The Future of Love (Bachelor Billionaire #6) (21 page)

“What's
wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing,”
she said.

“Jenny,”
he said sternly. “Talk to me.”

“It's
not your problem,” she said.

Just
as he was about to respond to her comment, three guys walked up to
the table next to them, and she instantly tightened under his touch.
Kyle leaned down next to her ear.

“Who
are they?” he asked.

It
was a little dark and Kyle couldn't see all of their faces.

“My
ex,” she said.

“Would
you like to leave?” he asked.

She
nodded.

“Would
you mind?” she asked.

“Not
at all,” he said. “I would never want you to feel
uncomfortable. Not when we're together. I would never let him do
anything to you.”

“Really?”
she asked.

“Of
course not,” he said. “You want me to kick his ass?”

She
laughed and wrapped her arms around him.

“Thank
you,” she said. “You're too good to me, Kyle.”

“Not
good enough to you, Jenny,” he said. “Let me get our
stuff.”

Kyle
walked around the table and collected the balls. Then he put the
sticks back.

“You
her new man?” one of the guys asked him. “She never
wanted to go anywhere with me. What makes you so special?”

Once
the guy stepped forward, Kyle recognized him instantly.

“Maybe
if you treated her with respect, she would have,” Kyle said.

The
guy walked over to her. Kyle grabbed the stuff and headed for her as
well.

“I
miss you, Jenny,” the guy said. “We need to talk.”

Kyle
wrapped his arm around her shoulder and started toward the door. She
let out a nervous breath.

They
didn't say much on the way back to Kyle's house. He reached over and
grabbed her hand in his.

“You
okay?” he asked.

“Yes,”
she said. “Thank you.”

“What
are you thinking?” he asked.

“I
don't get the sudden interest. Why would he say we need to talk? It
seemed strange.”

“Maybe
he realized he let a good woman go. Would you ever go back with him?”
Kyle asked.

“No,”
she said. “I would never be with him again. We didn't belong
together. I settled when it came to him.”

Kyle
got out of the car and walked around to open her door. She walked to
the swing and sat down. He walked over and sat down beside her.

“What
do you mean?” he asked.

“I
didn't like him, Kyle,” she said. “I liked someone else,
but he didn't like me.”

“Then
he was a dumbass,” Kyle said.

Jenny's
phone buzzed, and she picked it up to see if Becky or Gavin were
texting her. She shook her head and turned her phone toward Kyle.

Jim:
We really need to talk. There's something I need to tell you.

“Do
you think he knows something?” she asked.

“I
think he is regretting what he did to you,” Kyle said.

“I
thought I was rid of him. That was why I gave up the house. I wanted
to make it quicker,” she said.

“Ignore
him,” Kyle said. “He'll quit texting you.”

She
hit delete on the message and stood up.

“Can
we get in the hot tub?” she asked.

“Of
course,” he answered. “Hey.”

Kyle
pulled her in close to him.

“I'm
here for you, Jenny. You let me know if he says anything else. He
doesn't need to be stressing you out.”

“You're
such a good friend, Kyle,” she said.

Her
words felt like a kick in the stomach. What did that asshole have
that he didn't, Kyle wondered? Who was she talking about earlier?

They
went into the house and changed for the hot tub. She was quiet the
rest of the night. When she went to his room to say goodnight, he
motioned for her to come in. Then he pulled back the covers.

“Watch
a movie with me,” he said.

She
crawled under the covers and curled in against him. Her fingers
traced his chest while they watched the movie. It took all he had not
to move her beneath him. Kyle wanted her more than anything, but he
knew he needed to hold back. It wasn't the right time. He held her in
his arms and knew if he ever got a taste of her, he'd never be able
to let her go. Kyle kissed the top of her head.

“You're
amazing, Jenny,” he whispered. “I hope you know that.”

Jenny

The
week started like all of the rest. Jenny met Kyle for their morning
run. Then she went home to get ready for work. Gavin was already
gone, so she hurried to get there as soon as she could. She heard her
phone buzz as she walked into the office. He was already in the
conference room with Ethan. She made the coffee quickly and took them
each a cup.

“
Do
you need anything else?” she asked.

“
Can
you bring another cup?” Ethan asked. “Kyle should be here
any minute. He was out running this morning and didn't get the
message to meet me here.”

Jenny
nodded and quickly grabbed another cup of coffee. She had just set it
on the table when Kyle walked in. He was out of breath and looked
down at Ethan with a cranky stare.

“
Do
you need some extra sugar?” she asked with a laugh. “You
look a bit crabby.”

“
No,”
he said with a smile. “It would've been nice to know I had a
meeting last night.”

“
Get
an assistant,” Gavin said.

“
That's
not fair,” Jenny said. “I surely didn't know you had a
meeting either. Leave Kyle alone.”

“
You
can go,” Gavin said with attitude.

“
Don't
talk to her like that,” Kyle said. “She's probably just
as smart as your ass. I could never talk to someone that way.”

“
Touchy
much?” Gavin asked.

