"Smirk like an alphahole and go all possessive on me."
He opens his mouth, but I shoot up my hand.
"And yes, I find it hot and it turns me on, but it’s not the solution."
"Told you, baby, sex is the solution to everything." His smirk deepens.
"It’s sex that got me into this situation."
"What situation?"
"You know—being attracted to you, then actually sleeping with both of you—" I drag my fingers through my hair. "I don’t regret it but, seriously, a threesome. With my boyfriend—"
"Your ex-boyfriend."
"Technically, he was still my boyfriend then. So, technically, I cheated on him with his father, then slept with both of them." I hunch my shoulders. "That really does sound bad."
"You don’t have to feel bad. We did it because it was the only way for us to move forward. And things are so much better now."
"Maybe for you and Isaac, but I’m not sure where that leaves me. I don’t regret doing it—"
"So you keep saying."
"But I also wonder what it says about me, you know? Am I so self-centered that I allowed my desires to overpower me?"
"You’re being too harsh on yourself. Isaac himself says he understands why you did it. He holds no ill will toward you. If anything, he’s grateful to you."
I wrap my arms around my waist. "Maybe so, but I need to figure things out for myself. I need to understand why I did what I did."
He blows out a breath. "I understand what you’re saying."
"Do you?"
He nods. "No sex until you work things out for yourself."
"I think I need to move out—"
"No, absolutely not."
"It’d only be until I sort things through."
"I’m not letting you out of my sight," he growls.
"You’re not my keeper, JJ. I can do whatever I want."
"Not in this instance. I’ve only just found you. I, too, am trying to figure out what I want to do about whatever it is between the two of us. I can’t just let you walk away."
"I’m not walking away."
"You said you want time apart. I may not be a millennial—"
"I’m Gen Z, actually," I murmur.
"Thanks for pointing that out." His scowl deepens. "Either way, I’m not letting you leave. I need to see you every day."
"And I don’t want to see you. At least, not outside of work. I need a chance to just be normal."
"Not happening." He folds his arms across his chest, mirroring my stance.