Sculpt-Paige_Michaels-Becca_Jameson by Becca Jameson and Paige Michaels

deep, but it was nothing in comparison to the pain in her heart. Where was Theo? She rolled her neck and pushed her shoulders back. If he was going to throw her over for what she’d done, she needed some coffee and some clothes. She stood and found a pair of soft yoga pants and a large T-shirt folded at the end of the bed. A quick scan of her bedroom showed the clothes she’d been wearing—including her bra and panties—had been removed from the room. In fact, her room was spotless. It was never this clean. She knew she had left clothes from earlier in the day on the floor. And probably yesterday too. The beige carpet was visible in every corner. She glanced at her furniture. The black lacquered dresser and bedside table that matched the bed had all the drawers pushed in with nothing sticking out. She blew out a breath as she slipped the pants and T-shirt on and went into the bathroom to clean herself up.
    The bathroom was tidier than normal also. The counter, which would have been covered with her makeup, was cleared off. Where the hell had he put things? She opened the long drawer under the white laminate surface and had her answer. Geez.
    Emerging from the bathroom, she found Theo leaning against the doorjamb with nothing but a low-slung pair of jeans on and a cup of coffee in his hand. She couldn’t decide which she wanted to devour more, his massive chest or the delicious smelling dark roast.
    Coffee.
    “Is that for me?”
    He nodded and held the cup out. She approached nervously. He was quiet, and she wasn’t sure quite what to say. She took a deep gulp of the coffee and let her achy muscles relax.
    Still uncertain, she blurted out, “Where did you sleep?”
    A smile lit up his face, and warmth seeped into her body. “There’s my brat. I knew she’d show up eventually. Welcome back, sweetheart.”
    Lucinda flushed. “You didn’t answer my question.”
    “You didn’t ask nicely.”
    She stared at his impassive expression, but he didn’t offer any signs. Nerves and shame overwhelmed her again. “Is it because you don’t think I’m good enough for you to sleep with?”
    He tipped her chin up and stroked her lips with his thumb. “No, sweetheart. You’re good enough. My presence is a reward for you. You earned it last night with your honesty, but I was too worried about waking you after you passed out. I didn’t want you to wake disoriented. I slept on your couch. It’s not very comfortable, by the way.”
    “Really?” Hope fluttered through her stomach, a tiny wisp like a feather in the wind.
    “Yes. Really. I want to talk about Julian and Morgan some more.”
    And just like that, the hope died. “I can’t.”
    “Of course you can. My fearless girl who comes as I’m cutting her. You can do anything. And you need to deal with that if we’re going to have any kind of future together.”
    Hope flared again. “You think we have a future together?”
    “What I think is irrelevant. It’s what you do that matters.” He pulled her into the room and sat her next to him on the bed. “I’m wondering about you, Lucy.”
    That name again. She smiled and dipped her head. She liked it from him. A lot. “What are you wondering?”
    “I’m wondering if what you do, how much you crave, is because of some misguided notion that you need to be punished.”
    She blinked at him. “I don’t understand.”
    He took the coffee cup from her and set it on the side table, clasping both her hands in his. “I’m wondering if we work through this, if you start to believe that you don’t deserve punishment, then maybe you’ll stop wanting it. Stop wanting the pain. I’ll always be honest with you, Lucy. I can help you with this. But in the end, you might not want what I can give you anymore.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t… I mean, no one has ever done that for me. What you did for me last night. What you’ve been doing for me from the start. I want it.”
    He squeezed her hands harder. “I know you