Just Pretend

Chapter Seventeen

Gwen

Jason doesn't know how to process that fact that I am once again, for the first time in six years, single. He blinks at me with his mouth agape and I can't help the chuckle that bubbles into my throat at his shocked expression.

'What happened?' he asks softly and I sigh quietly, not wanting to relive the very moment that my world shattered, so to buy some time; I head back into the bedroom, only to be caught by his outstretched arm and pulled against him. I tilt my head back to look at him and feel the familiar tug in my core, letting me know that my body needed release.

'Did you know in Japan it's frowned upon if an unmarried man and woman sleep in the same room?' I muse, stalling for time. Jace knows this and raises his eyebrow, to which I lower my head for a second before meeting his eyes again.

'Mark's "friend" he wanted to meet was a girl. I went to tell him I was leaving for the recording of the music video of one of my friends, and when I opened the door; there he was, balls deep,' once I start telling him, I can't stop and I tell him everything.

By the end of the explanation, Jace has pulled me tighter into his embrace and he kisses the top of my head, causing the usual butterflies to make their presence known. I lean into his embrace for a few seconds before pulling away with my hands bunched in his shirt at his hips.

As expected as Mark cheating on me was, that was how unexpected it was. I didn't expect him to cheat on me in a different country than our home and he didn't seem to care when I caught him slamming into her, his face twisted with more passion than I'd seen displayed in the last three years put together.

I have to tilt my head back to look at Jason looking down at me with an odd expression on his face, before he unwinds his arms from around my waist until one remains and he drags me out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and down the hall to the stairs.

'Jace, what're you doing?' I ask with a small laugh as he allows me to take the stairs downstairs before grabbing my hand and tugging me into the kitchen and pulling out a chair for me. He sits me down on it and tells me not to move.

'Again, what are you doing?' I ask as he picks up the coffee that's gotten cold in the last few hours and dumps the contents of the cups into the sink, rinses them out and placing them back on the counter. He switches on the kettle before turning to face me.

'I'm not going to give you what you want at the moment, but I will take care of you,' he says and my heart squeezes even as my core wets at the thought of being under Jason. I drop my eyes to the counter and bite my lip at the thought, but I push it away and meet his knowing gaze.

We make no effort to hide the constant attraction between us because most of the effort goes into not acting on it, mainly because I was in a relationship. Now the effort will go into not giving in because I don't want to ruin what we have by making him my rebound.

It's always been my pattern; I get dumped or cheated on then I have a rebound and fuck like a whore for a week before sending him on his way. The guys always know what they're getting into with me because I hate lying to anyone.

'I don't want you to give me that. Yet. But I appreciate the sentiment,' I say and he whips around to look at me, a flicker of anger passing over his face.

'"Yet" huh?' he asks and I nod slowly, unsure if I'd imagined the anger and he looks at me from where he's spooning coffee and sugar into the cups in front of him. I drag my lower lip between my teeth with a shrug, but I can see that he's on his guard.

An hour later, my house is filled with laughter as Jason and I tease each other about everything and nothing, munching away on the takeaways that Jason ordered with the reasoning that I'm in no state to cook, and I couldn't deny it.