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rate jumped as she remembered. “I started to scream and he put his hand over my mouth. He pulled me into the main room. The table was laid, candles lit.
    He’d cooked a bloody meal. He looked so pleased with himself. I’ve no idea how he got in. I wasn’t sure what to do.”
    “What did you do?”
    Anna wasn’t about to tell Jax exactly what had happened, what fear had made her do.
    “Persuaded him to leave and had the locks changed. He carried on bumping into me for weeks. I finally went to the police and they paid him a visit.” She gave a little 19

    Barbara Elsborg
    laugh. “The police said Gareth claimed it was me harassing him. Anyway, it all stopped and I thought it was over. Then a month ago, I was at my parents for Sunday lunch and Beth arrived holding Gareth’s hand.”
    “Ouch.” Jax rubbed his thumb around her palm.
    “I was so shocked, I couldn’t speak. I was torn between relief because he’d now leave me alone, and concern that he wasn’t right for Beth. I assumed he was going out with her to make a point or something. But Beth obviously adored him, and he was all over her and I thought it would be okay. Until I found out he’d lied and told Beth and Mum and Dad that he’d broken off our relationship. I might have been able to cope with that. I understand male pride but Gareth went on to say that I wouldn’t leave him alone, that I was pestering him to take me back. That made me furious.” Anna shuddered when she thought about it, the scene she’d made, the way she’d shouted.
    “It was such a childish thing to do, the sort of lies boys tell at school when they don’t want to look like losers in front of their friends.” She glanced at Jax and he twisted his mouth into a wry smile.
    “I’ve grown up,” he said.
    Anna gave a little snort. “You’re a guy, you’ll never grow up.”
    “Keep talking. I want to know what happened.”
    “Gareth claimed I was obsessed with him, jealous because he preferred Beth. When I tried to explain what he’d done to Beth and our parents, especially all the creepy things, no one believed me. If only I’d told them beforehand but I hadn’t. I didn’t want them to worry. Worse still, when the flowers arrived at work, I’d pretended they were from a boyfriend.”
    “What the fuck for?”
    Anna bristled. “Because I’d never been out with a guy who sent me flowers. I liked them. I just didn’t like that they were from Gareth. Believe me, if I could go back and change things, I would. He twisted everything I said to make me look bitter and spiteful because he’d wanted Beth and not me. He won everyone over to his side.” Anna was hurt by the way her family hadn’t believed her—still didn’t believe her.
    “Mum and Dad love him. He laughs at Dad’s jokes, praises Mum’s cooking and treats Beth like an angel. He’s behaving like the perfect bloody boyfriend.” The bastard could do no wrong. Anna felt her fist clench and then Jax’s hand wrapped around hers, teasing the tension from her fingers.
    “So what’s the deal? Leave them to it.”
    Anna gave a short laugh. “I would if I could but he won’t leave me alone. He still turns up at the same place as me and then accuses me of stalking him . He pleaded with me to go to his apartment to talk things through and against my better judgment, I agreed. When I got there, he pretended he’d never asked me. Beth stood at his shoulder, half glaring, half feeling sorry for me.”
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    Anna in the Middle
    There was worse too, but Anna had said enough. She half regretted saying anything.
    “The guy sounds like a prize prick,” Jax said.
    Anna felt a surge of hope. “You believe me?”
    “Of course I do.”
    Relief flooded over her as though she’d sunk into a warm bath.
    “He is a prick, but then some pricks are fun,” she whispered.
    She slid her fingers through the thatch of dark, wiry hair at Jax’s groin and wrapped her hand around his thickening cock. He gave a loud