by Emma Louise
“I’m fine, Asa.” She sighs. “I’m pregnant, not sick,” she repeats something she’s said to me on the phone a lot over the last few weeks.
“If you say so,” I grumble, turning the car into the drive-thru lane at Jason’s Deli.
“Oh my god!” she yelps, scaring the shit out of me. “This place is my favorite. Have you been here before?”
“I know it’s your favorite. I got Bree to find out for me. And yeah, I’ve been here a few times.”
“You asked Bree to find out?”
“Yeah. And now I owe her, so I’m expecting babysitting duties any day now,” I mutter. Lucy’s soft chuckles pull my attention away from the menu I've been looking over. “Thank you.”
Her head rests against the back of her seat, and one hand is cupping her bump, her fingers moving over the fabric of her dress in small circles. The soft smile on her face is what grabs my attention and keeps it. She looks content sitting there next to me. Realization slams into me. This is what I want. To see her next to me, with that look on her face all the time.
“You know what you want to eat?” I ask her, hating to break the peace of that moment but knowing I have to before the drivers behind me start to complain.
“Want to split a Carmela with me?” she asks hopefully.
“Whatever you want, sweet cheeks,” I reply, not even knowing what the fuck a Carmela is, but knowing I couldn’t say no to her right now no matter what.
***
With the bag of food at her feet, Lucy plays with the radio while I drive us toward the beach so we can sit outside and eat. Lucy hasn’t been getting out much after work, thanks to the exhaustion she’s been experiencing, so I thought a few hours outside would be good for her. The thirty-minute drive is quiet as both of us seem caught in our own thoughts.
“I needed this today.” Lucy groans, stretching out on the old picnic blanket I brought with me. “Good food, fresh air, and sunshine.” She lets out a deep sigh, closing her eyes and tipping her face back toward the sun. The movement allows me the time to look at her uninterrupted. It gives me time to try to process all the things I’m feeling. Being attracted to Lucy isn’t new, but this need to be around her all the time is. The urge to kiss her right now is strong. Strong enough that I have to hold myself back. It’s too fast. If I’m confused by how I'm feeling, telling Lucy would probably have her running for the hills. It’s not like I haven’t run hot and cold with her in the past. She probably doesn’t trust me as far as she can throw me.
The ringing of my phone cuts through the peaceful moment. Cursing under my breath, I dig it out of my back pocket, ready to turn it off. The screen shows Ink Calling.
Fuck. Someone at the studio is trying to get ahold of me. It can’t be Tyler because he’d just call from his cell. As much as I want to ignore it, I know I can’t. “I don’t think it’s going to answer itself,” Lucy says, rolling onto her side to look at me.
“Nope. Don’t suppose it will.” Taking the call, I get a very worked up Nancy on the line. She’s babbling on about a messed-up order and how she can’t get ahold of Tyler. Letting her know I’ll be there as soon as I can, I hang up the phone.
Lucy is already on her feet and folding up the blanket, the left-over food containers in a bag ready to be thrown in the bin.
“Sorry about this,” I say, taking the blanket and bag out of her hands. We walk toward my car, and I can’t resist letting my hand rest against the small of her back. I’d love to slip my hand over hers, tangle our fingers together. Pull her closer and press a kiss to her lips.
Maybe it’s not a terrible thing that today is getting cut short. These feelings she’s bringing out in me are a lot to try to control.
“It’s fine. I had a great afternoon anyway.” She smiles up at me.
“You wanna come with me?”
“To your studio?” she asks, but I'm guessing she does by the way her eyes light up as she looks up at me.
“Yeah. I don’t know how long it will take to clean up whatever’s going on there, but it shouldn’t take too long.”
“I’d love that.” She beams at me. All too soon, we’re back at the car, and I have to take my hand off her.
Walking into Ink twenty minutes later, I’m surprised to see Tyler is finishing up with a client and cashing them out.
