Lauren ran a hand through her hair. She knew she couldn’t keep doing this, couldn’t keep living this double life. It wasn’t fair to anyone – not to Jake, not to Rain, and certainly not to herself.
But the thought of giving up Rain, of never feeling the warmth of her touch or the comfort of her presence again . . . it was unthinkable.
The only option was to take a leap of faith into an uncertain future, even if it terrified her to her very core of her being. Which it did. But would she have the courage to do it?
That remained to be seen.
Chapter Twenty-One
Rain stepped into the lift, her heart almost seizing in her chest. What the hell had she been thinking, turning up at Lauren’s place like that? She had not expected Lauren’s husband to be there, that was for sure. Foolishly, she’d thought he’d still be at work, and she would have the opportunity to speak to Lauren – no, that was a lie. She didn’t want to just speak to Lauren, she wanted to hold her in her arms again, to feel the warmth of her embrace and much, much more. But that ill-conceived plan had been thwarted the moment she had set eyes on Lauren’s husband. The tension in the suite had been so thick, she could have cut it with a knife. It was obvious that things weren’t exactly harmonious between them.
No wonder Lauren had been looking for a little happiness outside of her marriage.
It boggled her mind how and why couples still stayed together long after the love had gone. She knew there was a kid involved, but even so, why put off the inevitable?
Rain made her way to the staff changing room, glad her day was finally over.
As she opened her locker and started to change, Rain heard the door open behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see one of her co-workers, but instead, Jake was standing there, his eyes locked on her. Rain’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest. What the fuck was he doing in the women’s changing room?
She quickly snatched up her shirt, holding it against her body. ‘Are you lost?’
He remained silently, simply staring at her.
Okay if that’s how you want to play it. You wanna try and intimidate me? Two can play at that game.
She loosened her grip on the shirt and stood there in her bra, staring right back at him.
It worked – Jake dropped his eyes to the floor, and she quickly pulled on her shirt and jacket.
‘Excuse me,’ she said in an attempt to brush past him, but he blocked her way, his expression unreadable.
‘We need to talk, Rain.’
Rain’s stomach twisted into knots. She tried to play it cool, but her voice wavered slightly. ‘Talk about what? My job?’
Jake’s eyes narrowed, and he moved even closer, his presence looming over Rain. She could feel the heat radiating off his body, and it made her skin crawl.
‘No, about you and my wife.’
Rain took a step back. Oh fuck!
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. Your wife—’
‘Don’t play dumb with me. I know there’s something going on. I saw the way you two looked at each other. I’m not blind.’
Rain’s mind raced, trying to come up with a way to defuse the situation. She was trapped with no way out except past Jake. She didn’t know how he would react if she tried to barge past him and she wasn’t about to tempt fate. She’d read of the horror stories of jealous husbands and the fate of their poor wives.
‘Look, I think you should be having this conversation with your wife—’
‘No, I’m having this conversation with you.’
‘Well, I have nothing to say.’
He leaned in close, and she could smell the sour stench of alcohol on his breath. ‘I’m going to find out the truth. One way or another. And if I find out you’ve been lying to me …’ He let the threat hang in the air, his eyes boring into hers.
She opened her mouth, desperate to say something, anything, to get out of this nightmare. But just then, the door swung open, and Denise walked in.
Taking in the scene before her with widened eyes, she said, ‘Everything okay in here?’
Rain nearly cried with relief. Thank god!
Jake straightened up, his demeanour shifting in an instant. He flashed Denise a charming smile. ‘Yeah, all good. Just checking in with Rain, seeing how she’s settling into the job.’
Denise didn’t look convinced. ‘Rain, can I talk to you for a sec? Alone?’
Rain nodded, relief flooding through her. She watched as Jake walked out of the changing room, his presence still lingering like a bad taste in her mouth.
Denise waited until the door had closed behind him before turning to Rain, her expression serious. ‘What the hell was that all about?’
‘Um, nothing.’
‘Rain, that didn’t look like nothing to me. Listen, you need to be careful. There’s something off about Jake, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.’
‘Off in what way?’
‘I don’t know, call it a gut feeling, but you need to steer clear of him.’
Rain forced a smile, trying to act like everything was fine. ‘Thanks, Denise. I appreciate you looking out for me. But really, it’s nothing.’
