Page 74 of Cause and Effect

“Are you still mad at me?” I smirked, rolling on my side.

He stared at me momentarily, touched my cheek, and softly caressed it.

“No.” A soft smile formed on his lips. “Come here.” He patted his chest.

With a smile, I nestled my body against his and lay my head on him. When I was with him, I didn’t think about anything else. That was the beauty of it. He could divert my mind only to him and nothing else—no work, no kids, no strange phone calls, nothing—just him.

My eyes flew open when I heard the bedroom door open. Glancing at the clock, it was two a.m. Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Mom, I had a bad dream,” Sophie stood at the side of the bed and rubbed her eyes. “Can I sleep with you?”

I turned my head and glanced at Julian, who was sound asleep. Shit.

“Yeah. Come up here, baby,” I said, moving closer to Julian to make room for her.

“What’s going on?” Julian mumbled.

“Hi, Julian,” Sophie whispered.

His eyes opened and widened when he saw her.

“Uh, hey, kid.”

“I had a bad dream, so I’m sleeping here with you and my mom.”

“Okay.” He rolled over.

We got caught again. After the first time, the girls never mentioned it. And I never stopped to consider their feelings about the situation. They missed their dad terribly, but they also seemed to like Julian. I’d have to sit them down and have a talk real soon.

The following morning, I woke Sophie and told her to go and wake her sisters up.

“We got busted,” Julian said.

“I know.” I sighed. “I’m going to have to sit down and have a talk with them.”

“About what?”

“Us.” My brows furrowed.

“What about us?” he asked.

“Us, Julian. The fact that you spent the night and we’re seeing each other.”

“Wait a second, Laurel.” He climbed out of bed. “I wouldn’t really say we’re seeing each other. I mean. Well—yeah, we’re friends, we work together, and we have sex, but that’s it. I wouldn’t say there’s an ‘us.’”

My heart sank into my chest as I stared at him. This wasn’t anything serious to him, and I was stupid for thinking it was. I needed to play it off.

“You’re right. I’m not saying that, Julian. I’m just saying that I have to explain why you spent the night.” I threw the covers back and climbed out of bed.

He walked over and gripped my hips. “Do you want to shower together?” His lips pressed against mine.

“You go ahead. I’ll make the girls breakfast.”

“When are your parents leaving for their cruise?”

“They’re leaving tonight for the airport and spending the night. They have an early flight in the morning.”

When I heard him get into the shower, I sat on the edge of the bed and placed my hand over my aching heart.God, I was so stupid. I realized that continuing to sleep with him would trap me in a relentless and destructive cycle—like being caught in a whirlpool, spinning endlessly without escape. He never planned on having a real relationship with me. It was all about physical attraction for him. While it was all just a game to him, I knew I would be the one left heartbroken.

---