setting their eyes on the bed, on whatever happened on the surface. The headboard had the same ornate dragon design, one on each side, with their talons joined.
It belonged in a museum, that bed.
“For protection.” Goo-Poh beamed.
“Don’t you already have a dragon, Jessie?” Colin winked and then pointed at my dick.
I flipped him off before Goo-Poh turned back around.
“Oh, but these are larger dragons,” Goo-Poh said, not missing a beat.
“Wouldn’t bet on it,” Isla said sweetly while Goo-Poh muttered something under her breath.
It was just the comment I needed as I pulled her into my arms and pressed a kiss to her open mouth. She wrapped her arms around my neck only to be pulled away by Goo-Poh.
“Come, the women make the foods.” She eyed Blaire. “You too, you help us make the foods or you can’t eat.”
I’ve never seen Blaire move so fast.
Leaving me and Colin staring as the movers tried to assemble the bed in my second master suite.
“So.” Colin rocked back on his heels. “You’re sure selling it really well.”
I frowned in confusion and then cleared my throat. “Yeah.”
“Anything you want to tell me about the lines you keep crossing? The sex? The constant touching and kissing? You can’t keep your eyes off her, man.”
To prove his point, my gaze had already found hers from across the room.
I jerked my head away and stared at the floor. “I like her.”
“What was that?” Colin cupped his ear. “I didn’t quite hear you.”
I shoved him. “Don’t be an immature jackass. I like her. I care about her, I’m falling for her chaos . . . I’m . . . drowning in it.”
“Good drowning?”
I nodded.
“Man!” Colin slapped me on the back. “I’m happy for you, this is good. You sho
uld at least be smiling right now?”
I rolled my eyes. “I promised to ruin her life, Colin. Repeatedly. And then I went and . . . tried to do just that only to realize that she’s real, everything about her is legitimate, she even let me see her books. Who does that?”
“Someone who trusts you,” Colin said slowly. “So what’s the deal?”
“It’s not real.” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure she wasn’t back already. “There’s an expiration date.”
Colin crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “So, get a Sharpie and cross that shit out. It’s your life, it’s time you took back control and started living it.”
“Took back control,” I repeated. “I think I’d rather just give it up.”
I’d never seen my best friend so shocked.
“Please don’t cry,” I muttered when he pulled me in for a hug and then slapped me on the back like I’d just won the championship.
“I’m damn proud.” He grinned wide. “Maybe now with all this Vanessa stuff behind you, you can finally be free.”
Free.
I just had one more loose end to tie up.
And then I would tell her everything.
Chapter Forty-Four
ISLA
Thankfully, the food didn’t take long. By the time Blaire and I made finishing touches, Goo-Poh had already blessed the bed and the room. She came back to grab the platter of various foods: an even number of tangerines and oranges, pomegranates, dates, dried lotus seeds, and several other things. All the items had a purpose, and Goo-Poh took their arrangement very seriously. She walked back into the bedroom and laid the platter on the bed.
I followed her in with Jessie by my side, Colin and Blaire close behind.
“That’s it.” Goo-Poh clasped her hands together. “Now, neither of you are allowed on this bed together until the wedding next week.”
Colin wheezed behind us.
Yeah, left that part out.
“If you must sleep on the bed and lack self-control”—she pointed at Jessie—“a boy must be with you in order to restore balance, no one side should ever be empty. Those are the rules for balance, it will bring bad luck if the bed has only one person sitting on it, especially if it’s the groom without the bride.”
“Shit, am I the boy?” Colin muttered out loud.
“Oh, and we need children to be present in the room or on the bed.” She grinned. “This helps bring good luck and happiness into the marriage! The more laughter the better!”
Jessie and I stepped aside, earning glares from both Colin and Blaire.
“Go play, kids!” I said in my most enthusiastic voice as Jessie gave me a high five.
Goo-Poh looked heavenward and then sighed. “If that’s the best we can do.”
Colin actually looked offended.
She kissed my cheek. “Eat all of the food, it’s healthy for your reproductive system. I’m tired now, I leave.” She waved goodbye.
Jessie and I rushed to the bed and grabbed the food just as Colin and Blaire started stealing pieces.
We both sat next to them. I sighed.
“Hey, it could be worse,” I pointed out. “She could have brought chickens.”
A scratching noise sounded near the closet. I clearly spoke too soon.
“What’s that noise?” Colin asked.
“It’s coming from the closet.” Jessie reached for the handle at about the same time I yelled no.
Four chickens and a rooster rushed toward us.
We all jumped onto the bed as they dove underneath.
The door to the bedroom swung open. “You will have healthy boys!” Goo-Poh retrieved the rooster and walked out again.
Leaving us with four chickens.
Birdseed under the bed.
And four very gobsmacked adults.
“Congrats, guys—”
“Don’t.” Jessie held up his hand while Blaire and I burst out laughing. Soon Jessie and Colin joined in.
Chapter Forty-Five
JESSIE
The glaring brass bed with its loud red sheets would normally send someone like me into a perpetual state of anxiety. Hell, it would send any sane person toward the bottom of a bottle of Jack.
