Chapter 13

Jemima abruptly turned to be face to face with him, almost bumping her forehead against his chin.

It was crazy how tall he was that even in heels, she couldn’t even be eye to eye with him.

“What?” She gritted out.

Nathan stepped back so he could look into her eyes, “you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“No I don’t,” her blinking unconsciously sped up, she looked away from his eyes and to the daisy pendant hanging from the silver chain around his neck.

Nathan smirked, “oh really? So you’re not trying to get me with that new girl so you’d have Kaden all to yourself because you’re afraid she’ll take him away from you?”

Jemima blinked, feeling violently called out.

“I-” she cleared her suddenly scratchy throat, “I’m not afraid and I’m only trying to get you with her because I care about you and she seems like a nice girl, you need to start getting more serious in life… you’re not getting any younger you know? You can only be a charming Casanova for so long.”

Nathan nodded, his eyes telling her that he did not believe a single word that came out of her mouth, “sure whatever you say Jackson,” he clasped his hands together behind his back and walked around her to get to the door, “but your very kind plan will never work, she’s not interested in me.”

“Wait,” Jemima stopped him just as he opened the door, “what do you mean she’s not interested in you? I thought girls found you irresistible?”

Nathan’s eyelids dropped and he looked at her from below his long lashes, “clearly not every girl,” he paused and cleared his throat, “look, my ego’s bruised as well but that girl is not interested in me or any guy for that matter…in fact, the only guy that she’s even given the time of day to is the golden boy himself, Kaden Solomon.”

So she is trying to steal my man!

Jemima exhaled deeply through her nose with her hands balled up in fists by her sides, “right. You can go now,” she dismissed him, her mind working overtime as it tried to rapidly come up with ways to prevent the new girl from digging her claws even deeper into her boyfriend.

Surely that little threat must’ve been enough, right? I mean, she looked spooked as hell, and it would take a lot of guts and nerves on her part for her to even think about talking to Kaden again.

If it didn’t work, Jemima would be forced to take things a bit too far.

The sound of the door closing snapped her out of her raving thoughts, and she looked up to see Nathan’s hand leave the door handle and fold over his left arm across his chest, his back lazily pressed against the door, and his eyes twinkling with something she couldn’t quiet decipher.

“Let me help you.”

Confusion flashed in her eyes and her head did a little tilt, “why?”

Nathan grinned, “ah so you do admit to wanting to get her away from Kaden.”

She rolled her eyes, then folded her own arms, matching his stance, but where his body language was relaxed and unbothered- hers was tense and guarded.

“Just answer the question Peters.”

Nathan didn’t move.

Instead, he leaned further into the door with his head tilting back, the smile on his face losing some of its playfulness, “because I know what it feels like to watch someone slip away from you, and not be able to do a damn thing.”

That wasn’t the answer she was expecting.

She searched his face for sarcasm, for some trace of his cocky teasing smirk- but his expression had gone unreadable, which was more unnerving than the smirk.

Then his head lowered again, the amusement back in his eyes like all he had to do was turn on a switch. “Also because it’s fun and I can’t resist chaos. Especially one that involves you, Kaden, and the girl you’re pretending not to see as a threat.”

“I’m not pretending!” Jemima snapped, but her voice had lost its edge. She was too preoccupied trying to read between the lines of Nathan’s offer.

He didn’t do things out of the goodness of his heart- assuming he even had one- but he was good at scheming, and if there was one thing she needed right now, it was someone who could help her stay one step ahead.

She tapped her fingers against her arm. “Fine. What are you offering?”

Nathan pushed off the door and slowly walked towards her, hands in his pockets, “Intel- I’m Kaden’s best buddy so if there’s anyone he’s going to confess to being a cheating boyfriend to, it’s me- and maybe a bit of misdirection as well, plotting here and there- you know, the creative stuff, and if you’re desperate enough-”

“Wait,” Jemima held up a hand for him to pause, “you’d betray your best friend and snitch on him…for me?”

Nathan’s green eyes bounced between her brown ones, and for a moment, just stared as if he was seeing something beyond her eyes.

Then, he shrugged, “like I said, I like chaos and I’m not a good person. But hey, your call.”

“And what do you get out of it?” She asked, voice clipped.

He smiled again, that boyish smile that hinted to him being up to no good, “a front-row seat.”

Jemima narrowed her eyes, already spinning through the possibilities. It was risky- doing anything with Nathan Peters always was- but it might the only way to stay ahead of the new girl, who, if Nathan was right, had developed a bit of liking to Kaden.

“Fine,” she said finally.

Nathan smirked, clearly satisfied, “cheers- to scheming with you, Jackson.”

He gave her a mock salut and slipped out the door, leaving Jemima alone with her swirling thoughts with the unsettling feeling that she’d just made a deal with the devil.

____________________