Before You(53)

Admittedly, it felt good to perform. It was just him, his band, the music, and a sea of adoring women. Regrettably¸ none of it gave him more than a two-hour distraction from thinking about Bre.

He spent the last three days practicing with the band and avoiding Katie, but he still hadn’t been able to erase Bre from his mind. He’d be playing his guitar, writing music, going on his evening run, or laying in bed, and suddenly he’d find himself reliving every moment of his night with Bre.

In fact, he found himself thinking about Bre a lot when he was alone in his bed—alone being the key word. The images of her pushing him down on the bed, crawling on top of him while biting on that plump lower lip of hers would be etched in his mind eternally. Right next to the memory of her kicking him out in the morning telling him she loved Cam.

Based on his history, the night with Bre should have been ideal. One night of mind-blowing sex with an incredibly sexy woman who wanted absolutely nothing in return. It was everything he’d wanted from a woman for as long as he could remember. In theory, he could now close the book on his attraction to Bre that had been eating him up since he first laid his eyes on her. Too bad he refused to listen to his own logic.

“You’re a little off your game tonight,” Cam said, slapping him across his shoulders and interrupting his thoughts.

“Whatever.” Jax eyed Cam with barely concealed distaste. Cam smirked at him with a beer bottle in one hand and the other wrapped possessively around Anna, who sat on his lap. Jax felt some satisfaction when he slammed his empty glass on the counter, making her flinch.

Cam laughed. “So are you going to tell me what’s going on? You haven’t said more than a couple words to me since you came home early from Aspen.”

“Nothing to tell,” Jax said, signaling the bartender to refill of his drink. Anymore, he hated hanging out in the bars after a performance. He felt as if he were watching a movie stuck on repeat. Why hadn’t the stale smell of spilled alcohol and mindless people grinding on the dance floor bothered him before?

Cam shrugged. “Fine. I guess you’ll tell me when you’re ready.”

Ignoring Cam, Jax looked around the bar. He and Bre agreed not to tell Cam what happened, but Jax still had a hard time talking to Cam. He couldn’t decide if he felt guilty or angry when he thought about Cam. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Katie said you’ve been ignoring her, too.”

“Screw Katie,” Jax snapped. That girl would never quit bothering him. Thanks to his dad, she got it in her head that he was going to marry her and she wouldn’t let it go. If she assumed he would succumb to family pressure to marry her at some point, she was dead wrong. If he didn’t cave when his dad cut him off for refusing to work for the family business, he certainly wouldn’t cave and marry Katie.

“I think you already did,” Cam responded, laughing at his juvenile comment.

“Yeah. Whatever. Is Bre still coming tomorrow?” The moment he said her name, Jax wanted to throw his drink. His thoughts kept circling back to her. It was as if she had imprinted herself on his soul.

“Is it Wednesday already?” Cam grumbled.

“Are you serious? You’re such an ass. Why did you bothering buying her the ticket? I don’t get why you didn’t leave things alone.”

“What’s you problem?” Cam questioned, totally baffled by Jax’s attitude.

Jax couldn’t listen to one more word. He pointed his finger at Cam. “I’ll tell you what my problem is.”

Cam lightly pushed Anna off his lap, effectively dismissing her from his presence. “I sense I should make myself comfortable.”

Ignoring Cam’s sarcasm, Jax turned to face Cam. “Bre is my problem. Maybe you’re comfortable ditching her at the last minute and playing the field while she’s completely oblivious to it all, but I can’t watch it anymore.”

“I don’t see how any of that’s your business,” Cam said, peeling the damp label off his beer bottle.

“You made it my business when you asked me to cover for you. You know as well as I do that it’s only a matter of time before Bre catches on and figures out what you’re doing.”

Cam eyed him hesitantly. “Do you really believe that she’ll find out? It’s not like anyone knows her except for you and the other guys.”

“I think what you’re doing is obvious to everyone except Bre. The only reason she isn’t suspicious is because the two of you have been friends since you were kids and she trusts you.”

“What are you saying?”

Jax opened his mouth and then he changed his mind. He really didn’t know what he wanted to say, but he couldn’t watch Cam mistreat Bre any longer. She deserved so much more. “You have to decide what you want.”