Page 41 of Texting, Trouble & Touchdowns
I flinch. “Rip up the floors today?”
Mike nods. “Yup. Gotta get to the root of the problem.”
Lucian leans in again, his voice low and taunting. “See, Doc? Sometimes you gotta dig deep before you get to the good stuff.”
My entire body heats.
Lucian knows it.
And he loves it.
I grind my teeth, forcing myself to focus on literally anything else—the exposed wires, the drywall dust, my rapidly crumbling sanity—instead of his voice, his proximity, or the smug glint in his eyes.
Mike gestures toward the disaster zone. “You can head out, Doc. This place is in good hands.”
Lucian claps his hands together. “Perfect. Let’s go for a walk with Sarah.”
I blink at him.
Excuse me?
“A hike?” I repeat. “You sabotage my clinic, force me into social media advertisements without consent, and now you want to go for a walk?”
“You’re not in the video. I didn’t need your consent—unless you want me to stop everything?” He gives me a look that says,I got you there, Doc.“I thought so. Let’s go, babe. I’ll keep your mind occupied.”
I stare at him.
He stares back.
I should say no.
I should tell him to take his smug grin and his obnoxiously perfect face elsewhere.
But I love Sarah, I can’t say no to her, even when she’s not around. God help me, I need fresh air before I commit a crime.
“Fine,” I mutter.
Lucian’s grin widens. “Knew you’d come around, Doc.”
I hate him.
Worst of all, I hate that I can’t figure out a way to really hate him.
Chapter Thirteen
Lucian
When the Game Gets a Whole Lot More Interesting
I’m not saying I planned this.
But I may have made sure everything fell into place.
Look—I’m not a genius when it comes to women. My record shows I’m a fucking failure. But I know that Olivia has been spiraling since she moved in next door. I’m not responsible for any of that, even if she wants to blame me.
Not at all.
This isn’t about me.
