Page 38 of Love Me Not

It was how hot and bothered I was getting by the position.By the intensity in her stare.And just how woefully inappropriate and wrong it was in this moment.

“Don’t you dare judge our relationship,” she growled.“You don’t know shit.”

I swallowed the fight I still had left in me.“You’re right.I’m sorry.”

The words caught her off guard.Enough to bring her back to herself and realize the situation we were in.

She backed away quickly.

“You’re trouble,” she whispered.“I can’t do this.I’m firing you.”

Chapter11

Lux

Coming home to Bella crying was my worst nightmare.

Her teacher had called me, saying that some kids had been picking on her today.She often gave me a heads-up when Bella had a bad day.All of the staff knew about her parents and wanted to make sure she was taken care of, so the communication was constant.

But I’d never expected to see her crying.Nor did I expect to see her hanging onto Juliette like she was afraid she’d be violently pulled away from her.

It hurt me to see it.It hurt even more when I realized I couldn’t do anything.That I didn’t even know what to do.

I stood there, watching as they blew out imaginary candles, frozen in fear.I’d never felt panic like that in my life except on the day they told me she was mine.

But somehow… Juliette took it all.She calmed her down and sat there with her for over an hour until she cried it all out.

All while I watched, helplessly.

Bella didn’t need that.She needed to be happy, playful.She didn’t need someone to make her cry like that.

I was blown away by how she handled it, but I couldn’t help but think that if I hadn’t hired her in the first place, Bella would have never had such an explosive outburst.

“I’ve been here for two days,” she said in a slow, careful voice.“I know you don’t want to hear it, but Bella needs to cry like that.She can’t just keep it inside.”

“A child needs to be happy,” I spat back.“She doesn’t need to cry.She needs to laugh.Play.She doesn’t need to…remember.”

Juliette’s face twisted into a frown.Her kissable, plump lower lip jutted out, inviting me to bite it.

“You know that’s not true, right?She went through something terrible.If she keeps it in, it’s not good for her.”

I ground my teeth together.I didn’t want to hear it.I couldn’t.I didn’t want to think of Bella crying like that again because… I wouldn’t know how to handle it.I wasn’t like Juliette.

My heart jolted when her hand came to cup my cheek.

Why are you touching me?The words were on the tip of my tongue, but they died when I saw the sincerity in her eyes.

No one’s ever looked at me like that.

“Have you taken your time to grieve your sister, Lux?”

It felt like a dagger straight to the heart.Her facial expression and the warmth of her hand were like she was slowly dragging it down my middle, cutting me open and baring my most vulnerable parts to her.

“The fuck is it to you?”I growled, but that didn’t stop my throat from threatening to close or my eyes from stinging.

In truth, I hadn’t.I had been so consumed with making sure Bella was okay and that my work was taken care of that I pushed all thoughts of my sister away as soon as they popped up.

“Oh, Lux,” Juliette whispered.

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