Sydney drew within arm’s reach, and Dylan tugged her to sit in his lap. Her warm weight pressed against him. This might have been a bad idea, with the way his body was reacting. He didn’t let his dick talk for him, though. Usually. “What was this about a C and D?”
“Patent troll is claiming Sydney stole their idea,” Josh said, before Sydney could reply. “I was showing her why it wasn’t a big deal.
So nothing was going on. That didn’t stop Dylan’s jealousy the way he wanted. “Why did you two break up?” It was a tangent, and it was a little manipulative. He wanted to remind them why they weren’t together.
He’d heard snippets about their split. It wrecked Josh. He’d never pried for details before, though.
Sydney leaned into him. “Josh should tell you.”
“You’re the one who did the breaking, though. Am I right?”
“I was the one who said we were done. I wouldn’t say I was responsible for all of the breaking. And after last night, I’m not sure he realizes even now why I walked away.” Her sneer was audible.
Dylan wrapped an arm around her waist. Whatever happened this afternoon, he probably didn’t need to worry about it. He still wanted answers.
“I did come over here to apologize.” Josh sounded defensive.
“For...” Sydney dragged the word out.
Josh sighed. “She broke up with me because there was a really big moment—”
Sydney cleared her throat
“—and it wasn’t the first one—that, due to a series of unfortunate events, I missed.”
“You missed them all. After about three months of dating, you never made a single important date.” Sydney’s aggravation was growing.
Dylan wrapped an arm around her waist, for comfort, as much as to be possessive. He was building a bigger picture about her past with Josh, and he didn’t have concerns about her intentions. Josh’s, though...
Dylan would hate to choose between a friend and a woman, and he’d regret if the choice was obvious and he’d never seen it coming.
“It wasn’t all.” Josh’s protest was weak.
Sydney clenched her fist. “It was all. My birthday. Your birthday. Our graduation party. Dinner with my boss at the time. Our anniversary. Every single one of them because something came up that Laurie Hunter needed help with, and it was so critical, it had to be Josh helping, and it couldn’t wait.”
“What was the final straw?” Dylan was morbidly curious. “Not that I’d blame you if it was waking up one morning and realizing he was an asshole.
Sydney focused her pointed glare on Josh.
He ducked his head. “We were supposed to go to dinner, and then ring shopping after.
Ring shopping? An invisible fist clenched around Dylan’s chest.
“We’d agreed not to call ourselves engaged until I was wearing the ring,” Sydney said. “Instead of picking one out, I sat in the restaurant alone for a fucking hour, nibbling on bread and drinking my weight in water. There was no call. No hint as to where Josh was. And no answer when I tried to get a hold of him.”
“I was taking notes in a last-minute critical deposition that ran over. I wasn’t comfortable interrupting.”
Dylan was still processing that Josh and Sydney had been essentially engaged. “You couldn’t say, give me two minutes to call my all-but fiancée and tell her why I’m late?”
“Or better, you couldn’t have told your lovely mother to get another fucking intern to take the notes?” Sydney leaned forward, anger dripping from her words.
“It was an critical client.” Josh’s protest was stronger than it should be.
Sydney stood, face twisted in anger. “They were all critical, weren’t they? Every time Laurie needs you to do something, it’s a critical thing that she only trusts you to handle. And it happened frequently enough that you missed every important date we had across more than a year. You bitch that she treats you worse than anyone else there, but apparently her fucking firm would collapse if you weren’t around to meet with every important client who walks through her doors. I guess that explains why you were pulled from my contract negotiation.”
Actually, it probably did, just not in the way she thought. Had Laurie Hunter worked to keep Josh and Sydney apart, for some reason?
“It’s my career.” Josh’s voice rose.
Sydney growled. “I was supposed to be your fucking wife.” She was shouting now. “And it’s not your career. You don’t even want to work there.”
She had a good point, but Dylan wasn’t going to interrupt. Sydney had this on her own. It was sexy-scary in the best way possible. It was easier to lean in that direction, than acknowledge that her rage may mean she still had feelings for Josh.
“I’m not going to half-ass a job just because it’s not my final stop,” Josh said.
Ouch. Wrong answer.
“No. You’re just going to half-ass a relationship with the woman you said you wanted to spend your life with.” Sydney’s face was red.
If Dylan didn’t step in now, would this come to blows? He was having trouble finding any sympathy for Josh at this moment.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Josh was digging himself into a deeper hole the longer he talked. Any minute now, his ego would stop blocking that message from his brain, and he’d apologize and back down.
He'd been in the wrong with Sydney. There were so many better ways he could have handled things back then, without sacrificing his job or his work ethic. Now was his chance to own it.
“I fucked up. I’m sorry.” That wasn’t as tough as he expected. It only burned a little.
Sydney raised an eyebrow. It was the least angry thing about her blotched red face, clenched jaw, and narrowed eyes.
“You could have at least tried not to wince when you'd said that.” Dylan’s tone was flat.
Josh swallowed a growl, as reason warred with pride in his thoughts. “What do you want me to say?”
