Resolve (Chloe PoV)

“I’m quitting.”

Jake had no reaction. Even though I expected it, a part of me had hoped the news would get something out of him. That stoic nature of his was comforting in a way. I didn’t need to worry about pulling my punches so to speak. It was nice being able to share anything and everything with someone without fear of judgment. It was still weird knowing that Jake’s Gift allowed him to see my emotional state, but I couldn’t deny the benefits that came with it.

And what it brought to the bedroom…

Focus, Chloe.

“No more guys after school. No more selling my Gift. I’m done.” He still didn’t say anything. Why wasn’t he saying anything? It took me a second, but I realized that he wasn’t saying anything because he was reading my emotions. Anger shot through me before I could register I was angry.

That got his attention as his eyes met mine. I didn’t let him speak.

“I get that you can read my emotions, but I can’t. You have to give me something, Jake. You have to at least make the effort to make this more than a one-way street.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Just… say something.” Frustratingly, he said nothing. No, he only looked at me with those pretty eyes of his and his badass stoic expression.

“You’re serious.”

“I am.”

“Good.” Of all the things he could have said, that was the one I didn’t expect. “You’re surprised.”

“You told me you were okay with me continuing. Sounds to me like you changed your mind.”

His hands disappeared behind his back. One of his tells that he was thinking about something. “Our time together this weekend has given me new perspectives on the matter.”

I found my curiosity getting the better of me. “Oh?”

“I have found that I rather like your noise free of outside influence. There is clarity there that I cannot put into words. Your Gift itself seems different as well. It is less dominating and more supportive. I believe your feelings regarding the deployment of your Gift has an effect on it.” He paused and tilted his head slightly. “Though we will have to test that a few more times to be sure.”

I found myself grinning. “Oh, I’m sure that’s the only reason you want to ‘test’ that theory.”

“Hardly. I quite enjoyed having sex with you. The expressions you make when—”

“Okay!” I cut in as I felt my face heat. “Just because you don’t feel embarrassed doesn’t mean I can’t feel it.”

He looked down at me and I felt my stomach flutter. He wasn’t even trying and it was making me feel antsy. “May I ask why you changed your mind? You seemed rather intent on making as much money as you could. Graduation is still months away. That is a considerable amount of money—”

“Can we not talk about money?” When he put it like that, it was a lot of money. Money that could—

Nope. Wasn’t going to go down that path or I’d talk myself into continuing.

“I hated lying to Sophie and I know I would have to do that more later on. I hate having you wait for me while I let guys have their way with me. I hate how it makes me feel.” I took a deep breath as I faced an uncomfortable truth. The only reason I had the strength to face it was because I knew Jake wouldn’t judge me. “When I was with my two clients today… I enjoyed having sex. More than I’m comfortable admitting. I… I even thought of you while…” I glanced up at him to find he was still as unreadable as ever. “But I hate losing control. I fight against my Gift every time and lose. That wasn’t the case with you. Yeah, giving up the money is going to hurt but I think I have more to gain putting all this behind me.”

Reaching up, he brushed his fingers over my cheek. “Then we are in agreement.”

Putting my hand over his, I took a deep breath. My stomach was turning in another fashion. “Some people aren’t going to like this.”

“Don’t worry about them.”

“Adam—”

“Can get his fix elsewhere.”

I frowned. “You know he won’t. Me stopping is only going to make him want it more.”

Jake looked thoughtful—at least, I think that was his thoughtful face. As always, it was damn near impossible to get a read on him. “Perhaps, but I would rather fight him off than suffer under his rule.”

“Sorry,” I said, finding it hard to keep looking at him.

“For what?”

“I’m about to bring a ton of bullshit down on you—”

“Don’t.” I looked up to find him staring at me. “I’m your boyfriend.” His hands found me, pulling me in. Face against his chest, his arms held me against him. I found my eyes closing as I lost myself in the moment. “If this is what you want, I will support you with everything I have. We are in this together.”

Love. So this was what it felt like. He may not be able to show me his emotions, but in this moment I certainly felt it. How long had it been since I felt anything like this? The simple gesture was almost too much for me as I struggled to keep my emotions in check—as if that actually mattered. Jake was reading me like a book. I couldn’t hide what I felt, but I found a strange comfort in there. He would always understand me, even if I was a mess myself.

“Thank you.”

He said nothing, holding me against him. As much as I enjoyed this moment, I couldn’t help but worry about what the future held.