“What are you doing in? I thought you took the day off?” he asks me as I shrug my jacket off and throw it on to the empty seat behind the reception desk.
“Nancy called and said there was an issue with some delivery that was due today? She told me she couldn’t get ahold of you.”
“I haven’t left the building since I got here.” His jaw tics in frustration as he struggles to rein in his temper. “She hasn’t stepped foot out of your office since before lunchtime.”
“What the fuck is she playing at? Why is she in there?” I ask, knowing he can’t answer that.
“Sweet cheeks,” I call out, getting Lucy’s attention as she hovers around the waiting area looking at the art on the walls. “Come meet Tyler.” I hold out my hand for her to come to me. She looks between us nervously.
“So this is the famous Lucy?” Tyler asks, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice. “Happy to finally meet you, gorgeous,” he says, taking ahold of her hand and dropping a kiss on the back.
“Take it easy,” I growl, pulling her back by her other hand. Tyler lets out a loud laugh at my reaction.
“Nice to meet you too. This place is amazing. You’ve done a great job.” She smiles, and the cocky look on his face dims slightly. Yeah, I’m sure he sees how beautiful she is, especially when she shines that smile of hers in his direction.
“You want to come back to my office? Or hang around out here with this idiot?” I ask, pulling her attention back to me.
“Can I stay out here? I don’t want to get in the way.”
“Sure thing, sweet cheeks,” Tyler drawls, using the nickname I gave her all those weeks ago. It’s an exercise in patience not to punch him in the junk as I walk past him toward the hallway where the office is.
Swinging my door open, I find Nancy looking way too comfortable behind the desk. “What’s going on?” I ask, the frustration in my voice obvious.
“You’re here.” She smiles, not looking at all like she’s in the middle of a crisis.
“You said there was a problem?”
“There were two deliveries on the schedule for today, and neither showed up.”
“Nancy. There are no deliveries scheduled for today.” I stop her before she can say anything more.
“I’m sure there is,” she says, rifling through the papers spread out in front of her. “The new chairs should be here and the—”
“They arrived yesterday,” I grit out, unable to keep the frustration at bay. “Why didn’t you speak to Ty about this?” She must sense my rising anger because she looks up at me with wide eyes. As much as she’s gotten on my nerves lately, I’ve been as professional as I possibly can be around her.
“I could have sworn that I saw today’s date somewhere.” She starts to scramble now, offering me fumbled apologies as she stacks papers and files on top of each other.
“Why didn’t you speak to Ty before you called me?” I repeat my question, making sure she hears me this time.
“He was with a client, and I didn’t think it was a good idea to interrupt him.” She abandons the papers, walking around the desk to stand in front of me. The scared look is replaced by one of determination. She makes sure to add some extra sway to her hips as she stalks toward me. I’m sure it’s a move that usually works for her, but it does absolutely nothing for me.
“I’m sorry I interrupted your day.” Nancy stops in front of where I'm leaning against the door. She leaves no room between us, no room for me to escape when she runs a long, polished nail down my chest. “Now that you’re here, I was thinking we could go—”
Brushing her hand off me, I stand to my full height. She must be really fucking clueles
s because she doesn’t take it as the warning I intend it to be. No, the cat that got the cream smile spreads across her face. Putting my hands on her shoulders, I firmly move her back a few steps.
“I’ve tried to do this the polite way, but that didn’t work, so now I’ll just say it outright. I’m flattered,” I lie right to her face. “But I’m not interested in you like that.” Nancy’s face shuts down at my words. The pout vanishes, replaced by a set of hard, thin lips.
“If that’s going to be a problem for you, tell me, and I’ll take this as you handing in your notice.”
“You can’t fire me.” She’s right, unfortunately. As much as I’d like to get rid of her right now, coming onto the boss isn’t a sackable offense.
“I’m not firing anyone. Unless, of course, there’s a repeat of today’s incompetence. Understood?” After a second of silence, she gives me a harsh nod and storms out of the room.