“Until about thirty seconds ago, I would have answered, I just want an apology. I’d like to amend that with, it would be nice if you meant it.” Sydney gave him a thin-lipped smile.
Josh forced himself to take a deep breath and squash the obnoxious voice shouting, she doesn’t get it. Because she did. Sydney was observant and intelligent and fun and creative. She’d never asked him to do something like quit his job or put it in jeopardy. She wanted his time for special occasions. He was the one who had been unreasonable.
“I’m sorry. Not for every single time. I won’t say that, because it’s not true. But you’re right that I let work get in the way. Especially on those days like our anniversary, your birthday, our engagement. I’m sorry.” That felt a lot better.
“Which ones aren’t you sorry for?” Sydney countered.
Josh was prepared for that. “I never wanted to meet your boss. You didn’t even go that night. I was the perfect excuse.”
Sydney quirked her mouth in an unformed smile. “That’s true. But it’s not the point.”
“How long do we do this for?” Dylan asked. His flat expression implied he wasn’t going to forgive as quickly.
Wish I had your girlfriend back, and then feel like a dick for wanting to break you two up? Josh pushed the question aside. “Do what?”
“This back and forth, with the awkward running into each other. The arguing. The apologies. The hints of sexual tension.” Dylan didn’t sound amused.
Sydney leaned back into Dylan and gave him her full attention. “I’d suggest you and I spend more time here, but...”
“That’s not the best solution.” Dylan finished with a sigh.
Sydney shook her head. “Exactly. I can’t ask you to never go home when you and I are spending time together.”
Josh was doing exactly what he swore he wouldn’t. He was coming between them. “I’m not...” What? The answer stuck in his throat. He wanted Sydney back. For the last few years he’d tried to ignore their past. Tell himself they were done.
After last night... he couldn
’t do that anymore. But he didn’t want to come between her and Dylan. It was too bad they couldn’t share.
Share had a nasty flavor to it. Sydney wasn’t a piece of meat. It was too bad they couldn’t all be together.
“You’re not what?” Dylan hadn’t loosened his grip on Sydney’s waist, and his patience sounded thin.
“I’m not trying to come between you.” That was about as true and real as this got.
Dylan looked skeptical. “If I were someone else, would you still say the same?”
Absolutely not. “If you were anyone else, Sydney would deserve better.”
“Hi. Still here.” Sydney waved her fingers. “I don’t remember asking either one of you who I was or wasn’t allowed to date.”
“Technically... I have a say in that.” Dylan nuzzled her neck.
She rolled her eyes, but her smile had broken through. “All right, technically.”
Josh missed having that with her. An ache squeezed his heart. “This is going to sound weak, because it’s so cliché, but... I’d like to be friends.”
“Too bad...” Sydney frowned, then shook her head. “You’re still an obsessive asshole about work. But tentative friends sounds good.”
That hurt. He deserved it, but it stung. She also didn’t finish the thought the way she wanted to. “What were you going to say?”
SYDNEY FELT DYLAN’S grip tighten on her hip when she said, Too bad... Did he know what she was thinking? Either way, she was glad he’d stopped her from saying too much.
What Kathryn had with her two guys was enviable in a lot of ways. Not just the not having to choose, but also the adoration. If Sydney trusted Josh, she might look for that with him and Dylan, but her mind was on the physical side of things. Diving into sex with Josh, just for that rush of being with two men again, was a bad idea.
And if she wanted to do any additional experimenting, she should be on the same page as Dylan. She needed to talk to him, anyway. Any sort of long-term relationship with him meant an agreement when it came to her ex and his roommate.
She stood and grasped Dylan’s fingers. “Can I talk to you in the kitchen?”
“I can just cover my ears,” Josh said.
Dylan climbed to his feet. “Privacy sounds like a good idea.”
Sydney looked at Josh. This had gotten complicated fast. “Could you wait in the guest room?” It was the farthest room in the apartment from the kitchen, and the door closed. She’d ask him to leave, but they needed to work some of this out now. It was going to keep coming up either way.
“Sure.” Josh frowned, but headed into the other room anyway.
The instant she heard the door latch shut, she pulled Dylan into the kitchen. The words wouldn’t come, though. She paced, trying to organize her out-of-control thoughts.
Dylan stepped up behind her and rested his hands on her hips, interrupting her. He didn’t pull her close, but the contact was comforting and helped her focus.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said.
That was a bad idea. First of all, she’d have to put it into words, and then those words would need to form a coherent sentence. “You first.”
“I don’t think that’s quite fair, but all right.” He spun her to face him. “Josh is my best friend. He’s been there for me, even though we’ve only known each other for a few years.”
She nodded. That didn’t change the way Josh had treated her.
Dylan guided her backward, until she collided with the counter. “Even though I’ve never seen the side of him that you did, I don’t doubt you for a second, and you didn’t deserve that. I’d like to think he’s not that person, but apparently at least part of him still is,” he said.
“Thanks for the support.” She let out a strained laugh.
“Honestly, I kind of want to pound his face in, for treating you that way. I know how much it hurt him when you left, but that’s on him, not you. I can also see he’s still not over you.”
