Page 32 of Kiss Me Ever After
My hands dropped from my face, my jaw following, as Justin stood in the kitchen resplendent in only a pair of tight-fitting boxer shorts which leftnothingto the imagination. I honestly didn’t know what to do with myself as I watched Mum drink him in, all muscled chest and abs and tattoos.
It was almost obscene.
“Oh, you must be Lennon’s mum. I’m Justin.” Justin held out his hand. “I don’t think we’ve actually met before, but she’s told me all about you.”
I had done no such thing, not now and not in the past either.
Mum crossed her arms across her chest, ignoring his greeting. “No, we haven’t met. But I’d be keen to know what you’re doing in my house, with my daughter, dressed like that.”
His mouth twitched. “You’re a grown-up, use your imagination.”
My jaw fell. Had he really just said that? “Justin, why don’t you go upstairs and get dressed?” Gently, I pushed him towards the hall.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re wearing my clothes.” He quirked an eyebrow.
God, he was so infuriating! I desperately tried to send him a telepathic message to him to get the hell out of there, but he didn’t seem to get it. I tried again. “Justin, wait in my room. I’ll be up in a minute.”
He looked between me and Mum, then shrugged. “Nice to meet you, Mrs Cole. See you again.” And he swept out of the kitchen.
I swear I heard Mum whisper ‘over my dead body’ under her breath.
She swivelled around to face me. “Seriously, Lennon, that boy? You can do so much better.”
Her words surprised me. “What’s wrong with Justin?”
“He’s not exactly our kind of people, is he?”
“And what kind of people would that be? Those who work hard to make a living? Who don’t go around ripping other people off?” I might only have been working in the cafe for a few weeks but earning my own way and putting in an honest day’s work had definitely been rewarding. Listening to Bryony talk about the struggles of having their own business and the changes in lifestyle it had brought her and Si since moving down from London had also made an impact. Suddenly swanning around New York for the summer on an internship seemed frivolous in comparison.
“Lennon!” Mum wrung her hands. “Your father made a mistake; he didn’t actively go out of his way to hurt people.”
Immediately, I regretted my choice of words. Dad had always maintained it was a decision which went wrong. He hadn’t done it deliberately. “I do know that. It’s…” I didn’t know what to say. All I knew was that Justin was upstairs waiting for me and he needed to get dressed and leave. “Why don’t you go next door and see if Sonya’s around? I know she’d love to see you,” I suggested instead.
We probably needed a little space. Apparently after only five minutes in each other’s company, we were already sniping at each other.
“I don’t like leaving you alone.”
“Mum, I’ve been in this house alone for weeks and nothing has happened to me.” I folded my arms across my chest, safe in the knowledge I’d have Justin to protect me. “If you’re going over to Sonya’s, I doubt you’ll be back much before midnight.” I forced a laugh, and she joined in. The two of them would probably end up drinking gin and tonics until late into the night. “And I have work tomorrow, so I need to be up early.”
Mum gathered me into a brief hug. “Okay. Be careful, Lennon.”
I shook my head as she left and headed up the stairs to my room.
Justin sprawled across my bed, still in his boxers, apparently engrossed in something on his phone. My breath caught. Despite the words I’d exchanged with Mum, it didn’t affect my attraction.
“Do you want your shirt back?” I asked.
His head snapped up, brown eyes glittering. “I guess this means I’m leaving.”
“You don’t have to rush home, do you?” Without taking my eyes from his, I deliberately grasped the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it up and off over my head. Underneath, I was wasn’t wearing a bra, and my nipples tightened at the sudden change in temperature. Justin grinned.
He grasped my wrist and pulled me onto the bed, covering my body with his. “I guess I can stay a little longer,” he growled.
15
