Chapter Eleven
Lock
IttookJulienthreedays to confront me. After the beer can to my face, I’d been waiting for it, bracing myself to take what he had to give me.
I shouldn’t have been surprised he’d been waiting too.
It was on the ride home from his physical therapy appointment, the first time we were truly alone since the weekend. He’d been silent on the ride there, and when he climbed into my truck afterward, sweat prickling his forehead, he asked me to go for a drive.
I had nowhere to be, and it was clear he didn’t want to go home. We drove, the whoosh of my tires flying over pavement the only sound for long, drawn-out minutes. I pulled into the parking lot of the beachside burger joint I’d taken him to a couple weeks ago. His jaw flexed, mouth tense and tight through the hassle of getting out of the truck, wheeling across the parking lot, ordering, and settling in on the deck overlooking the ocean.
I waited for him to say his piece. Gave him the space for it. I was in no rush. Not with the sun warming my shoulders and the ocean crashing into the sand in front of me.
Julien cracked his knuckles one at a time. “I didn’t take you for the type of dude who’d disrespect a woman after he got with her. I stand corrected.”
Turning from the beach to peer at him, I sat up straight. “What are you talking about?”
He waved a dismissive hand. “Fuck off. You think I didn’t notice her in the house, in yourbedroom, when everyone else was away? My leg is jacked, not my eyes and ears. The kitchen will never be the same after the two of you spurted your fluids all over it.”
That made me huff a laugh, but I sobered just as fast. “I’m going to have to ask that this stays between us.”
Julien inclined his head. “I’m not about spreading rumors. Whatever the two of you do is between you. You disrespecting her in front of everyone? Nah, that won’t stand.”
I shoved my fingers through my hair. I’d gone too long without a cut. It could use one. Either that, or I’d have to start tying it back soon.
“I apologized to her,” I told him. “It’s squashed.”
He shook his head. “All’s well and good, but I gotta say, man, I think less of you these days. You did her dirty.”
My eyes narrowed on him. “Did she talk to you?”
“Nope.” His gaze turned to the beach. “She didn’t have to. I know you were hitting it, then suddenly you weren’t, then you were trashing her, saying shit that isn’t true. If you took a minute to actually talk to the girl instead of bringing your preconceived notions along for the ride, you’d see that.”
“Yeah, I don’t need to talk to her. She’s not going to be my girlfriend, and I have more than enough friends.”
He sucked in air between his teeth. “Harsh, Lock. Why’d you even go there if you were going to be a dick to her? You have to live next door, hang out with the same people, see each other all the time.”
He had a point. I obviously hadn’t been thinking with my brain. I was usually a lot more levelheaded than that, but there was something about Elena—beyond the fact that she was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever laid eyes on. She got under my skin, made me forget myself. Those skimpy little lace and silk pajamas and slips she liked to parade around in didn’t help matters. The whole week I’d been building her deck, my palms had itched to slide over the slick material that skated along her curves. The urge to touch her had driven me to distraction. I was lucky I’d walked away from that job with all my digits.
“I hadn’t planned on being a dick to her. I never would’ve talked about her like that if I’d known she was listening.” My excuses were weak at best. I didn’t even know why I was making excuses. I owed Julien nothing. No explanations or apologies.
“Shouldn’t have said it at all.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “If I didn’t need you for my ride, I’d throw another can at your face.”
“One was all you get,” I said lowly. “I got that you were pissed and I’d misstepped, so I took the hit. It’s not going to happen again.”
His head jerked in my direction. “Message received, captain. No one questions the almighty Lachlan.”
My exhale was heavy as I rubbed the back of my neck. “I never said that.”
“It was implied.”
He gave a lazy shrug, but he wasn’t as laid back as he was portraying. Whether it was pain from his PT session or something else, I couldn’t tell, but the tendons in his neck were taut, and his arms were crossed so tight, the sinews in his forearms rippled beneath his skin.
“You pissed at me for more than bad-mouthing Elena? Or are you pissed I went there with her?” I leaned forward, getting closer to him. “Didyouwant to go there?”
Julien stilled, staring at me hard while his nostrils flared. “Let me tell you something, dude. That girl was a stranger to me until four or five months ago. She heard about my situation, met me, and offered me the room in your house. I asked her the catch, because there’s always a catch. I figured the rent was astronomical. If you want to know the truth,anyrent is astronomical to me since Amir never charged me a dime the whole time I was living with him. Elena wanted to know my financial situation, I gave it to her. I’m thinking she’s going to go back on her offer since I clearly can’t pay. You know what she did?”
He paused for my reaction. I shook my head. I had no idea what she did, but something deep in my stomach told me whatever it was, it had instilled Julien’s deep sense of loyalty to her.