Page 51 of The Science of Attraction

I grabbed his hand and lifted his fingers to my lips. “I had a good time last night.”

His cheeks brightened. “Me too. Text if you can make it tonight.”

“Let me get through today... with this—” I indicated the bruise. “—and I’ll let you know.”

“Bring your morning clothes this time.”

“You want me to stay again?”

He shrugged and said, “Sure. I mean, last night wasn’t terrible, was it?”

“No.” I pulled him up onto his toes and kissed him. “Not terrible at all.”

We held each other’s gaze until the moment grew a little awkward and he shoved me toward the kitchen. “Go on, before you land yourself in trouble.”

I stepped through the back door into the frozen darkness, remembered, and turned. “By the way, I think Dad would love your idea. He might be tough as old boots, but there isn’t a sheep farmer alive who doesn’t go sappy at the sight of a few spring lambs. And don’t forget there are some in the shed paddock as well. Dad will love it, even if he doesn’t say so. And you might get a few stories out of him along the way.” I cupped his cheek and kissed him, my free hand finding his soft dick for a little icy payback.

“Jeeee-sus!” He leaped back into the kitchen, his hands cradling his junk. “And here I was gonna offer to suck your dick tonight. Fat chance now. Be gone with you.” He kicked the door shut in my face and I headed toward the big house with a huge grin and an image of Liam sucking my dick that was going to slow my day down to a crawl.

My usual five-minute shower took twice as long, dealing with the semi Liam had given me, and I went through five shirts before I found an old flannel one that just about covered the mark on my neck. A Swanndri overtop sealed the deal, and if it got too hot, I’d simply have to risk exposure and hope they thought it was Laura. I couldn’t hide it for a week.

All of which meant my mother was already in the kitchen by the time I finally made it for breakfast.

She lifted her gaze from her porridge when I walked through the door and made a beeline for the coffee maker. “You’re late.”

I shrugged. “It was a late night. Damn, it’s cold.”

She eyed me sceptically. “I thought I heard you come in well before midnight. Hardly late.”

Shit.I popped some bread in the toaster, keeping my back to her. “I took a while to get to sleep.” It wasn’t a lie.

She pushed a mug of coffee into my hands and leaned back against the countertop. “So, how did the date go?”

“It wasn’t a date,” I said pointedly. “We were just catching up. And it was fine.” I busied myself grabbing the peanut butter from the pantry and attending to my toast before finally taking a seat at the table opposite her.

“You two always got on so well.” She tucked an errant lock of silvery hair into her bun. “I admit I had my hopes up before she decided to leave.”

I eyeballed my mother. “Laura is lovely, and yes, I did—doreally like her, but not in that way.” I took a bite of my toast and leaned back in my chair. “We’re friends, nothing more.”

She considered me for a moment, her pretty green eyes mapping my expression. Then she scooped the last of her porridge into her mouth and pushed her plate aside. “I just want you to be happy. Between you and Zach, I always thought you’d be the one to settle down first. Zach was always a... distracted kid. He only ever had that one girlfr—” She flushed and turned her coffee cup in her hands, her twisted finger joints shiny and red. “It never once occurred to me that he was gay.” Her expression grew bereft. “How does a mother miss that?”

I covered her hand with mine. “He was really careful, Mum. He knew Dad wasn’t going to like it.”

She swallowed hard. “Another thing I messed up. I should’ve stood up for him against Paddy that day. I should’ve said something. If he never forgives me, I won’t blame him.”

I squeezed her hand. “Have you talked to him?”

She nodded. “He was good about it. Understanding, more than I deserved. But I hurt him, and there’s this... distance between us now. I hate it.”

Her eyes flooded with tears and I wanted to reassure her everything would be fine, but I couldn’t. It was up to Zach and my mother to walk this path, and who knew where it was going to lead? And so I settled on, “You need to let him come to things in his own time, Mum. He loves you, you know that, and you two have come a long way since Dad had his stroke. Zach’s comfortable enough to come and go from here now, and Dad seems to be happy enough letting that happen, not to mention he’s keeping his opinions to himself, which we can all be thankful for. It’s a start, right?”

“I know.” She sat back in her chair and studied me. “But I don’t want to make the same mistake with you.”

I blinked, my heart skipping in my chest. Did she know? It wasn’t possible. “I’m not sure I understand.” I took a mouthful of toast and chewed it slowly, hiding my dismay.

But all she did was sigh, adding, “I want you to know that you can talk to me. Your father hasn’t always been kind about some of the women you’ve dated, and I hope it’s not that holding you back from settling down.” She stared at her coffee cup. “I won’t have this family torn apart again, Jules. You have my word.”

Jesus Christ.This was getting way too close to the bone. I withdrew my hand and finished my coffee, pushing the empty cup aside. “Don’t worry. I’m thirty-five, Mum. I’m not going to let Dad dictate my life.”Which was rich considering I pretty much fucking was.I lifted her hand to inspect her inflamed joints. “Are the meds still working?”

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