“Not when I don’t have to.” Jake waves his hand dismissively.
“You don’t know Natalie, so don’t assume what she wants from me.”
“I know she needs money, and I know she knows you have a lot of it,” my brother points out bluntly.
“The difference is that she can’t stand to be in the same room as me, and I’m the one trying to get her back!” I snap.
“Really?” Jake drawls. “So you two weren’t sucking face by your car just a few hours ago?”
“I kissed her,” I scowl. “And she wasn’t very happy about it.”
“She’s leading you on, Ethan. Women do this. I’ve been with a lot of them. I know the mind games they play.”
“Don’t you dare lump Natalie amongst any of those women!” I grab him by the front of his shirt, furious. “She’s not them. You don’t know her.”
“And neither do you,” Jake counters, his hand wrapping around my wrist and pushing me away. “You slept with her all of one time, and now you’re obsessed. Come on, Ethan!” He gets to his feet, pacing. “She can’t have been that good of a lay?—”
My fist flies, catching him in the jaw, and he goes down.
The sound of the coffee table breaking has Nick rushing out of the guest bedroom. “What the hell’s going on?!”
There’s glass everywhere from the broken table.
“Ask him!” Jake snarls, rubbing his jaw as he lets Nick help him to his feet. He’s got a few cuts from the glass on his arms, but Jake ignores them. “He’s panting after a girl who just wants his wallet. You know nothing about her. You fucked her one time, Ethan! What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Get out,” I say coldly.
Jake’s jaw slackens. “You’re turning on me over her?”
“I’m telling you to leave before I break your fucking nose. My relationship with Natalie is nobody’s business but mine. If I need your two cents, I’ll ask for them.”
“Okay, enough!” Nick gets between the two of us. “That’s quite enough. Jake, go home. Walk it off.”
Jake shoves him away and storms out.
Hearing the apartment door slam shut, I decide to pour myself a whiskey this time.
“I’ll take one, too,” Nick sighs.
He observes me grab another glass for him. “So the girl you brought to dinner, that was Natalie?”
I don’t answer him.
“Jake’s just worried about you. He’s a pain in the ass, but he means well.”
“I don’t like my judgment to be questioned, especially when it comes to my private life.”
Nick regards me thoughtfully. “Jake’s always been overprotective when it comes to you. You know that. And let’s be fair, he’s always had your back. You don’t have to like everything he’s saying, but he watches out for you. He didn’t deserve that.”
“I don’t like my woman being portrayed as a gold digger.”
Nick lifts an eyebrow. “Aren’t you doing the same for my wife?”
I shoot him an annoyed look. “The difference is that your wife is actually demanding money. Natalie doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. She’s not the kind of woman who plays games. Jake just doesn’t want to see it.”
Nick drains his glass in one go before slamming it down. “And you’re not the kind of man to go after a woman who doesn’t want him back. Sort out your life, Ethan. And if it matters, I liked her. I think so did Mom.”
He heads to the spare bedroom, leaving me alone to dwell in my thoughts.