Jenny
let out a huff and walked out of the room. When she got to her desk,
she decided to check her messages and then look for an apartment.
Gavin never acted like towards her. She was slightly offended. There
were two messages, so she checked the oldest one first.

Kyle:
Headed to your office. Nothing like a surprise meeting.

The
second one popped up right after the first.

Jim:
Meet me for lunch. There's something I need to tell you.

Jenny
thought about what Kyle said and ignored the message. She couldn't
help but wonder what it was Jim felt he needed to tell her. Kyle
wanted to know if she heard from Jim again, but he had enough going
on with Ethan and work. It wasn't his job to take care of her and
save her from her ex. That was something she could do on her own. Jim
was an asshole, but he'd never lifted a hand to her. His nastiness
was all done with his mouth and his cock, she thought. If she ignored
him, he'd go away. Kyle didn't need to be bothered.

When
Kyle came out of the office, he walked right by her and out the door.
She knew he was pissed, but she wasn't sure why. Ethan walked out
laughing and joking with Gavin.

“
What
did you guys to do him?” she asked.

Gavin
looked down at her with a stern look but didn't say a word.

“
What's
your problem?” she asked.

“
Nothing,”
he said. “What's on my schedule for today?”

The
day continued on just like all the rest. When her phone buzzed, she
jumped and slowly looked down at it.

Kyle:
I won't be able to run until Friday morning. I have to go out of town
for a bit. Apparently Ethan and Gavin feel it's my job to do the
running for both of them. Fuckers!

Jenny:
Where are you going?

Kyle:
California. Go with me.

Jenny:
I can't be gone that long.

Kyle:
I can't stand when they do shit like this. Some warning would have
been nice.

Jenny:
Have a good time. Go to the beach and get some sun. I'm going to miss
you.

Kyle:
I'll miss you too. See you Friday morning.

Jenny:
Of course.

Kyle:
Friday night I'm taking you out. I have something I want to talk to
you about. Have a great week, Jenny.

If
she had kept his key, she could have stayed at his house. He didn't
know that she slept in his bed when he was gone. It made her feel
safe, and she loved being able to smell him on his pillows. What did
he want to talk to her about, she wondered? She couldn't wait for him
to get home and find out what it was. Hopefully it was good, she
thought.

They
sent text messages back and forth all week. He seemed to be having an
okay time after not wanting to go. She had him take a picture on the
beach and send it to her.

Jim
sent her three text messages each day. He didn't seem to be going
away. With everything Kyle had been going through with work and him
being out of town, she didn't want to tell him about the messages.
She didn't want him worrying or being upset when he wasn't even there
and there was nothing he could do anyway. It was no big deal. She
could take care of it.

Friday
morning, she met Kyle at the track by Gavin's house. As soon as she
saw him, she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck.

“
I
missed you,” she said. “I know I don't see you much
during the week, but it was hard knowing you were so far away.”

“
You
have no idea how hard it was being away,” he said. “Did
you run?”

“
No,”
she said. “It's not the same without you now.”

“
We
have time to make up for then,” he joked.

They
ran more than normal. She let him know she'd be at his house right
after work and that she was making dinner. He reminded her that they
were going out instead.

Jenny
didn't hear from Jim at all that day and hoped he'd finally gotten
the hint. She was excited and nervous to be going out with Kyle. He
said that he wanted to talk to her about something, and she had no
idea what it was. Jenny wanted to tell him how she felt about him,
but she was afraid he'd reject her. She didn't want to lose what she
had with him.

She
wasn't paying attention when she walked out of work that day and
jumped when she heard her name. Standing in front of her was her ex.
He was standing next to his car. When he motioned her over, she
decided that she needed to hear him out so he'd go away. He obviously
had something to say, and she was starting to think that it might
actually be important.

“
What
is it, Jim?” she asked.

“
Get
in the car,” he said. “I don't want to talk out here.”

“
I
don't know about that,” she said.

“
Have
I ever hurt you?” he asked.

“
Not
physically,” she said.

“
I
just want to talk. Hear me out, and I'll leave you alone. Get in.
I'll drive around the block while we talk. Gavin's not going to let
me sit out here with you.

“
Fine,”
she huffed. “I'll give you five minutes.”

Of
course he didn't open her door. She didn't expect any different. They
got in and he pulled away.

“
Go
to dinner with me,” he said.

“
I
have plans for dinner,” she said.

“
Where
are you going?” he asked.

“
What
did you want to tell me, Jim?” she asked.

“
I
want you back.”

“
Are
you fucking kidding me right now?” she asked sarcastically.

“
It
took me a bit to realize what I lost.”

“
What
about the woman on my bed?” she asked.

“
She's
gone, Jenny,” he said. “You were good for me. I should
never have cheated on you. Let me make it up to you. Go to dinner
with me. I can be romantic.”

“
Take
me back to the office, Jim,” she said.

“
Why
won't you go out with me? Why won't you let me show you that I'm
sorry? I love you, Jenny,” he said.