Chapter 425

Gavin's POV

"I don't fall in love," I growled, making Taylor freeze, his smile faltering for only a moment. "Bad things happen when I fall in love."

Taylor frowned; he was the only one in the world who knew my troubled past. I won't disclose what happened to anyone, but over time, Taylor became my best friend, and I felt comfortable enough with him to share what had happened. He never asks me about it or makes me relive the trauma, which I had always been grateful for. This was the first time it's been brought up since I told him about it.

"Neither of those deaths was your fault, Gavin," Taylor said, his brows furrowing. "You didn't get them killed."

I swallowed, my Adam's apple moving and I worked hard to avoid his eye contact. This was a level of vulnerability I wasn't willing to share, not even with my best friend.

"Look, all I'm saying is, Judy is tough. She can handle whatever shit you throw at her and then throw back her own shit just as hard, if not harder. Have you ever considered that maybe this was more than just set to the both of you?"

"No," I said without hesitation. "I never considered that nor will I."

"What if she's considered it?" Taylor asked, drawing my attention to his face. The serious expression he was sporting showed no signs that he was kidding. "How do you know she doesn't have real feelings for you?"noveldrama

"She knows what this is," I told him. "She was using me to get back at her ex and get him off her back... I was using her to get my family off and Daisy off mine."

Granted, I hadn't heard much from my mother since I started this "relationship" with Judy, but if I had, I'd simply tell her that I had someone to warm my bed and that I didn't need Daisy in my life to do that.

"Have you seen the way she looks at you?" Taylor asked, raising his brows. "There's much more to it and besides, it didn't work in her favor. In fact, your relationship seemed to make Ethan even crazier. Yet, she still continued it."

"What are you trying to say?" I shot back, clearly irritated.

"I'm saying, I think she has actual feelings for you, and I think you're in denial about having actual feelings for her," Taylor said, folding his arms across his chest, a smug smile on his face like he just cracked some hidden code or something.

"Watch yourself, Beta," I said, I spat the word "Beta" like it was a bad taste on my tongue. "You don't want to cross me."

He frowned and held up his hands in mock surrender.

"I'm not trying to piss you off, but you aren't well. You aren't sleeping and you're snapping a lot more frequently than you used to. If you aren't careful, it could put the company in danger."

I narrowed my eyes at him, a low growl escaping my throat.

"My business is perfectly fine. It's not for you to be concerned," I said through my teeth. "How about you focus on your own life instead of mine."

"I don't mean to step on your toes," Taylor said, his brows knitting together even

more.

He fell silent for a while as he

assessed my face. I kept my eyes fixed on my computer, pretending to look over my recent reports but my mind went back to last night. The jealousy I felt when I saw he in the arms of another man; the fact that he had gotten his scent on her and I would have done anything to erase it from her body. The way I felt when her legs were wrapped around me and my face was buried deep in her core. The way she tasted and her breathy moans. The flush of her cheeks, her swollen lips, and her lust-filled hooded eyes.

How beautiful she was at that moment and how my heart skipped a beat at the sight of her.

How my wolf wanted nothing more but to claim her.

I bit back a groan, hating how vulnerable was with her... hating how she made me feel because I wasn't supposed to have these types of feelings. At least not

anymore, I wasn't. I swore myself off reat relationships long ago and yet here she was... making me feel

unspeakable things.

I glanced at Taylor, who was still watching me, trying to figure out what I was

thinking.

"Why are you still here?" I all but barked.

He raised his brows and started to stand to his feet.

"I'll leave," he told me with a slight shrug. "But think about what I said. You might not feel anything for her but I have a feeling it's not the

for her If that's the case... Vou Same

should cut your ties now because you'll only hurt her later down the line."

His words left me speechless as I stared at his retreating back. Cut my ties?

Is that something I could do?

Could I break things off with Judy and act as if this had never happened? Would I be okay with that?