Page 78 of Losing Faith

He chuckles quietly.

“Your dick is also hard right now and I barely touched you.”

He goes quiet and I bark up a laugh since I was shooting in the dark there.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Jackson

I’msittingonmydoorstepas I watch Lisette’s car pull up, and for the first time all day, a smile touches my lips.

Her head hangs low as she steps out of her car, and when she notices me, she sends me a smile.

“Yes, I’m waiting by the door for you,” I beat her to it as I rise to my feet. “I would say I missed you, but I’m really hiding from my responsibilities.”

She lets out a laugh as she slightly limps over to me; her laugh dying at the end.

“Hey.” I reach for her arm before she can pass me. “You okay?” I glance down at her foot.

“Yeah.” She pulls away. “Can you maybe not touch me?”

“Oh.” I take a step back as my hand falls to my side. “Sorry…”

“You’re good.” She nods at the end of her sentence before walking inside and considering we were just sneaking kisses yesterday, I have no idea what I missed.

I follow behind her before shutting the door. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

“I would’ve if I wanted to.” She takes a step, but I swiftly stand in her way rather than grabbing her to keep her from walking away.

Leaning down, I catch her eyes with mine. “If you’re having a bad day, that’s fine. And if you want to have an attitude, then okay, but my day hasn’t been great, so I’d appreciate it if I wasn’t on the receiving end of your bad mood.”

Her shoulders sag before she looks down at her feet. “Sorry.”

“What’s wrong?” I reach for her face but stop myself.

“It’s been a hard week and—” She cuts herself off before shaking her head of her thoughts. “And you don’t deserve my bullshit. Sorry.” She forces a smile now as she looks up at me. “Where’s my favorite student?”

My eyes scan her face and she looks exhausted. “You don’t have to force a smile for me. You’re allowed to have a bad day.”

She looks off to the side, not saying anything. I decide to let her have her way as we walk further into the house, giving her the space she needs.

When I walk into the living room, the pile of laundry I was folding stares back at me.

“Woah.” Lisette stares at the load of clothes. “Did a tornado hit?”

I let out a defeated breath as I escape for the backyard. “I was stress cleaning, but then I got tired.” Sliding the back door open, Lisette follows behind me.

“Where’s Belle?”

“She’s spending the day with my parents.” I turn to see her reaction but she doesn’t give me one. “They picked her up from school after I told them about my day and by the time I remembered to update you, I figured you were already on your way here and we could just spend the afternoon together.”

A small smile grows on her face and I choose to believe it isn’t forced. “So youdidmiss me?”

Hiding my smile, I shrug. “I plead the fifth.”

She laughs quietly before trailing further into the yard. “Is this glass?” She gently taps her foot on the retractable safety cover on the pool.

“Polycarbonate or something like that,” I correct her. “I’m paranoid that Belle will fall in. She can swim, but you never know.” When I feel the hot sun on my neck, I pull out my phone and a few buttons later, the pool cover is being pulled back.

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