I take a minute to clear up some of the mess she’s left behind before I go in search of Lucy. I need the time to calm myself down. I’m pissed that I had to cut what was turning out to be a great day short for this bullshit. When I leave the office, I lock the door behind me.
Walking out front, I hear loud laughter. Ty is leaning on the reception desk, chin in his hands as he stares up at Lucy. I swear to god, he’s got hearts in his eyes as he watches her tell a story that has him laughing his ass off.
I blame the look on his face for what happens next.
Walking right up to her, I slide my hand up her back, grip the nape of her neck lightly, and turn her head toward me.
She gasps lightly, and I waste no time in dropping a kiss to her stunned lips. It’s over before it starts, but it lights a fire in me. I’m done trying to work out where my head is with Lucy, and today has proved it.
I’m sick of the bullshit, sick of lying to myself. I want her. Not just as the mother of my child, but for me. I want her to be mine.
She looks up at me with the cutest dazed look on her face. At least she didn’t push me away, I suppose. His attention shifts over my shoulder when we hear a door slam and the sound of heels clicking along the tile floor. I don’t need to look because I already know it’s Nancy leaving for the day. Instead, I don’t move my eyes from Lucy. That’s how I see her shut down. The lust evaporates from her eyes as they turn hard. Every part of her tenses as Nancy approaches.
“You okay?” I ask her, even though it’s obvious she is far from alright.
“Actually, I’m pretty tired. It’s been a long day, so I’ll leave you to whatever it is you came here to do.” Her eyes flick over my shoulder as she speaks, and realization hits. She thinks I was back there with Nancy? As frustrating as it is that she doesn’t trust me, I understand. It was only a few minutes ago I wanted to punch Tyler in the face for laughing at Lucy’s jokes. If she feels a fraction of the things I’m feeling right now, I’d guess she’s jealous.
Making a split-second decision, I slide my hand around Lucy. She tenses even further and tries to step away, but my hand on her waist stops her.
“Sweet cheeks, this is our receptionist, Nancy.” For some reason, introducing her has the opposite effect than the one intended. Lucy shoots me an icy glare.
“Nice to meet you,” Lucy forces out, giving Nancy a completely fake smile. Not that Nancy pays her any attention; she’s too busy staring at Lucy’s stomach.
“Likewise,” Nancy finally answers, giving Lucy an equally forced smile in return. “See you guys tomorrow,” Nancy purrs, making sure to brush past me as she leaves. It’s the final straw for me. I need to find a way to get rid of her because I know she didn’t pay a lick of attention to anything I just said to her in my office.
Judging by the look on Lucy’s face, I need to do it fast.
CHAPTER TWENTY
LUCY
I’m such an idiot.
A complete fucking idiot.
I’m seething with anger as I wait for Asa to follow me to his car. I should have called a damn Uber because the thought of spending any amount of time in a confined space with him is doing horrible things to my blood pressure.
The same woman he had his hands all over at the opening night a few weeks ago is the same woman who works for him? God. They've probably been fucking this whole time.
I thought we were getting closer. I thought there was something good growing between us. All those times I felt something, he was here. With her. I bet they’ve both been having a good laugh at my expense.
A small part of me knows I’m being irrational. Asa is a single guy. He can do whatever or whoever he wants. I have absolutely no right to feel like this. We aren’t anything to each other. But fuck, I somehow managed to convince myself that things were changing between us.
The way he’s been with me. Checking in to see if I’m okay every day.
The way he looks at me when he thinks I don’t see him.
The touches.
The kisses.
God. The kisses make me feel weak in the knees even though they have been nothing more than a brush of his lips against my skin.
My head spins with everything that’s happened today. I can’t wait to go home, get into my bed, and pretend this shitty day never happened.
“Want to tell me what the hell that was back there?” Asa practically growls as he stalks toward me, his long legs eating up the distance between us.
“No,” I answer snottily.
“Fine.” He unlocks the car, and for the first time he doesn’t stop to help me in.
