do.
“Lucas! You back there?” we heard Kate call from the hallway and my eyes went big.
“Yeah,” he yelled back.
“Telephone.”
“Be right there.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “Was she here the whole time?” Embarrassment set in, and I covered my mouth to hide a nervous smile. This was a little mortifying.
“I hope not,” Lucas laughed.
“Me, too,” I said, still whispering. He was smiling and I was smiling. I didn’t feel like such a harlot anymore.
Lucas stood and reached down to help me off the couch. When I stood, he wrapped his arms under my butt and barely lifted me, so that my feet were dangling about two inches off the floor. I draped my arms around his neck as he started walking back towards his office with me like this. “Tomorrow,” he said, “I’m taking you out and you’re going to ask me anything you want. And I’ll ask you anything I want. Deal?” He put me down in his office doorway.
“Deal,” I smiled up at him.
He propped his hands on the doorframe and leaned down to kiss me nice and slow. As he started to pull away, I brought my hands to his jaw. He made a sound deep in his throat and stepped away from the door to wrap his arms around my waist, pulling me in for a deeper kiss.
After he left to go answer his phone call, I was high again. And this time I knew it was on Lucas Burns .
Chapter 7
A fter Lucas left, I remembered the paper and went to retrieve it, smiling as I passed the couch. I was grateful that things didn’t go further. The idea of going out with him made me excited—which I hoped proved that I was finally over everything that Mark had done. It had been nearly four months since I’d officially cut all ties with him. We’d actually broken up around six, but had a two month maybe we’ll get back together period. And we might have if Samantha hadn’t told me the truth. I felt foolish remembering how I’d begged him to take me back.
Telling him that I could be better. That I would try harder. That I loved him and wanted to spend the rest of my life by his side. The night Samantha told me about the two of them, I’d been crying on her shoulder, wondering why Mark didn’t want to give us another shot after we’d been through so much together. She’d said that the guilt was too much and spilled everything. I had a rage blackout after that and have no idea what I said to her, but she never spoke to me again. She only gave me sad eyes when we would happen to meet on the steps of our neighboring apartments. At first, I wanted to rip her eyes out, but then I got over it. She wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it. They had both used me. It was after I’d stopped calling him that he decided we should get back together. I never told him that I knew about Samantha, just that he was right—we weren’t good together. Then all of a sudden, he was obsessed with getting me back.
Lucas popped his head into the office just as I was finished printing. “All done,” I said. He looked at me for a beat, and something passed behind his eyes, a shadow of something sad, but I couldn’t be sure.
“I can’t take you home. Something’s come up. I phoned Charles, he’s on his way.”
My face fell. “Is everything alright?”
“It’s fine. I’ll call you later.” And then he was gone. I realized that he didn’t have my number, but I supposed he could come by my house if he wanted to talk to me. Once in the bar, I smiled at Kate as I sat down. “Charles is coming to get me.”
“Yeah, I know,” she rolled her eyes, but I could tell it wasn’t about what I said. “You’d think the idiot would grow a pair. But no. Every time the bitch calls, he goes running to her.” She was drying pint glasses and not looking at me. I was glad. My face suddenly felt hot, my mouth was dry, and my stomach felt funny.
“Who’s a bitch?” I asked quietly.
“Candace. His girlfriend or whatever,” she grimaced.
“He has a girlfriend?” I asked forcefully.
“Lucas! You back there?” we heard Kate call from the hallway and my eyes went big.
“Yeah,” he yelled back.
“Telephone.”
“Be right there.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “Was she here the whole time?” Embarrassment set in, and I covered my mouth to hide a nervous smile. This was a little mortifying.
“I hope not,” Lucas laughed.
“Me, too,” I said, still whispering. He was smiling and I was smiling. I didn’t feel like such a harlot anymore.
Lucas stood and reached down to help me off the couch. When I stood, he wrapped his arms under my butt and barely lifted me, so that my feet were dangling about two inches off the floor. I draped my arms around his neck as he started walking back towards his office with me like this. “Tomorrow,” he said, “I’m taking you out and you’re going to ask me anything you want. And I’ll ask you anything I want. Deal?” He put me down in his office doorway.
“Deal,” I smiled up at him.
He propped his hands on the doorframe and leaned down to kiss me nice and slow. As he started to pull away, I brought my hands to his jaw. He made a sound deep in his throat and stepped away from the door to wrap his arms around my waist, pulling me in for a deeper kiss.
After he left to go answer his phone call, I was high again. And this time I knew it was on Lucas Burns .
Chapter 7
A fter Lucas left, I remembered the paper and went to retrieve it, smiling as I passed the couch. I was grateful that things didn’t go further. The idea of going out with him made me excited—which I hoped proved that I was finally over everything that Mark had done. It had been nearly four months since I’d officially cut all ties with him. We’d actually broken up around six, but had a two month maybe we’ll get back together period. And we might have if Samantha hadn’t told me the truth. I felt foolish remembering how I’d begged him to take me back.
Telling him that I could be better. That I would try harder. That I loved him and wanted to spend the rest of my life by his side. The night Samantha told me about the two of them, I’d been crying on her shoulder, wondering why Mark didn’t want to give us another shot after we’d been through so much together. She’d said that the guilt was too much and spilled everything. I had a rage blackout after that and have no idea what I said to her, but she never spoke to me again. She only gave me sad eyes when we would happen to meet on the steps of our neighboring apartments. At first, I wanted to rip her eyes out, but then I got over it. She wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it. They had both used me. It was after I’d stopped calling him that he decided we should get back together. I never told him that I knew about Samantha, just that he was right—we weren’t good together. Then all of a sudden, he was obsessed with getting me back.
Lucas popped his head into the office just as I was finished printing. “All done,” I said. He looked at me for a beat, and something passed behind his eyes, a shadow of something sad, but I couldn’t be sure.
“I can’t take you home. Something’s come up. I phoned Charles, he’s on his way.”
My face fell. “Is everything alright?”
“It’s fine. I’ll call you later.” And then he was gone. I realized that he didn’t have my number, but I supposed he could come by my house if he wanted to talk to me. Once in the bar, I smiled at Kate as I sat down. “Charles is coming to get me.”
“Yeah, I know,” she rolled her eyes, but I could tell it wasn’t about what I said. “You’d think the idiot would grow a pair. But no. Every time the bitch calls, he goes running to her.” She was drying pint glasses and not looking at me. I was glad. My face suddenly felt hot, my mouth was dry, and my stomach felt funny.
“Who’s a bitch?” I asked quietly.
“Candace. His girlfriend or whatever,” she grimaced.
“He has a girlfriend?” I asked forcefully.
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