Love or Lust (LOL): Part 2

Day 28

Lennon wason the phone for close to an hour. He apologized profusely when he returned, only to have his apology interrupted by his phone ringing again.

The second call was short, and when he plops down on the couch next to me, he lets out a sigh, tossing his phone on the coffee table after silencing it.

Work.

His life outside this place.

We all have one. His are starting to intertwine.

“I may have to drop out,” he begins, closing his eyes and resting his head against the back of the couch.

“Why?”

“The judge just moved up one of my cases.”

“Can’t someone else cover for you?”

Lennon smiles but doesn’t open his eyes. “They’ve been covering for me. My boss is going to ask the judge for an extension and try holding him off until I’m back, but since we have no idea when that might be, it’ll only work for so long. I’ve been working this case for the last year. I know it inside and out. It would take weeks to get someone else caught up, and I don’t want to give it to anyone else. I want to be the one that nails this asshole.”

You can hear the passion in his voice. It’s the same passion I hear in Naomi’s voice when she talks about teaching. The same passion I hear when Jace is mixing drinks.

I used to sound like that when I talked about work. Until Wren ruined that for me as well.

“I’m sorry, Presley. This isn’t how I wanted our date to end.”

But that was it. He kissed me on the top of the head and walked out the door. He had work to do.

So did I.

I needed to find a job I was passionate about. Something that wasn’t connected to Wren or his family. But that was going to be a challenge considering they own a large chain of hotels.

Still, I did my research. Took down some notes. Made a list of possibilities. It wasn’t until there was a soft knock at my door that I looked at the time and saw it was almost midnight.

“Come in,” I called out, gathering my papers into a pile.

“Why does it look like you’re doing homework?” Jace asks, taking a seat next to me and pulling me onto his lap.

“Because I kind of am. I need a plan for when this is over. A job. A new life. I can’t live with Naomi forever.”

Taking the sheets from my hands, Jace browses through all my notes twice before setting them aside.

“Remember how I wanted to tell you something the other day but you distracted me with your naked body?” he whispers as he presses feather-light kisses against my neck.

“Mmm-hmm,” I moan, the sensation overwhelming.

“Want to know what I was going to tell you?”

“Nope. Too serious. Keep doing that.” Tilting my head so he has better access to my neck, Jace complies with my request. His hands start to wander, and when his fingers graze the exposed skin at my waistline, I can’t help the sigh that escapes.

Sliding one arm around my waist and the other behind my knees, Jace stands and carries me to the bedroom, his lips never stopping their assault on my neck. When he takes my earlobe between his teeth and tugs, I almost lose it on the spot.

A blinking red light catches my attention out of the corner of my eye as he lays me on the bed I made only hours earlier.

“We can’t, Jace,” I say between heavy breaths. “They’re watching. And I can’t...”

Desire flashes in his eyes before the realization hits him. With one last kiss, this time on my lips, he tugs his shirt over his head.