Home > Feels Like Flying (Feels Like Falling #2)(6)

Feels Like Flying (Feels Like Falling #2)(6)
Author: J. S. Cooper

“Maybe.” I licked my lips nervously. At least he didn’t know James. He hadn’t mentioned his name.

“You said your ex-boyfriend’s name was Joey?” Jackson’s eyes narrowed.

I nodded. “Yeah, Joey. Tall guy, blond, blue eyes.”

“From Iowa, right?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s got a fiancée back in Dubuque?”

“Yeah.” I swallowed hard.

“He was in the hospital for a few days a couple of months ago?”

“How did you know that?” My eyes narrowed as I stared at him.

“Because I’m the guy that beat him up, Rosie. I’m the one that broke his arm.”

 

 

Chapter 3

 

 

My heart was beating faster than it ever had before. Given how much I had gone in life, that was saying something. Had I really just heard what I thought I had?

“Say that again,” I said, my voice too loud but not drawing attention from anyone else, thank God.

“You heard what I said, Rosie.”

“You said that you just beat up Joey.” I gazed into his eyes. So dark, so forbidding. “But you couldn’t have, right?”

“Why couldn’t I have?” He arched an eyebrow at me. “Didn’t I just say that I did?”

“But why?”

“Why do you think?”

“I mean, what? I’m so confused, Jackson.”

“I told you I knew Joey.”

“Yeah, but ...”

“You didn’t ask me how I knew him.”

“You said you didn’t want too many questions.”

“Well, hey, you didn’t ask that question. But I’m giving you the information. Consider it a freebie.”

“That’s not funny. So you’re a hitman?

“A hitman.” He threw his head back and laughed. “I don’t kill people.”

“Okay, so you’re not a hitman. You’re an assassin?”

“Hitman and assassin are the same things. Like I said, I don’t kill people.”

“You just beat them up?”

He cocked his head at me. “I know you’re not judging me. You’re the one that paid to have him beaten up, remember?”

“I know, but it was temporary insanity. I didn’t mean to do it.”

“And I didn’t mean to beat him up.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Well, true, I did. You paid a good amount of money.”

“Patrick told me that I could have had him killed as well.” I paused. “Would you have taken that job?”

“Would you have had him killed?”

“No! I told him I would never do that. What sort of person do you think I am?”

“Obviously the same sort of person you think I am if you thought I would have killed him.”

“Fine. So you do have some sort of moral boundaries? Is that what you’re saying?”

“It looks like we have the same moral boundaries, Rosie. Don’t judge me.”

“I’m not judging you. This is just a lot for me to take on. When did you ...” I paused. I wanted to ask this question so badly, but I was scared about the answer. I mean, how often is it that you start hooking up with a guy that beat up your ex-boyfriend and have to ask him when he knew? I mean, only my life could be this crazy, right?

“I didn’t know that you were the girl right away.” He paused. “Does that answer the question you didn’t ask?”

“When did you know?”

“When your mom came to visit me.” He looked at me. “That’s when I knew.”

“How?”

“Because.”

“Because why?”

“Because she told me why you were sleeping with me.”

“What do you mean she told you why?”

“She told me that you were dating a guy who broke your heart and that made you crazy and it made you want to get revenge, and that’s the only reason why you would sleep with someone like me.”

“Oh … You know that’s not true, right?”

He shrugged. “It sounded pretty valid. I mean, how often do you meet guys like me, Rosie? Let’s be real.”

“I would still go out with someone like you.”

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow. “So you’re telling me you’re the sort of girl that meets many random men on benches at old train stations and goes back to a hotel with him, no questions asked?”

“Well, no. Not normally. That night, you know, it was like I was bewitched. Something came over me. I wouldn’t normally do that, not with anyone. It wouldn’t matter who they were.”

“So are you saying I’m special or I’m not special?” He gave me a sly smile.

“Jackson. I don’t know how to answer that.”

“It’s okay. I’m not asking you to prove a point or make me feel better. I know who I am.”

“So you beat up Joey?”

“Yep.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Do you really want the answer to that question?”

“I don’t know, to be honest. Does my mom know?”

“Know what?”

“That you’re the guy that beat up Joey?”

“I don’t know. We didn’t talk about it.”

“You didn’t talk about Joey being beaten up?”

“No, we didn’t talk about whether or not she thought I was the guy who beat him up.”

“That didn’t matter to her?”

“She made it very clear that she didn’t want me in your life. She made it very clear that I was to stay away, and she made it very clear that she would offer me $100,000 to ensure that I had nothing to do with you anymore and that I stopped sleeping with you.”

“But you didn’t take the money.”

“Of course not. I make good money doing what I do.”

“So that’s what you do?”

“What?”

“You beat up men for money?”

“That’s not all that I do.”

“So really, I kind of paid for this booth myself tonight.” I put my head back and laughed.

“If you want to look at it that way.” He chuckled softly. “I can give you your money back.”

“I didn’t know I was paying you and you did the job.”

“It was a job well done, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know. I mean, you broke his arm and some ribs … I don’t even want to talk about it. It makes me feel bad.”

“At least I know the sort of girl I’ve gotten involved with.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I said.

“I better not mess with you, huh?”

“Ha ha. Very funny.”

“You might try and hire me to beat myself up.”

“Very, very funny. I’m not laughing. As I said, it was a moment of temporary insanity. I would never do something like that again.”

“Okay,” he shrugged. “I can’t say the same thing.”

“So do you enjoy it?”

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