Free Dating Delaney by K Larsen, Wep Romance, Wep Fiction Page A

to her. I
hate games, but I don't want to seem pathetic or needy.
     
    I step into the kitchen doorway and find Laney standing in a
tank top with no bra and pajama pants hanging low on her hips sipping coffee
next to a man wearing only drawstring pajama pants, also drinking coffee.
Jealousy flares irrationally through me and I clench my fists at my sides. Who
the hell is this guy and why the hell is he half dressed in her kitchen?
     
    “Oh! Hey, Jake!” Laney says when she notices me.
    “I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll head upstairs,” I bite
out. She looks to the guy then back to me and jumps a little.
    “You’re not interrupting anything. Gavin’s one of my
best friends. He flew in last night late from California and crashed here,” she
explains.
    It sure doesn't look like it. Gavin’s watching her like a
hawk, when his gaze comes to me, he smirks.
    “Gavin, this is Jake…Jake…Gavin,” she introduces us.
    “Nice to meet you, Jack,” he says.
    “It’s Jake. Nice to meet you, too,” I all but bark.
    “Uh...” Laney analyzes me, “Coffee, Jake?”
    I try to relax my body to put her at ease.
    “Sure,” I say through gritted teeth. Gavin moves around the
kitchen to stand next to her.
    “This one have a nickname yet?” he says just loud enough
that he’ll know I heard.
    “Gavin!” she scolds.
    “What?” He feigns innocence.
    “Jake’s building out the dormers upstairs. Be nice.” She
looks to me. “Sorry, Jake, Gavin here,” she jerks her thumb at him, “has a bad
habit of openly disliking anyone I’ve ever dated.”
    “Not everyone. I liked John,” he states. Pain flashes across
Laney’s face for a moment before she stares down at the floor.
    “Gee, thanks for that Gav, you know how well that ended,” she says icily. I watch him wrap an arm around her and pull her close.
Seeing his arm around her makes my stomach clench.
    “Sorry. I shouldn't have brought him up,” he whispers while
holding her tightly against his bare chest. She shakes him off and sets her mug
down.
    “I’ll be right back...I need to run Claire to camp. Behave, Gavin,” she demands.
     
    When she pulls out the driveway and I turn around, coffee in
hand, to get to work. Gavin looks me up and down while scratching his chest. He
stands there like he owns the place, like he owns Laney.
    “Hi,” I say.
    “You want in, don't you?” he says.
    “Huh?”
    “In...Laney’s pants. I saw the way you look at her,” he
sneers.
    “Not your business,” I clip.
    “Fair warning, give up now. She’ll never let you in. Not all
the way, anyways. Not after John.” He’s so flippant I’m not sure where to go
with his comment.
    “Sorry, man, I don't know what you’re talking about and I
have work to do.”
     
    He continues anyways. “John was her soul mate. We were
friends and I set them up one summer. I’ve never seen Laney so in love…or John,
for that matter. They were a perfect fit. I actually almost believed Laney when
she told me she thought they were somehow fated. Anyways...they dated for a
while and then one day out of the blue he calls her and dumps her. Laney said
he didn't even give a reason, just something about having to make a tough
choice. It destroyed her. She fell apart so hard none of us thought we’d be
able to put her back together. She cried nonstop for months, barely ate and barely
slept. It was at least year before she went on a date again…but every one she’s
been with since she was twenty , since John , has been wrong. She’s
got one foot out the door from the start. You can actually see it in her eyes.
She holds a part of her heart back. I don't think she’ll ever give it all to
anyone again after the hurt John caused. Especially not you,” he finishes.
     
    I stood frozen in place staring at this psycho who was
babbling on and on about Laney’s heart getting trampled. He must think I was
stupid. The way he eyed her was like she was his possession. He wanted her and
was fairly