“And I would refrain from touching me again.”
“Why? My sister can.”
“She can. She has that privilege. You, on the other hand, do not. So next time you touch me, you won’t like what happens.”
“What are you going to do?” She tries to free her hand, but I hold it tight in mine.
“I’ll kill you, little one.” I drop her hand and step back, striding over to her bag and shoving it into her arms. “Now, leave. And grow the fuck up.”
She finally steps out the door, eyes narrowing as they stare at me. “She will hate you for kicking me out.”
“How about I tell her you snuck into my bed, naked? Think she may hate that?” I reply, watching as a flicker of uncertainty travels through her gaze.
“She loves me more than you.”
“That may be true, but she can spot a liar. And you, my dear, are that.” I slam the door in her face before she can say another word and walk back to my room to get dressed. As I step out of the closet, I see my wedding ring sitting on the bed.
When did that get there?
FIFTEEN
ADORA
“You should probably wipe your tears before we get up there,” Lucas says as we step to the elevator. I swipe at my face, and Lucas swears as he hands me a handkerchief from his pocket. I thank him and dab at my tear-stained cheeks before I blow my nose. When I go to hand it back, he lifts his hands and shakes his head.
“Hell to the no.” He picks up the bags in the elevator as we get to Bianca’s level. When the doors slide open, Bianca is there with Jerome, covered in chocolate.
“We baked a cake, Mommy.”
“Did you?” I say with a laugh, genuinely smiling.
“Well… we watched a show. A marvelous show of love and hate,” Lucas adds, grinning as he walks inside. Shaking my head, I follow him, and Jerome takes my hand.
“I have a room all set up. I hope you don’t mind sharing,” Bianca says.
“No, of course not. I’ll enjoy that.” Because after having so many nights away from him, I’m trying to make up for every lost second.
“And you’ve seen Joey.” She taps the side of her neck, indicating to me. I touch mine and know what she means—he marked me.
“We aren’t talking right now.”
“Okay, well, give him time. He’s in love with you, sweetheart. This is all new for him.” I smile at her, even though my heart sinks. She’s his mother, of course, she’s going to be nice about him. And I like her. I wish I had a mother like her.
I had an evil stepmother and a horrid father.
Seems I haven’t had much luck in a lot of ways in this life.
But when I look down at Jerome and those eyes that are exactly like mine, I’m reminded of just how lucky I am now. Because he’s finally with me.
“He really is a marvelous kid. I enjoy spending time with him,” Bianca says before she leaves us to get changed and unpacked. Jerome stays with me for a few minutes before he has to check on the cake. Then, grabbing my phone, which I haven’t checked for a while, I switch it on to see multiple recent messages from Joey and open it so fast I don’t even think, and I wish I did because it snaps me back to reality that somehow, we just don’t work anymore.
We don’t work.
We can’t work.
This thingbetween us is just sex.
We have great sex.