Jax jackknifes off the bed and I sit up quickly, adjusting my shirt.

“What the fucking hell is happening here?” Kyle barks. “You two are fucking?”

“No,” Jax says, his voice cold. “It was a moment of weakness.”

“Bullshit!” Kyle roars. “Bull fucking shit.”

“Kyle,” I say, stepping forward.

“You will come with me, right now, Delaney,” he demands. “You’re in deep fucking shit. You just broke every fucking rule there is.”

“Stop swearing at me and calm down,” I try to say but he throws his hands up.

“I won’t fucking calm down, you’re fucking the client.”

“I’m…”

“What we’re doing is none of your concern and we’ll discuss it only with the relevant people,” Jax growls.

“I am a relevant person!”

Jax strides forward. “Listen to me, you little weasel. You do not know the story. You know only what you saw, therefore you will not be creating stories without my being present to give the truth.”

Jax is protecting me.

“Stop speaking to me like I’m stupid!” Kyle roars, getting in his face.

“Then stop fucking acting like you are.”

“Delaney,” Kyle demands. “We’re going to sort this out right now. You’ll accompany me to Nak’s office.”

“Kyle,” I try, but he shoots daggers in my direction.

“You are breaking the rules, and nothing you or Jaxson can say will change my mind about the way I’m going to deal with this. Now move!”

I look to Jax, who is glaring at Kyle.

“I should go,” I say, stepping past Jax.

Kyle lashes out and grabs my arm, and Jax moves like fire, grabbing Kyle by the shirt and slamming him against the wall. “You do whatever the fuck you have to do, but you do not ever fucking put your hands on her again. Do you understand me?”

“You have no right—”

“Do you understand me?” Jax roars so loudly even I flinch.

“I get you,” Kyle spits.

Jax releases him with a harsh shove and turns to me. “I’ll come with you to explain to Nak.”

“No,” I say, my voice shaky. “I’ll sort this out.”

He studies my face and he can see it’s something I need to do alone, so he nods. “I’ll be on call.”

“I’m sending Devon in,” Kyle grunts. “He’s outside. He came with me. He’ll watch Jax while we go to Nak.”

I say nothing, I just brush past him and walk outside. Kyle follows, barks at Devon to protect Jax and then he storms after me as I charge into the elevator. As it’s going down, he turns to me. “You know, I thought you were smarter than this. I thought this job was everything to you.”

“Don’t pretend to understand this,” I snap, glaring at my hands.

“Oh, I understand. You think he’s hot and wanted a piece. Like every other woman in this damned place.”

I spin on him. “Don’t you ever say something like that to me again. Believe it or not, I’m not just doing it to get a piece. But what would you know, Kyle? You’ve never cared about a fucking thing in your life.”

“Bullshit,” he bellows, slamming his fist into the side of the elevator. “I fucking care about you.”

I flinch.

What did he just say?

“You have the nerve to throw something like that out, at a time like this? You do nothing but treat me like shit, Kyle. So don’t you dare try and make up an excuse like that.”

“I treat you like that because if I don’t, I won’t be able to do my job because I’ll be forever wondering what it’ll feel like to do exactly what that fucking asshole was doing to you in there.”

I shake my head, staring at him. He means it, I can see it in his eyes. I have no idea how I feel about that, because I’ve never seen Kyle in that manner. He’s always been so arrogant and difficult, never making anything easy for me.

“Your treatment of me made me despise you, Kyle. Now you’re trying to tell me you care. You’re warped.”

“I’m doing my job. I’m putting my career first, which is more than you can say for yourself. Jesus, Delaney, where did your brain go?”

“I care about him!” I scream. “And when I care about someone, I do everything I can to share that with them.”

“He’s a fucking manwhore,” he bellows, slamming his fist against the wall again. “He doesn’t want anything but a piece of your ass, but me…”

“You?” I laugh bitterly. “You treat me like I don’t fucking matter, yet you think that’s better?”

“If you gave me a chance, I could show you what I can give you.”

I shake my head, stepping back as he steps forward. “You know nothing about me, Kyle. If you knew that, you wouldn’t be here doing this right now.”

“I won’t tell Nak,” he says suddenly and I blink.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I won’t tell him, if you promise to stop seeing him and let me take you on a date.”

“Have you lost your mind?” I shout.

“You haven’t seen any other side to me but this right here.” He jabs his chest. “Let me give you a chance to do something with someone who hasn’t screwed half of Denver.”

“Jesus, Kyle, are you listening to yourself?”

“The choice is yours, Delaney,” he says coolly. “You decide which is more important, him or your career.”

His words are like a slap to my face. I want to scream and throw him right out of this elevator, but he’s put me in a difficult position. He knows what my career means to me, and I can imagine he’s guessed Jax means a lot, too. He’s giving me a choice. Jax or my career.

But what he doesn’t know is that I fell in love with Jax the moment he stood up for me, and my career will never give me what he can give me. I won’t be blackmailed by Kyle, and I won’t be forced to date him and spend all my time with him, out of fear he’ll tell Nak. No, I have to tell Nak the truth and risk whatever comes out of it.

I turn to Kyle with a fierce expression. “I’ll pick him, Kyle. I’ll always pick him.”

Then I step out of the elevator as it dings open.

It’s time to face the music.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Nak is in his office when we arrive, and from the look on his face, he already knows what’s coming. His expression is hard, and his eyes dart straight to me. Jax must have called him, because I know Kyle didn’t. My heart starts pounding and fear places a choke hold on my heart. I don’t want to lose my job, but dammit, I don’t want to lose Jax either.

“Kyle, Delaney, sit.”

We both sit and I stare at my hands, unable to face the disappointment in my boss’ eyes.

“Kyle, tell me what happened.”

“I walked in on them kissing on the bed, but it wasn’t just a normal kiss, they were…”

I swing my head to him, glaring.

“They were grinding.”

Jesus.

Nak’s eyes dart to me. “That true, Delaney?”