Page 43 of Love Me Not

There were a few nods and goodnights as I left.I hurried back to my room, locking myself in it.

Shit.

I sank back against my door, all the energy and breath leaving me.

What the fuck am I supposed to do?

Before I could talk myself out of it, I typed a quick message to Lux.My fingers paused on the keyboard, and I added one thing I knew she’d love.

Me

Sir, just to confirm.I’m not actually fired and should def report for duty tomorrow, right?

My heart hammered in my chest as I waited for a reply.Seconds ticked by before my phone buzzed twice.

Lux Sterling

See you tomorrow, Angel.

* * *

I walked into the house one more time on Wednesday morning, not knowing what to expect.How to act.

I mean, we had broken the biggest fucking rule there was.Repeatedly.No matter how good it felt.

Bella was at the island, and Lux was sitting there with her iPad and phone in hand, looking as serious as ever.

When Bella looked up at me, I saw an embarrassed look crossing her face.

“Juliette…”

“Don’t worry about it, Bella,” I said and rounded the island, smoothing down her hair.“Are you feeling better?”

She smiled, and all the tension went away.Only then did I realize she was probably worried I’d be mad at her for her little outburst.My heart melted at that.

“A lot!”she said with a wide smile.“Can we go get the bows today?”

“Of course!”I reached into my purse, glad I remembered to bring some from my own collection.It was severely lacking in comparison to what a little girl her age needed, but it was something.“We can get some more, but I brought a pink one, a black glittery one?—”

Her gasp had warmth expanding in my chest.

“The black glittery one is so cute!”

I let out a chuckle and gave it to her before placing the rest on the counter.As she was looking at it, a brush and water were pushed across the counter to me by Lux.

I looked up at her, my heart skipping a beat when she met my gaze.

Memories of the day before flashed through my mind.

Her tongue against mine.Her hands on my waist.Her fingers inside me.I was so tired, but I had still tossed and turned all night just thinking about it.

God, I want more.I need more.

It was a mistake.I knew it was.I reached out to take the stuff, my fingers brushing across Lux’s.Her eyes had a light to them that told me she too was thinking about what happened, and I took a shaky inhale, trying not to show how affected I was by just a simple touch.

Lux retreated slowly, her hand flexing and nails digging into the counter as she stared at me.

Fuck.We were so fucked.Whatever arbitrary rules we’d made to protect Bella and keep this strictly professional had gone straight out the window.But as I took the stuff and began to do Bella’s hair as she ate, all I could think about was how much I needed this job.

---