Page 104 of Tempt

“He is protective, and I get why,” Liv weighs in. “He’s already lost someone super close to him, and Andy’s his entire world. But it’s not like a nanny is all you are to him.”

I lift a shoulder. “The job was always supposed to come first. We were sleeping together. It wasn’t a relationship.”

Liar.

Liar, liar, liar.

Every second we spent together felt like the promise of a future I hadn’t dared to hope for.

The kind of family I always wanted.

But it’s never going to happen.

“Maybe he’s right not to trust me with Andy.”

“Don’t say that.”

I take in a shaky breath and blow it out.

Liv leans in. “Do you need somewhere to crash? I can make at least as good drinks as the Holiday Inn.”

“I was hoping for more of a change of scenery than a different view of the street sign.”

Jules shifts on her butt, pulling her knees up in front of her. “You can stay with us, but we’re pretty cramped. Tess’ cat is going through some stuff and she’s up at all hours.”

“Kat, let us help,” Liv presses. “Besides. It’s a big house and Sawyer won’t mind at all.”

* * *

“It’s automatic.” Sawyer’s voice comes from the doorway as I stab random buttons on the coffee maker. “But by all means, continue trying to murder it if it makes you feel better.”

He crosses the renovated kitchen, his dark jeans and button-down shirt and his too-long hair freshly washed. I get why Liv fell hard for him. He’s a bad boy dream, aspank me, professorfantasy complete with a backlog of issues. But with my friend in his life, he seems to have managed a lot of them.

“Thank you for letting me stay here.”

“You’re a friend of Olivia’s. And,” he goes on after a moment, “I can’t help feeling partially responsible.”

“Yes, you’re on the hook for everything that happens on your street.”

He snorts and waves me away from the coffee machine while it brews.

He sets two mugs on the counter.

“She’ll be down in a second. She had a long night working on a project for her boss in California, plus her fourth-year courses are hitting her harder than she expected.”

“And since you’re no longer her professor, it’s not like she can blow you to get ahead.”

He bows his head. “It’s a cruel world.”

I’ve been staying over for the past three nights.

I’m trying to work on my schoolwork, and not think about Daniel. He’s texted twice to ask if I’m okay, if I have a place to stay.

I finally sent a one-word text: Yes.

I can’t bring myself to talk to him.

My chest still aches with shame and betrayal thinking about what he said in the hospital.

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