“I love you, too.”  And I did.  But fuck this was hard; fighting against all my instincts to need to know what he was doing.  I just hoped that over time it would get easier, and that we would find a happy middle ground where he would share some things and I would be able to let some things go.

“What time is Serena arriving?” he asked, letting me go and reaching in his jacket for a cigarette.

“I thought she would have been here by now,” I replied.

Lighting his smoke, he suggested, “Why don’t you give her a call while I go in and see Scott.  But, I don’t want you out here by yourself so come inside to do it.”

I furrowed my brow.  “Why?”

He shook his head, mild frustration crossing his face again.  “Just do what I say for once, please.”

I threw up my arms, “Oh, for fuck’s sake.  Fine!” I snapped, and started walking towards the clubhouse.  I could hear him muttering something under his breath about women and death as he followed me in.

***

I hung up from Serena, disappointed.  One of the girls she worked with had been in a car accident and was stuck in hospital, which meant that Serena had to cover all of her shifts.  This meant that I wouldn’t get to see her anytime soon and that sucked.  I had been looking forward to girly time this weekend, especially some deep and meaningfuls about my relationship with J.  Serena had a way of helping me see situations from a different angle, and I felt like I really needed her insights at the moment.

“What’s got you all sad, sweet thing?”

I looked up to see Nash settling onto the stool next to me.  We were sitting at the club bar which was starting to fill up.  Friday nights were usually busy here.  I smiled at him and answered, “My best friend was supposed to be visiting for the weekend, but can’t come now.”

“Ah, I see.  You wanna hang out with me instead?” he winked at me, “There’s cock in it for you if you want.”

I shoved him hard enough that he had to balance himself to stay on the stool, but we were both laughing while I did it.  “Oh my god!  You never stop, do you?”  I said.

“What can I say... you inspire me,” he grinned.

“Tell me, Nash, why don’t you have a girlfriend?  You’re a good looking guy and you’re fun, and I’ve seen the way the ladies are all over you.”

He shrugged, “I don’t need the hassle that would bring, sweetheart.  Not when all I want is a bit of pussy, and like you said, that’s easy enough to get whenever I want it.”

“How old are you, Nash?”

“Thirty-five.  Why?”

“Do you want kids?  Maybe a wife one day?”

“Fuck, no!” he was emphatic.

I couldn’t hide my surprise.  “Really?”

“The world’s got enough fucked up people in it.  I don’t need to add to that, and as far as a wife goes, I don’t want to be tied down to anything or anyone,” he answered me, the joking tone of the conversation replaced with total seriousness.

I cocked my head, “But you are tied to Storm, aren’t you?”

“Sure am, and that’s the only family I’ll ever be tied to,” he said, with absolute certainty.

I didn’t get his decision, but there was no point pursuing it because who was I to tell him what to want, so I simply said, “Fair enough.  It’s your life.”

He flashed his cheeky grin at me again, all seriousness gone.  “You and J talking babies yet?”

I whacked him again.  “God, no!”

He pretended to shield himself from me.  “Settle down, darlin’, I’m just teasing you.”

Of course it was at this point, when Nash and I were mucking about and smacking each other that J should walk into the room.  I saw him stalking towards us. I took in the shitty look on his face, and instantly pulled away from Nash.  It was an instinctual move; probably the right one given J’s current mood.

“Nash,” he growled when he got to us, “Keep your fucking hands off Madison.”

Nash stood up and stepped into J’s space so they were head to head.  His grin and laughing eyes had been replaced with a menacing glare as he said, “I didn’t have my fuckin’ hands on her.”

Oh, god.  That was my cue to leave these two alone.  “I’ll be back soon,” I said, but neither of them really acknowledged me.  Shaking my head I walked in the direction of the ladies room, hoping that they had sorted their issues out by the time I came back.

***

When I returned ten minutes later, Nash was gone, and J was downing a beer.  He didn’t drink often so he must have had a bad day.  As I reached him, I settled my hand on his lower back and asked, “Did you rip his head off?”

He turned to me, annoyance in his eyes, “I don’t like the way he flirts with you.”

“He’s harmless and he knows where I stand.”

“Well, I don’t think he’ll bother you again.  I’ve sorted that out now,” he grunted.

“Mmm, I’m sure you have,” I mused.

“Did you get hold of Serena?” he changed the subject which was probably a good idea.  I think we were in unsafe territory talking about Nash.

“Yeah, she’s not coming.  She can’t get out of work.”