Twisted Hate: An Enemies with Benefits Romance

Breathe, Jules. Breathe.
Max rolled his eyes. “I’m here to have fun, J. Plus I have…business in
D.C. Not everything is about you. Running into you was a lucky coincidence,
though I’d planned to text you again eventually. I was just…busy these past
few weeks.”
His casual annoyance was more sinister than any outright threats or
violence, though he’d always disdained physical violence. It was too plebeian
for him; he preferred mind games and manipulation, as evidenced by our
current conversation.
I could only imagine what kind of “business” he was up to, though. I
would bet my new apartment it was something illegal.
“And when do you plan on asking for this favor?” If I had to do it, I
wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.
“Whenever I want. It could be a few days from now. Weeks. Months.”
Max offered a loose shrug. “Guess you’ll have to keep a close eye on your
phone. Don’t want to miss a text from me or poof, you might wake up one
day to find your video online.”
My stomach hollowed. The idea of Max’s threat hanging over my head
for an indeterminate length of time made me want to hurl.
“If I do it, you’ll erase the tape,” I said.
It was worth a shot.
His expression hardened. “I’ll erase the tape if and when I want to erase
it.” He brushed a strand of hair out of my eye, the action grotesquely tender
considering the circumstances. “You don’t have any leverage, babe. You’ve
built this fancy life of yours on a foundation of lies, and you’re just as
helpless now as you were when you were seventeen.” He trailed his hand
down my neck and caressed my shoulder. A swarm of invisible spiders
crawled over my skin. “You will do—”
A familiar voice cut in, deep and edged with hardness. “Am I interrupting
something?”

---

22

---

JULES
M
Y
KNEES
WEAKENED
WITH
RELIEF
. I 
NEVER
THOUGHT
I’
D
WELCOME
THE
sound of that voice, but in that moment, I could build a shrine to it and
worship at its altar.
I looked over Max’s shoulder, oxygen creeping back into my lungs at the
sight of Josh’s tousled hair and lean, powerful frame.
“Josh.” I breathed his name like it was my salvation.
In a way, it was.
Max’s eyes sharpened before he dropped his hand and turned, giving Josh
a polite nod that the other man didn’t return. “Not interrupting. I was merely
saying hi to an old friend.” Curiosity touched his gaze as it flicked between
us, but he didn’t address Josh further. “Good seeing you, J. Remember…” He
tapped his phone with a smug smile and walked away.
I waited until he disappeared around the corner before I slumped against
the wall, my heart racing and my dinner threatening to make an ugly
reappearance.
Josh crossed the distance between us and gripped my arms. He swept his
eyes over my face, concern etching tiny grooves in his brow. “You look like
you’re about to throw up.” 
I forced a smile. “That’s my natural reaction whenever I see you.” 
The insult fell flat without the conviction to back it up. In truth, I wanted
to bury myself in Josh’s chest and pretend the past half hour never happened.
He wasn’t my friend, but he was a pillar of stability in a world that had
suddenly flipped on its axis.
He didn’t bother acknowledging my pitiful attempt at snark. “Was he
hurting you?” A dark current rippled beneath his voice and warmed my icy

---

skin.
“No.” Not physically, anyway. “Like he said, he’s…someone I used to
know. We were catching up.”
I couldn’t let anyone know the truth about Max or my past. Josh already
thought the worst of me. I didn’t want to imagine his reaction if he found out
I used to be a thief.
“In the biblical sense?” The current went from dark to pitch black.
“Careful, Josh,” I warned, ignoring the small flutter in my chest despite
everything that’d happened. “Or I’ll think you’re jealous.”
A harsh smile carved his mouth. “I don’t get jealous.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” I straightened, basking in Josh’s
concern more than I should’ve. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“For the same reason as you, I imagine,” he said sardonically. “I wanted
to check out the club, but I wasn’t feeling it and was about to leave when I
saw you.”
“Right.” We were near the exit, so that made sense.
Although Max had left, his presence lingered like a rotting smell, as did
his ultimatum.
Did he already have a favor in mind, or would he make it up as he went
along? He said no sex, but it could be something illegal. What if he wanted
me to steal for him again? That being said, why was Max asking for only one
favor? He’d spent seven years in jail. I would’ve thought he’d ask for more.
Did he really want a favor, or was he using it as a coverup for something
else? If so, what?
My brain pounded with a thousand questions I didn’t have the answer to.