Page 31 of Love is Fake

“Don’t apologize, you were right. Iwasan asshole to you! I’m embarrassed at what a tool you must have thought I was.”

Now why did he have to go and remind me what a decent human being he is? It’s much easier to pretend I’m not drawn to a man when I can reason he’s a complete douche. Unluckily for me, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Lennox.

“You weren’tthatbad,” I hazard. Lennox gives me a skeptical sidelong glance. “Okay, you totally were!”

He chuckles low in his throat, throwing his head back just a little. God, it’s a sexy sound. And I really shouldn’t be thinking about that, or how much I like the feel of his absent strokes on the back of my hand.

“Isabella?”

My name really shouldn’t sound so good coming out of his mouth.

I snap out of the loaded direction my thoughts have taken. “Mmmm?”

“Thank you,” he says softly, his eyes on the road.

“For what?”

“For listening. It’s not something I get into with many people, but you’re just damn easy to talk to.” He shakes his head a little as if he doesn’t understand why that would be.

“That’s what friends are for,” I shrug, uncomfortable with the praise. It’s not as if I’ve done anything out of the ordinary.

“Is that what we are?” Lennox looks at me intently as we stop at a red light. “Friends?”

It’s only been a few days, but…I think so. Regardless of our rocky start, I guess I can honestly say that a friendship with Lennox feels like it could happen. Plus, being friends is safe. Friends don’t have to worry about the complications which come with attraction, with wondering what could be. Being friends is simple. Being friends is enough.

“I’d like that,” I nod. “And I’m guessing so would you. You don’t make a four hour drive to help your employee move, unless you want that employee to consider you a friend. Just saying.” Lennox doesn’t laugh. Instead he keeps looking at me with that intense stare of his, something he shouldn’t be able to pull off while still driving but there you go.

“No, you definitely don’t do that just for an employee,” Lennox agrees, and I can hear there’s a silent ‘but’ at the end of that sentence. I wonder what it is he’s not saying. Because I know there’s a helluva lot I’m holding back.

“Friends then,” Lennox says eventually.

“Friends,” I agree and we lapse into silence again, but there’s nothing uncomfortable about it this time. It’s the kind of silence you have with someone you’ve known for a long time, one without any expectations, one that says their company is all you need.

Neither of us says anything for the rest of the drive, not until we pull up to the Gray Mansion and hop out of the truck. Neitherof us mentions the fact that we’ve held hands all the way to the house.

Just like friends do.

Chapter

Nine

“Alright, 3 sets of 10 squats,” I instruct, watching as Lennox picks up the weights from the bottom of the rung, the heaviest ones in the room, the ones he no doubt used before his injury.

It’s a back-and-forth we seem to have most days. He always wants to do more, and I always try to pull him back. Sometimes I wonder if he does it just to drive me crazy.

After our heart to heart in his truck, things have been so much better between us; the layer of formality, of standoffishness which was there before has disappeared.

“Let’s start a little lighter, alright?”

I nod towards the smaller kettlebells - but Lennox’s face takes on that mulish expression I’ve seen so often - in the gym, in the pool, on the table.

There’s no doubt he’s the most stubborn man I’ve ever met. What I’m not sure about yet is if it’s going to speed up or slow down his recovery. He doesn’t accept any sign of weakness from himself, doesn’t give himself any let-up. It makes me wonder what it must be like to be so hard on yourself all the time.

“Uh-oh,” Kai mutters under his breath to me. “You know Nox doesn’t really like being told what to do, right?”

I give him a withering look, doing my best impression of Kiara. I’ve seen her turn men into shadows of themselves with it, but my form must be off because Kai just gives me a noncommittal shrug, slinging his arm around me jovially.

“Helpful input, Kai, as always.” Lennox narrows his eyes at his friend, looking pointedly at my shoulder where Kai’s hand now rests.

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