Page 39 of Heartless Pucker in Love

“How do you know? Have you asked him what he wants?”

I scoffed. “Lucy, please, the man has a different woman on his arm every time he makes entertainment news.”

She sighed. “You never know what’s going on behind the scenes or in his heart.”

I shook my head. “Okay, this is getting out of hand. We shouldn’t even be discussing hearts. We had sex. Once.”

“Hey, you’re the one who called me and freaked out.” She shrugged.

Blowing out a long breath, I nodded. “I did freak out, didn’t I?” And for no reason, too. This was precisely why I shouldn’t pursue anything long-term with anyone. The slightest thing sent me into panic because growing up, I was taught that men were the enemy. Even if Julian was interested in more than sex, which I was almost sure he wasn’t, he wouldn’t want someone as skittish as me.

Lucy frowned. “I wish I could just make you and the other girls see that everything Mom forced on us was nonsense.” I gave her a dubious look and her frown deepened. “I guess you’ll have to see for yourself.”

I lifted a brow. “Eh...we don’t all get a Nic and a happy ending, and I’m okay with that.” I shrugged, but then that secret romantic Cass accused me of reared her ugly head. I told her to get lost because there was no Prince Charming heading in my direction. There was a charming devil with the bluest eyes and a wickedly teasing grin who knew how to strum my body like his instrument, though. I’d have to face him this morning, and I wasn’t looking forward to the encounter.

“I should get myself together. I have to face Julian, and I still have a job to do.” Well, kind of because Julian no longer required a nurse.

“The awkward morning after,” Lucy said with a sympathetic look. “I don’t miss those. Good luck.”

Pressing the heel of my palm to my forehead, I chuckled. “I am not looking forward to it. Look, Luce, thanks for listening to my crazy rant.”

“It wasn’t that crazy.” I grinned and she said, “Call me anytime. We all miss you. Do you know when you’re coming back home?”

“I’m not sure. Julian did ask me to stick around even though he’s healing nicely.”

“Did he now?” she drawled.

“Don’t.” I scowled at my sister. “I’m still his...I’m working.”

“And doing overtime by the sound of it.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

I gasped. “Lucy, I was not expecting this from you.” Cass or Ruby maybe, but never Lucy.

She laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that the serene Mother Earth April who comforts others when they get worked up and irrational has finally become worked up and irrational...over a guy.”

“If you tell the others I’ll kill you...after you’ve experienced the joy of your wedding day, of course,” I added sweetly.

That sent her into another fit of laughter. I huffed my annoyance but a smile played on my lips. “Goodbye, Lucy. I’ll call you again with more details. I can tell you’re living for this.”

“I am.” Her giggles were infectious, and I grinned broadly. “Please call me. Not just for the juicy Julian and April saga. I want to know that you’re okay.”

I scoffed. The Julian and April saga? Seriously? “Thanks,” I murmured. “Love you.”

“I love you, too.”

When Lucy’s grinning face disappeared from my phone screen, I stared out the window of the suite. Obviously, I couldn’t stay with Julian for much longer, or else things could get super complicated between us. I didn’t do anything complicated.

19

JULIAN

The silence between April and me was excruciating. Mostly because she’d been skirting around the fact that we slept together for three weeks. The morning after was the worst I’d ever experienced. I guess that’s because this time, I was on the opposite end of the spectrum. I wasn’t one to brush things off and be indifferent. I felt too much with her, and I’d wanted to talk about what happened. I wanted to gauge if her feelings for me were heading in the same direction as my growing feelings were for her.

Apparently, we weren’t on the same page. April behaved as if she regretted the whole thing and I was hurt. Although, I would never admit it. The tables had turned on me, and I decided to suck it up and take it like a man because I’d done the same thing to plenty of women. In my defense, it’s because I knew what those women were after—a moment in the spotlight or my money. It was never because they were that into me. I wanted April to be into me, but we couldn’t always get what we wanted.

Sighing, I dropped the bags I'd carried from the car and gazed down at my wrist that was now free of the pesky cast. The skin that was covered for six weeks was paler than the rest of my arm. I flexed my fingers after carrying the weight of the bags and smiled. No pain. Good as new.

“Are you okay? Are you in pain?” April’s fingers barely wrapped around my wrist as she inspected it with a frown.

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