Instead, every time I walked by that room, I smiled.
Every. Damn. Time.
The door was closed.
Apparently Goo-Poh didn’t want to tempt us to use the bed too soon, that would of course cause us not to have fortune in life.
Or sons.
I smiled to myself and made my way into the kitchen. I’d needed to run a few errands, mainly to the pet store, where I dropped off four chickens.
I was on my way back to the house when Isla texted me a grocery list, and it wasn’t until I walked into the kitchen, bags in hand, that it hit me.
What I was doing.
What we were doing.
I almost backed up a step.
Almost turned and ran.
The scene was surreal.
Undeniably sexy and terrifying all mixed up in one.
She was wearing leggings and a crop top, grilling vegetables on the stove and dumping in an insane amount of some sort of sauce while she hummed to herself.
This, this is what I never had with Vanessa.
Never.
We ordered takeout.
Hell, I didn’t even know the stove actually worked until Isla moved in and started using it.
I was surprised the oven turned on.
And more surprised how much I liked seeing her standing there, even if she was humming off key.
“Hey there.” I cleared my throat and approached.
She glanced up and winked. “I’m making my version of stir-fry.”
“And what makes your version so special?”
“My special sauce.” She scrunched up her nose and pointed the wooden spoon at me. “And no, I’m not telling you what’s in it, that completely takes the special part away.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I guess it does.”
“So”—she kept stirring—“today went well.”
I gave her a blank stare. “Isla, your Goo-Poh brought live chickens into our house. A bed with etched dragons. Fire-engine red sheets. And birdseed. If that’s a good day I’d hate to see the bad ones.”
She giggled. “So we may have to move.”
She realized her error the minute I did.
Tense silence fell between us.
She cleared her throat.
“Don’t do that,” I whispered as she forced a smile my way.
“What?”
“That smile, I hate it.”
“Wow, thanks . . .” she said tersely.
“Isla.” I walked up and tilted her chin toward me. “I want a real smile, a good one.”
She glared.
“Don’t pretend . . . not in our house, not with me.”
Her eyes widened at my use of our. But I meant it. I needed her to know that. It wasn’t mine, not anymore. She gulped. “But isn’t that what we’re doing? Pretending?”
The question hung between us as I searched her eyes for answers, waiting to see if she felt anything beyond the awareness buzzing around us. If she felt the same way I did. Wanting to change the mine to ours.
“I don’t know,” I finally said, probing a bit. “Are you?”
She tried to look away.
I didn’t let her.
I gripped her face with both of my hands. “What do you want, Isla?”
“It’s not that easy.”
I grinned and then brushed a kiss across her lips. “I’ll make it easy for you.”
“Oh? Just like that?”
“Watch and learn, baby.” I jogged into my office and grabbed a few highlighters, pens, and a pad of paper. “Pros.” I wrote it out in black ink. “Cons.”
She smirked. “Jessie, what are you doing?”
“Making you hot.” I drew a line down the middle. “Drawing you a chart.”
“It’s like you know all of m
y weaknesses.”
I stripped out of my shirt and tossed it to the ground. “Better?”
“What chart?” she joked.
I leaned over the island and started writing. “Pros, Jessie Beckett.”
“Oh God, you didn’t really just write your name as a pro, did you?”
“And highlighted it in pink.” I nodded. “Sure did.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“Exactly. See? Pro.” I chuckled under my breath and moved to the con side. “Moving too fast.” She sucked in a breath. I looked up again. “I’m going to put down the good and the bad, that’s fair, right?”
A slow nod from Isla was all I got.
“Pro.” I went back to the column. “Already moved in.”
“True.” She walked around the island and joined me. “And moving twice within a year is really stressful, let alone a month.”
“I would hate to stress you out,” I mused, focusing on her parted lips and the way they beckoned me to taste.
“Okay.” She quickly looked away and tucked her hair behind her ears. “So what’s the next con?”
I cleared my throat and very slowly wrote the word trust.
She eyed the word like a disease.
I highlighted it in yellow. “You don’t trust me, you want to, you don’t.”
“It’s not you,” she said in a small voice. “It’s men in general, powerful men, beautiful men who could have anyone they want. Men who are used to getting everything, men who want for nothing. Men who would take my heart and crush it without thinking about the tenderness a heart like mine needs.”
It was the most I’d ever gotten out of her.
“Isla.” My voice lowered. “I hate to look more arrogant . . . but I know exactly what to do with your heart.”
A little gasp fell from her lips. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “I don’t want to hold your heart, Isla . . . I don’t even want to own it . . .” I brushed a kiss across her lips. “I just want you to share it with me.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You aren’t supposed to say things like that to me.”
“Why?” I reached for her hand.
She squeezed my fingers tight. “Because this is all going to come crashing down on us, we’re getting lost in something that’s not real, and in the end, someone’s going to get hurt.”
I hated that we shared the same fears, hated that she made complete sense. It was insane, and yet I wanted the insanity. I didn’t want the perfect engagement to the perfect woman, with the perfect allotment of time between every monumental thing in our lives.
Dangerous Exes (Liars, Inc. Book 2) Page 18