Twisted Hate: An Enemies with Benefits Romance

It’s time to move on from the past. I did.
Except I hadn’t, not really. 
I’d planned to plant the stolen items back in Josh’s house and leave him
to figure out why the burglar would do such a thing. But if I did that, my lies
would always be an albatross around my neck. Even if Josh never found out
what happened, I would know. Every time he kissed me, every time he
smiled at me, I would know I was keeping something from him, and it would
eat me, and eventually us, alive.
How could you build a relationship on a foundation of lies?
The answer: you couldn’t.
The elevator doors opened. I walked through the lobby, barely noticing
the ugly orange carpet and threadbare sofas.
Moving on from the past didn’t mean burying it beneath a new
foundation and hoping no one found it; it meant exposing the ugliness to the
light and taking responsibility. 
You couldn’t heal from something if you didn’t acknowledge it. 
As Kage and I stepped out of the hotel, my thoughts crystallized into
clarity.
I knew what I had to do. 
I had to tell Josh the truth.

---

46

---

JOSH
“Y
OU
’
RE
IN
A
REMARKABLY
GOOD
MOOD
.” C
LARA
COCKED
AN
AMUSED
eyebrow as I signed out from my shift. “Does the reason begin with a J and
rhyme with rules?”
“Cannot confirm or deny,” I said, practically whistling.
Last week’s burglary aside, I’d had a damn good week. I’d put Michael
behind me, Alex and I were on our way to being real friends again, and work
had been relatively easy. For the ER, that meant no patient deaths and no
mass casualty incidents, though there had been a nasty case involving an idiot
with a blowtorch. 
Plus, Jules’s bar exam was next week, which meant we could finally go
on real dates again soon.
I already had our first post-bar date planned: a weekend trip to New York
to see a special limited-time revival of Legally Blonde: The Musical,
sandwiched between lots of good food and even more sex. 
I’d have to trade shifts again to make the weekend happen, and it was
expensive as hell on a resident’s salary, but Jules deserved it. Getting through
the bar was a big deal.
“Fine. Don’t tell me, but I can guess.” Clara rolled her eyes good-
naturedly. “One of these days, you’ll have to confirm your relationship, or the
other nurses won’t stop hounding you about dating.”
“I’ll confirm after you admit your relationship with Tinsley is serious.” I
smiled at her scowl. She’d been dating Tinsley for months and still refused to
make it official. And people said I had commitment problems. “That’s what I
thought.”
“Goodbye, Dr. Chen,” she said pointedly. 

---

I laughed and waved before I left. 
I’d scheduled drinks with Alex for tonight, but that wasn’t for another
four hours. I had time for a shower and a quick nap, maybe a bit of New York
research. I read about a dessert place there that reportedly served incredible
salted caramel ice cream. 
I typed in the security code when I arrived at my house and pushed the
door open. One of the first things I did after the break-in was install a home
security system. Alex recommended it, so I assumed it was good.
Well, it was the tenth one he recommended. The first nine were expensive
as shit, but at least this one cracked his top ten.
I was already half asleep by the time I finished my shower, but the sound
of the doorbell jolted me awake. 
I threw on a pair of sweatpants and answered the door. Pleasant surprise
filtered through me when I saw Jules standing on the front step.
“Hey, Red.” I greeted her with a cocky grin. “Can’t stay away from me,
huh? Don’t blame you.” I gestured at myself. “Look at all this.”
I was still shirtless from the shower, and I didn’t want to brag or
anything, but my abs were a fucking work of art.
“If I knew you had company, I would’ve waited,” she said dryly. She was
carrying a large portfolio bag, which was strange, since she didn’t draw.
Maybe she went shopping earlier. “Wouldn’t want to interrupt your weekly
lovefest with your ego.”
“Daily,” I corrected. “Self-love is critical to maintaining one’s self-
esteem. But you’re hot, so you’re allowed to interrupt.” I drew her inside and
kicked the door closed behind us before planting a kiss on her lips. “Here for
a study break?”
“Um, sort of.” Jules tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking
unusually nervous. 
“Well, don’t take too long of a break. As happy as I am to see you, I want
you to kick ass on this exam.” Anticipation zipped down my spine. “I have a
surprise for you after it’s over.”
“Can’t wait.” 
I frowned at her subdued response. Normally, she’d be hounding me
about what the surprise was until I caved. “You okay?” 
“Yes. No. I mean, I have something to tell you.” She drew in a long
breath without meeting my eyes. “It’s about the painting the burglar stole.”
“Okay...” I narrowed my eyes. “You’re not making me buy that painting

---

we saw online the other day, are you? The one of the dogs playing poker?
Because it’s cool and all, but there must be a thousand other people who own
it.” 
“No.” Her laugh sounded forced. “Actually, it’s a funny story. I have the
painting. The one you’re missing.” 
Confusion drew my brows together. “You found a print of it?” 
“No.” Jules fiddled with her bag. “The real thing. The one stolen from
your room.” 
My smile slipped, and foreboding settled over my skin like a layer of
frost. How the fuck did she get the painting when the police couldn’t even
find a lead?
“What are you talking about?”
Instead of answering, Jules slowly unzipped the portfolio bag and
withdrew the painting.
I stared at it blankly. 
There it was, in all its brown and green glory. I’d never realized how
condescending it was. The painting smirked at me, its taunt a singsong voice
in my head.