I grit my teeth, reminding myself that the last employee, Anna, worked here for two years without any incidents. She suffered from anxiety and actually said the job helped her massively, giving her a sense of purpose while not demanding too much from her. She only left when she got married and moved away.
No, I can’t lie to myself and say I’m here to make sure Lorena is safe. The truth is far simpler.
I’m here because I feel like I’m drowning every second I’m apart from her.
There are so many reasons for me not to open the door and stride across the street. She’s Jamie’s ex-girlfriend. She’s twenty-three years younger than me….
Except I don’t give a damn about that one. If she’s younger than me, it only means I get the privilege of watching her grow into her career, her passion, our family. It means she’s young enough to give me a few children, maybe four or five… enough so that our home is always full of mayhem and laughter and happiness.
I did my best with Jamie, but I know our children are going to be so cared for having a mother in the house, having Lorena. Without questioning it, I know she’s going to be the most caring mother, affectionate and loving and…
And maybe that’s why I step out of the car, ignoring thoughts of Jamie. Maybe it’s the future we’re going to share. Or maybe it’s just the nonstop need every time my thoughts stray to her.
I stand outside the door for a moment. The laundromat is empty and tidy, Lorena sitting behind the counter with a paperback in her hand. She stares at the book like nothing else matters, all her attention on the words contained in its pages. I wonder if she knows how beautiful she looks when she reads, utterly consumed with the story.
Her hair is up in a bun, making me want to free it, run my fingers through it. She’s wearing the shirt all the laundromat employees do, but on Lorena, it becomes enticing in a way I can’t understand. I need to rip those buttons loose, free her plump and ripe breasts.
She looks up, forcing my hand. I can’t exactly walk away now that she’s spotted me. That would be suspicious.
Or is that another excuse?
Pushing open the door, I offer her a smile. Or as close to a smile as my grumpy face can get.
“Oh, hey, Lukas,” she says.
Her tone of voice is exactly what I would expect it to be. A little shocked at finding me here, but nothing to indicate she wants me the same way I want her. And of course, there isn’t.
Why would there be?
I’m a family friend, nothing more.
At least that’s something. If this is a one-sided attraction, there’s no chance of us coming together in the way that makes me ache, that makes me want to roar.
“Just thought I’d check in,” I say, after a long pause, probably too long.
She smiles sweetly. It’s the way her eyes glimmer like there’s a sassy part of her she’s holding back. I long to learn that side of her.
“Do you make a habit of checking the laundromats at midnight?”
I walk over to the counter, struggling to contain myself the closer I get. I’m not sure if it’s perfume or just her scent, but it makes it even harder to hold back.
“We don’t always have friends of the family working here. I wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Any problems?”
She shakes her head. “No, nothing major. There were a couple of guys in here about a week ago, acting weird. But nothing since then.”
“What guys?” I ask fiercely. I want to tear them to bloody pieces for scaring my woman.
She can say what she wants, but I can read the fear in her eyes, in the way her voice shook when she mentioned the incident. She’s doing a good job at hiding it… but not from me.
“Just these two men.” She shrugs. “They made some strange comments about my book. They called me plain.”
“Plain?” I snap.
She flinches, as though she thinks my fury is aimed at her and not those bastards. “Yeah, but they were just drunk idiots.”
Plain, fucking plain? I can’t think of a less appropriate word to describe her curvy sexy beauty.
I reach over the desk, grabbing a pen and a piece of paper. Quickly scrawl down my cell phone number and slid it over to her.
“I should’ve given you this when you started. If there are any problems, call me. I can get down here in twenty minutes this time of night. Do you want me to look into other jobs—”
“No,” she cuts in. “Honestly, I love it here. I’ve gotten so much work done.”
Her enthusiasm makes smiling feel a hell of a lot more natural. “What have you been working on?”