Page 29 of Mastered By Lust

The call is over. Just like that, my connection to her is severed again.

A part of me wants to earn back her friendship.

But will I be happy asjustfriends with Leah?

No.

* * *

Gage

When I walk into the penthouse, Leah isn’t sitting in the living room waiting for me.

I stifle my disappointment.

The entire time at the bar, ignoring Nic’s and Todd’s camouflaged barbs and keeping Claudia from overindulging, I was thinking of Leah. Her crooked smile when she’s mildly amused. The shine in her blue eyes when she talks about her classic books. The way she casually touches me when we’re close. She doesn’t seem to be a casually touchy person in general. It’s only with people she cares about, I suspect—and she cares about me.

All I wanted, while I was away, was to come home to her. Where is she?

“Leah?”

“In here.” Her voice floats down the hall.

My disappointment morphs into relief. I first go to her bedroom, but she isn’t there. Is she waiting in my room?

She is. Covers pulled up to her chin, the lamp next to the bed on its highest setting. She puts her book on the nightstand and grins. “Welcome home—holy shit, Gage, your beard is gone!”

“I’m aware.” I rub a hand over my smooth chin. “I’m the one who shaved it off.”

“It’s—it looks good.” She doesn’t sound certain about that.

I raise my eyebrows. “The highest of praise.”

“It’ll take some getting used to, that’s all.”

“Give it a week or so, and it’ll grow back. I didn’t want the paps to photograph me with the beard and glasses. If they did, it would be more difficult to remain inconspicuous here in San Esteban.”

“There were paparazzi? At the funeral?”

“There’s no sense of honor among them.” I pull out my phone and search online for my name and today’s date. Usually, I wouldn’t do such a thing, but I want to know what’s out there. I hold out my phone so Leah can see the recent photos.

Leah peers at the screen, a thoughtful expression on her face. “She’s very pretty.”

“She?” I turn my phone back. “Oh, Claudia. She’s a former castmate from AoG. She’s also a good friend.”

“Claudia…” Her mouth purses as she thinks. “I remember you talking to her once. I overheard her name as I was leaving your office at the club.”

“Yes. We talk fairly frequently.”

“Should I be jealous?” The question sounds lighthearted, but I detect a thread of vulnerability.

“No, baby. It’s friendship only. That’s all it has ever been or will be.” I move to sit on the bed next to her, so she slides her legs over to make room for me. She’s still under the blankets. I touch her cheek. “There’s nobody for me but you. How was your day?”

“I mostly read a book and people-watched at the coffee shop down the block.”

“Did you see anything interesting?”

The corner of her mouth tilts up as she remembers. “A guy was typing furiously at his laptop. I think he was writing either an epic fantasy novel, a treatise on world hunger, or a blog post titled ‘Ten Reasons Cats Will Take Over the World.’”

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