His head drops forward. “She’s not in love with me. Not any more.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“We have a past.”
I want to ask what kind of past, but I already know the answer, and I really don’t want to hear him say it.
Running his hand through his hair, Lincoln looks up and leans back in the chair. “We dated in high school and for a little while after.”
“For how long?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
“Three years. We broke up because I couldn’t give her what she wanted.”
“What did she want?”
“What you and I have,” he says thoughtfully, tilting his head to the side.
My heart calms down. “Why is she here?”
“She’s Roy’s youngest daughter.”
I think back to the night Lincoln came home drunk. He stayed here and hung out with his buddies, and she gave him a ride home. Which means she was here hanging out too. “She gave you a ride home the night I showed up at your house.”
He nods. “But she wasn’t here the whole time. She showed up late, and since she was the only sober one, she gave several of us a ride.”
“So you see her a lot?”
“She’s here a lot, yes. She’s also one of Chloe’s best friends and new roommate.”
“Of course she is.” I sigh. “That’s where you were yesterday with Chloe.”
Lincoln lifts a brow. “Are you jealous?”
“Yes, I’m jealous,” I growl. “You told me I’m not allowed to come here, that it’s not safe, and then I find you in here alone with her, talking and laughing. And now I find out you two have history. So, yes, I’m jealous.”
He opens his legs and holds out his hand. “Come here.”
Sitting my purse on a chair, I walk toward him and stand between his legs. As soon as he touches me, I breathe a sigh of relief. This is what I needed. Comfort. Acceptance. To know I can come here and touch him the way he touched me in front of my friends last night. I sag against him. Lincoln tugs me onto his lap and swings my legs so they’re draped across his.
“You have nothing to be jealous of,” he says, rubbing a hand down my back. “Rose is part of my past; I can’t change that. And I can’t change that she’s one of Chloe’s best friends. But I promise you that nothing will ever happen with her. You’re all I see, Adley.”
His face is so close to mine. The scruff on his jaw has grown out, and he smells of sweat and spice. He’s sexy in his jogging pants and black T-shirt, and I wish I could erase the way I feel about Rose. It’ll be hard knowing she gets to spend time with him here, but I’m going to find a way to get over it, the same way he has to deal with the guys in my study group.
“I don’t like that she gets to come here and see you, and I don’t.”
“And I don’t like that you came here when I specifically told you not to.”
“Why?”
“You know why. We’ve talked about this. It isn’t safe. This is a horrible part of town, and a lot of the guys linger after their workouts to drink and hang out. After dark, mostly everyone in here is drunk or stoned.”
“Yeah, I know,” I mumble.
That gets his attention.