The tension between us makes the air thick. Neither of us say a word, and the silence sits like weight between us. I can’t even look at him. Instead, I pull out my phone and pretend to be extremely interested in something on the screen.
Although I have no idea why he thinks he has the right to be mad at me. I’m not the one who’s been stringing him along.
“You’re really just going to sit there acting like a brat the whole way home?”
“A brat?” I spit, fury making my voice tight. “Are you seriously calling me a brat right now?”
“Tell me what I did for you to be pissed at me.” He presses. That’s when I notice that he’s not driving anymore. We’re parked outside his house, the very last place I want to be.
“Take me home,” I demand.
“Not a chance, sweet cheeks. Get your ass out of the car and into the house. You’re going to tell me what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours,” he says sarcastically before he gets out of the car and slams the door.
“Take me home!” I shout again, following him out of the car.
“Lucy,” he grits out through clenched teeth. “Get in the house, or I will come get you and drag your ass in there.”
He really wants to know? Fine. I’ll lay it out for him. Then he can leave me the hell alone. Storming up the porch step, I don’t wait for him to step aside. I barge my way past him. Throwing my purse on the side table, I make my way into the kitchen. Whirling around to face Asa when I hear him behind me, I have to pull in a deep breath to try to temper my anger.
Unluckily for him, it doesn’t work.
“I saw you!” The words rip from my mouth like bullets. The force of them causing a crack in my voice that only fuels my anger. I hate that he might mistake it for fragility.
“What?”
“I saw you. With her. At your opening night party.” His brows dip in confusion, but we both know what I’m talking about.
“Your hand on her waist. Your eyes glued to her tits.” Once again, the crack in my chest is echoed in the words that fall from my lips. I have to force myself to keep speaking through the agony I’m feeling. “Your lips on her neck.” Emotion wins. The fight leaks from me right along with the tears that now coat my cheeks.
Asa takes a step toward me, his eyes full of regret as he realizes why I’m so upset, but I can’t let him touch me. Not again. “Don’t,” I beg as his hands reach out for me.
“Luc—” he starts, but I’m not
finished speaking.
“You can do what the hell you like, I know that, but you made me feel...” I don’t know how to put into words the magnitude of my feelings for him. “You made me feel like things were changing,” I breathe the words out, not able to keep ahold on them any longer. “Seeing you and her together today...” I can’t even finish that thought.
“Baby.” His voice is pained as he reaches for me. I want to fight. I want to tell him not to touch me, but it’s inevitable. I’m weak when it comes to him. Asa reaches out for me, takes ahold of my shoulders, and I let him haul me against his chest.
His strong arms envelope me just as his familiar scent invades my senses. He holds me while I cry. I know I'm being ridiculous, I know it, but I can’t seem to stop myself. He probably thinks I’m borderline neurotic by now.
He keeps ahold of me until the tears subside enough for me to catch a breath. When I try to pull back, Asa tightens his hold on me. His big hand moves to cup the back of my head, keeping it pressed against his throat.
“Nothing happened with Nancy,” he says, lips pressed to the top of my head. My body stiffens at his words.
“Please don’t lie to me,” I beg, fisting my hands in the side of his shirt.
“Never,” he declares, shifting me so he can look me in the eye. “I’ll never lie to you.” The vehemence in his words hits me somewhere deep inside. “It wasn’t what you think.” I struggle against his hold at that. I know what I saw.
“Stop!” he rasps as I fight against him. “Was I doing those things you just said I was? Yeah. Okay? I was. I was drunk, stupid, and so fucking angry I could hardly even see straight.” He loosens his grip slightly when I stop fighting against him. “I thought about it. I thought about using her to forget the mess I’d made with you, but I swear on everything I have, nothing happened with her.”
“Really?” I hear the desperation in that one word. The need for him to be honest with me. The need for what he’s saying to be true.
“Really. I haven’t been able to think about anyone but you for a long damn time, sweet cheeks.”