Page 34 of Haunted Hearts
Zeke’s eyes are back on the TV, but his mouth is twisted into his signature grin, and I know our moment has passed. I’d belying, though, if I said I hadn’t had exactly the same thought. Lydia and I got whatever this was out of our systems, and now we can get back to real life.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I glance at the screen and my heart sinks.
Lydia: Hey. Just wanted to make sure you got home okay.
Lydia: Also, I enjoyed tonight.
Fuck.
What was I just saying about being able to get back to real life? I blow out my breath and Zeke looks up at me, his eyes questioning.
“Is that her?”
“No,” I say. Because I don’t want him to know what I’m about to do, which is click out of Lydia’s message and shove my phone back in my pocket.
More than anything, I want to tell her that I enjoyed tonight, too. Enjoyed it more than I’ve enjoyed anything in the past—god, I don’t even know. It’s certainly the bestsexI’ve had in ages, but besides that, the fact that she allowed me to bare my bodyandpast to her…
I need to stop. I’ve got to nip this in the bud before it goes any further. For her sakeandmine.
I know not texting back is an asshole move, but it’s better this way. I’m sure she’ll be pissed at me tomorrow, but once this renovation is over and she moves on to find someone good—someone who actually knows how to love—she’ll thank me for it.
nineteen
LYDIA
Lydia: Well, I guess I’m keeping the enemy close now.
*Call from Autumn Carroway*
Will never texted back last night.
I was already on the fence about texting him. I’m trying to figure out how the hell I went from hating his guts to getting weak in the knees whenever I think about him, but somewhere along the way it happened. The damage is done. And if I’m being honest, I’d let him damage me again in a heartbeat.
The way he talked about his dad… and that email, and what happened after? It was so raw. Yes, he’d just fucked me, and yes, it was the best sex of my life, but sitting in his lap in the darkness as he told me about what happened felt a million times more intimate. His voice was so quiet but clear, like he’d been waiting his whole life to tell someone that. But that’s stupid. There’sno way that this man—who could clearly have any woman he wanted just by glaring down at her with those clear, sapphire eyes of his—would, for some reason only god knows, open up tome.
So, of course he didn’t text back. I should have known.
Will hasn’t been into the library since yesterday, and I can only imagine what that means. He’s probably sitting with his feet up on an office desk, perfecting those freaking blueprints. Even with the redesigned foyer, I know it’s not going to be enough. The requirements for securing landmark status are clear, and unless I can talk Will—and the board—into turning the downstairs meeting room into a computer lab, my dream is gone.
But I’m still holding out hope. Contrary to what I first thought, Will is a decent guy. Once the awkwardness dies down, I’m going to try one more time to make my case—even if it means getting on my knees and begging. Because now that I think about it, whycan’tthe downstairs meeting room be turned into a computer lab? It’d save the city money, preserve the authenticity of the floor plan, and probably even get the project done faster.
Hell, that sounds like a win-win for everyone… right?
“How’s it going out here, Lydia?”
I’m snapped out of my thoughts as Nancy comes striding out of her office. I paste on a smile. “Going fine, thanks.”
“I’m stepping out for a coffee run. You want anything?”
I shake my head. I’m jittery enough the way it is, my mind constantly running through plausible floor plan options I could push for with Will… which then makes me remember how warm his mouth was between my legs. Another coffee is going to send me through the absolute roof. But I’m certainly not going to tell Nancy that.
“Okay,” Nancy says. “Suit yourself. Say, has Will been by today?”
“Not that I’ve seen,” I say, shrugging.
Nancy looks at me like she’s about to say something, but then thinks better of it. I wonder suddenly what she would think if she knew that I’d come all over Will Holloway’s fingers in the next room over. There better not be fucking cameras in this place.
“Well, if you see him, tell him that Ethan Wilde wants to know?—”
