Page 37 of Veiled in Brick

That was insanity. And I needed…erasure. I needed to forget. By the time that I came to the conclusion of what could be my oblivion, my coffee had gone lukewarm and I was staring at the new message thread on my phone.

Zoey 10:00 A.M.: Hey.

James 10:15 A.M.: Miss Sheffield.

Zoey 10:20 A.M.: You free before I go to work at noon?

James 10:22 A.M.: That’s presumptuous of you, is this about the apology you owe me?

His lighthearted reply brought a smile to my face, and the thought of James replacing the memory of Liam’s lips on mine made me breathe a sigh of relief. Life would carry on. Time could be rewound. My phone buzzed in my hand.

James 10:24 A.M.: Kidding. I could take off for an early lunch in like a half hour. I’m just in Roanoke.

Zoey 10:25 A.M.: See you soon, then.

The half hour in question was deliriously long, and by the time that James was knocking on the front door, my heart rate was sky-high. I itched for him to give me the void that I so desperately needed, and when I saw him standing before me in his uncharacteristic work garb, perfectly circular-lensed spectacles and all, I exhaled softly.

“Hey there.”

I smiled. “Hi.”

“A mid-day message was a nice surprise,” he coyly noted.

“Was it?”

“Mhm.”

“Are ya gonna come in?”

James bounded across the threshold and picked me up by the ass. I yelped in surprise, as he moved too quickly for me to say anything before I was off of my feet, and my calves dangled on either side of his hips. I heard rather than saw him laugh, and I giggled in return. One of his hands slid up to the back of my neck and squeezed.

And in my mind, I saw Liam.

I inhaled sharply at the intrusion, squeezing my eyes shut as tightly as I could to will the thought away.

James kicked the door shut with his heel and as his mouth drifted up to nip at my neck, I sighed. He kissed me there, trailing his tongue along my pulse point, his beard scratching at my skin in an enticing fashion. He reached my mouth, his breath mingled with mine…

And in my mind, I saw Liam.

I saw his warm, brown eyes full of tender compassion. I felt his hand on my face angling me up to his lips. I heard him stammering out curse words as he frantically apologized and stormed off and away from me.

I whimpered, our tongues brushed together, James’ grip tightened on my neck, and I saw it all again.

“Fuck,” I whispered against his lips, he smiled, and I croaked, “Put me down, Jay.”

James froze, pulling back to look at me with concern etching his expression.

“What’s wrong?”

I shook my head, groaning, “Just put me down.”

He obliged and when my feet touched the ground, I took a large step back.

“What’s going on, Zoey?” James asked in a consoling tone.

“I, um,” I looked into his grey eyes and my chest contorted. “I can’t do this right now.”

“Ah…okay.” He tilted his head to the side as if he were absorbing my words, his hair hanging from the roots as gravity pulled the strands to the floor. “Do I need to remind you that you invited me over?” he asked the question in his typical sarcastic manner, and a miserable noise erupted from me. James stated, “Mmkay, something’s under your skin; what’s up?”

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