Page 93 of Heartless As Puck

“But they’re our enemies,” he protested, gripping tightly to his pitcher of beer.

“Only on the ice,” I reminded him. I returned to my seat, knowing that saying more wouldn’t achieve anything. He’d been too indoctrinated by Taggert to change overnight.

Our meals arrived and we started to eat. I was halfway into my meal when I noticed Alec approaching our table, his gaze darting from me to Nick and Matt at my sides.

When he reached me, he crossed his arms and scowled. “How come Jane isn’t here?”

I frowned. I thought he’d been there when we’d discussed our plans, but when I racked my mind, I realized he’d left before we made any decisions.

“Going to the game was a lot for her,” I pointed out. “She went home to lie low and take a breather.”

“Uh-huh.” He looked skeptical. “Was that her decision or yours?”

“Hers.” It wasn’t as if I could tell her what to do. She wasn’t my assistant anymore. She was my girlfriend.

He cocked his head. “So she didn’t want to come out?”

“No. She might have done it if I’d asked, but she looked worn out, so I suggested she go home with your parents instead. I didn’t want her to get overwhelmed.”

He nodded slowly. “Hazel messaged me—she must have gotten my number from Jane—and asked me to talk to you if I saw you while we were out.”

My stomach bottomed out. Oh, shit. I didn’t like where this was going. “Why?”

“She said you mentioned something about being photographed with another woman.” His muscles bulged, and I had a feeling it was intentional, a non-verbal threat. “Any idea what that might be about?”

Fuck. I hadn’t yet gotten the shovel talk, but it looked like this conversation might take that turn.

“There’s a reporter who has it out for us,” I admitted, ignoring the glares from Drew and Matt. “I saw her with her phone pointed at me when a woman came onto me earlier. I told the woman I wasn’t interested, but she did touch my arm at one point, and I was worried about how the reporter might make it look.”

He stared at me for a long minute, until the back of my neck began to prickle with nerves. I wasn’t the kind of person who could easily be intimidated, but I didn’t usually have so much on the line. I wanted Jane’s family to like me.

“So let me see if I’ve got this straight: You suggested that Jane stay home because you’re worried about her, and then you got photographed looking cozy with another woman.”

I nodded.

He sighed. “You can see how that might appear to her, right?”

“Yeah.” I didn’t have to be a genius to work that out.

He ran his hand over his stubbled jaw. “Look, man, I can see where you were coming from. I know how easy it is to fall into the trap of wanting to protect your woman from everything that could possibly upset her. The problem is, Jane has been very clear with us that she doesn’t like people being overprotective and smothering her.”

“I’m not doing that.” I was just giving her a reasonable amount of time to process what she had been through.

Alec held out his hands to show he meant no harm. “I’m not saying you are. Just that you might want to consider asking her opinion and listening to her rather than assuming you know best. Like, say, straight up telling her what happened instead of asking your sister to run interference.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to say that I’d planned to do that as soon as I got home, but I swallowed the words down. That wasn’t the point. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure what the point was. Perhaps that I needed to start like I intended to continue, which meant treating Jane like a capable adult rather than someone who needed protecting.

“I’ll make sure to ask her next time, and don’t worry, I’ll listen to what she says. I do want to take care of her, because she deserves that, but I also don’t want to be another person stepping on her toes.”

He tipped his chin up, his expression serious. “You do that, and we won’t have any problems.”

“The thing is…” I trailed off. “Well, let’s just say that things between us haven’t been exactly how they seem, and I really don’t want to mess up and lose her.”

“Uncomplicate it for me. We have time.”

I bit my lip. I couldn’t exactly explain that our relationship was a lot newer than it seemed, and that I still wasn’t sure exactly where we stood or what to do next. It wasn’t my place to tell him. If Jane wanted him to know, she’d break the news.

But then… who better to give me insight into how to hold onto Jane and keep her happy than her brother?