Sydney didn’t like the skip behind her ribs at hearing that. “I’m not giving him another chance. What he did was inconsiderate, but it wasn’t abusive. Maybe he’ll change, maybe not. I’m not looking at any of that. I’m concerned about you and me. I can’t ask you not to talk to him anymore, and that means we’ll all keep running into each other.”
“You’d fuck him again.”
She winced, but she wouldn’t deny it. “It would be a mistake. There are too many blurred lines between then and now.”
“So hook him up with one of your friends.” Dylan pressed closer.
Jealousy jolted through her. “No. Not after what he did to me. My point is, I only see two options.” Please don’t let this be a mistake. She was trying to be reasonable. To look at the situation from a rational perspective.
Dylan raised his brows.
“I either go out of my way to avoid him, or I learn to be friends with him.” That made sense, didn’t it?
Dylan dropped his hands from her hips. “I can’t believe you’re considering friendship, after what he did.” The low seductive understanding vanished from his voice.
Was she really hearing this? It took her a moment to process the words. Was it her, or was that a hint hypocritical? “But you were okay with me fucking him? Are you considering ending your bromance with him?”
“No.” The refusal carried a sharp edge.
“Because you’ve never personally witnessed him being that kind of an asshole, until last night?” Sydney crossed her arms. She was willing to give Josh another chance, if he was trying. Not more than one. But Dylan was making it sound like she was wrong to consider forgiveness, where it was fine for him. That was bullshit.
Dylan jammed his hands in his pockets. “You make a fair point. I suppose that means there’s a third option.”
“What’s that?” Her gut twinged, telling her not to ask the question.
“You and I stop seeing each other.” Dylan made it sound like the simplest thing ever. “Then you don’t have to worry about any of it.”
Disbelief rang in her ears, and she swallowed back the bile rising in her throat. What just happened? How did they go from a reasonable conversation to this? “What?”
“It’s been less than a week.” How did he sound so fucking calm? Was this really the same guy who insisted over and over that he wanted to see where things went? “Don’t misunderstand. You’re sexy, fun, intelligent, and creative as fuck. But it’s obvious you two aren’t over each other. I can’t compete with that kind of baggage.”
Now this was her fault? “But—”
“Are you going to deny it?”
“I told you I’m not going back to him.” Sydney couldn’t keep the defensiveness from her retort.
“That’s not what I said. Look me in the eye and tell me you’re over him. Say that you don’t wonder if he changed, would I give him another chance?”
Hadn’t she said that? “Why are you turning this on me?”
“I’m not.” His jaw was tight, and so were his words. He raked his fingers through his hair. “But this is how it looks from my perspective. You dumped this guy three years ago. He still wants you. And now you’re asking me to watch and ignore all of that, so you two can be friends.”
“Is this about how Josh feels now, or about how he treated me then? Or are you looking for excuses, because you don’t want to admit I have a past before you?” That was probably a low blow. She was taking focus off the original issue as much as he was. “Because this is how it looks from my perspective.” She couldn’t keep the snideness from her voice. “You want me to back off and rearrange how I do things, so I can date you but never run into Josh. But it’s okay for you to stay his friend.”
“Because I never—”
“Never loved him? Never stood by his side while he did something asinine? There’s no one in this room who can say that. But this isn’t about you, right? It’s all about me. Because he was cruel to me. Because he still carries a flame for me. It seems like I’m
not the one whose perspective is clouded by my past with Josh.”
“He treated you wrong.”
And they were back to that. “Yeah. He did. And it’s up to me to say if I forgive me. You don’t get to tell me that, especially if you’re doing exactly the opposite of what you’re advising me of.” This was so bullshitty, she couldn’t process it. “You know what? You’re right. I like your third option. We’re done.”
A voice inside her head screamed, What are you doing? She wouldn’t take it back, but she did want Dylan to. Why didn’t he understand? Or was she the one being unreasonable?
He nodded. “So we agree. Finally. Have a nice life.” He turned on his toe and strode from the kitchen. “You can come out now,” he called. “I don’t care what you do after that.”
A heartbeat later, the front door opened and shut.
Sydney’s heart cracked. She leaned back against the counter, waiting for the tears to fall. But there was nothing to alleviate her emptiness, disappointment, and hurt.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sydney’s mind was a jumbled wreck. What just happened? She slid to the floor, unable to process how quickly the situation deteriorated.
Josh paused in the doorway, studying her with concern. “What’s going on?”
“You need to go.” She couldn’t deal with human interaction right now. Especially him, being considerate.
“What’s wrong?” He stepped toward her.
“Now, please. I won’t ask again.”
He held up his hands, palms out as if surrendering, and shook his head. “You know where to find me if you need me.”
She did, and that was part of the problem. She’d ignored him all this time, and suddenly he was in her life again, reminding her of both the good and bad.
The front door opened and closed for a second time.
She summoned all the numbness she could find and forced it through her veins. Her eyes stung, and her stomach hurt, but tears wouldn’t come. She could only stare at the floor and ask, What happened?
DYLAN DIDN’T MEAN FOR that to fall apart. He replayed the argument over and over, as he stalked to his car and headed home.
Roll Against Betrayal Page 9
