Page 58 of Miss Understood

But, to my surprise, she reaches out and takes my hand instead.

“Us, Jesse,” she says as all the air leaves her chest. “Yesterday, I wouldn’t have even considered his offer. But now, I don’t know. If you are serious about this, about us, then do you really think it’s a good idea for us to keep working together? I don’t want to be constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering if people think every promotion I get is because I’m fucking a managing partner.”

“They won’t.”

“That’s easy for you to say.” Luce’s eyes narrow as she squeezes my hand. “Besides, it’s just an offer. I didn’t commit to anything. You asked, and I’m telling you. We should be able to have these conversations without you shutting down.”

She tries to pull away, but I keep her hand, watching the war that’s waging in her eyes. As much as I want her to be wrong, she’s probably right. Our relationship doesn’t look the same on me as it does on her. Luce is the hardest worker at the firm, but she already gets sideways glances and judgment.

If we stay together and Luce gets a promotion, people are going to assume the worst, whether it’s right or not.

But the idea of her going to work with Troy makes me sick. I’m pretty sure nothing has happened between them in the past, but that’s definitely not from lack of trying on his part. He’s had his eyes on her longer than I’ve cared to notice. And now she’smywife.

“We’ll figure it out,” I tell her, running my thumb along the inside of her wrist but not promising any real solution. “I’ll support whatever decision you make, but I’m not going to lie and say I want you to go.”

“I appreciate it,” she says with a look that tells me she’s still deciding if she trusts my answer or not.

We’re both quiet, and I realize we are getting better at making it through difficult topics without trying to rip each other’s heads off. I’m learning how to maneuver around her defenses because I’ve grown to understand the root of them. And then there’s the silence in between that’s becoming comfortable. We don’t need arguments or empty chatter to fill the holes in conversation. I wonder if she feels the same peace in it that I do.

I watch as she twirls her finger in a slow circle on the tablecloth, a familiar tic of hers that I’ve come to love. Especially when she’s lying in my arms, absently running her fingers along my skin after sex. She’s always tapping her nails or drawing pictures with her fingers without even thinking. Mindlessly tracing the world from memory.

Luce’s eyes meet mine, and I’m struck by the softness of her face. Those pale hazel eyes I used to avoid are now locked on me, and the dim glow of the restaurant draws out the warmth in her skin.

“You’re beautiful,” I tell her, because it’s all I can think about.

A smile creeps into the corner of Luce’s mouth, and I sense her body fighting to accept the compliment.

Always so stubborn.

I reach for her hand again, and she laces her fingers through mine, spinning the pad of her thumb on the inside of my palm. I feel it down to my toes.

Her eyes move around the restaurant, taking it all in. She watches people as they pass by our table, and I wonder if it’s the attorney in her that’s always reading the room, or something else. But it feels like she’s always watching and thinking.

Her eyes meet mine and I feel the weight of her thoughts strike me.

“You’re awfully quiet,” I say, knowing it’s unlike Luce not to comment on every little thing that pops into her mind. “Still thinking about the offer?”

“No.” Luce shakes her head. “Just adjusting, I guess.”

“To the restaurant?”

“To us.” Her mouth claps shut like she didn’t mean to say it, but I squeeze her hand in reassurance.

“Take your time,” I tell her.

Take my whole life.

I’ll wait.

But I keep that part to myself. I’m not ready to bare it all and risk losing her.

It’s no secret that Luce is skittish. Every time I get too close, she pulls away. I have to tread carefully as I slowly climb her walls. But even if it’s the hardest effort I’ve put in to getting to know a woman, I’m realizing she’s well worth the work and the wait. Luce is a force to be reckoned with. Sharp, gorgeous, brilliant. And I wouldn’t want her any other way.

She might be a lot like me in that she’s not used to staying in one place with one person—physically or emotionally—but I’m determined to make her see that I’m the one she should consider it with.

She’s mine.

Our food arrives, and Luce finally relaxes as she pulls away and digs into her meal.

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