Page 40 of One Little Mistake
Poking my head out of the bedroom, I can’t help but smile at my friend. Dressed in sweatpants four sizes too big for her petite frame, she almost looks homeless.
“How did you get in here?” I finally ask, narrowing my eyes in her direction.
Holding up a giant set of keys, she jingles them like Santa Claus. “Preston has a key to everyone’s place.”
“He does?”
“Yup. I’m not sure why, but it was way too freaking crowded up there in his fancy-schmancy penthouse, so I thought I’d make sure you’re ready. If you’re packing like Lanie, I might have to kill you, though.”
“I don’t have Lanie’s wardrobe these days, so no worries there.”
“I did notice that,” she says, glancing around the apartment. Julia is all kinds of awkward, but she loves hard. When she lost Trevor, it nearly broke her. If anyone deserves a happy ending of this magnitude, it’s her and my cousin. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Nope.”
“Didn’t think so. How’s East?” Her question catches me off guard, and I drop the hairbrush I was attempting to run through my hair.
“Grumpy, and glittery.” I laugh. I didn’t see him for most of the afternoon after Colton’s glitter bomb, but Mason told me he was still trying to wash the sparkles off.
“Hmm,” Jules sighs dramatically.
I know that sound. She’s fishing for information, but I’m all about avoidance these days. Jesus, if I can work this closely with East and have successfully avoided him for nearly four full days, I can handle pint-sized Julia McDowell. Thankfully, a knock on the door saves me from delving any deeper.
I open the door wide, expecting it to be Julia’s fiancé, Trevor. Instead, I get a scowling Beast leaning against the door. Never taking his eyes off of me, he calls into the apartment, “Jules? Trevor’s waiting for you downstairs.”
Julia comes down the hallway with a bounce in her step that’s only recently returned. “Hey, East. Thanks. You guys coming?”
“Yes …”
“No,” Easton growls at the same time. “Lexi and I have some business to go over, so we’re taking a separate car. We’ll see you on the plane.”
“Don’t you think it’s weird they say see you at the plane instead of the airport like us poor underlings?”
Easton stares at her with confusion. I’m not sure how much time he’s spent with her, but Julia is definitely an acquired taste. Unlike Lanie, who’s just naturally sweet, Julia’s a little thornier and a hell of a lot bossier. Then there’s me. I’m all thorns.
Grabbing my bag, I try to sneak out with Julia. “Actually, Easton, I’m pretty sure we covered everything in the office yesterday. There’s nothing else on your schedule that can’t keep until after Vegas.”
I attempt to slide past him, but he tilts his hip, blocking my narrow escape, and lowers his voice to just above a whisper. “We have things to discuss, Locket. And unless you want Julia to hear how I want to bury myself balls deep in your tight, wet pussy again, you’d better let her go.”
His crassness shocks me into submission, but only briefly. Steeling myself for her questions, I hug Julia. “I’ll see you at the airport. Bossy beast has some work we need to finish first.”
“Ah, ha. Don’tworkher toohard,” Julia yells to Easton, even though he’s less than ten steps away.
I see his lip twitch, but if he thinks he’s found an ally in Julia, he doesn’t know her well enough yet.
“I’ll do my best,” he says cryptically, then gives her a nod, which she takes as her cue to leave.
“See you soon, Lex. Luvs.”
“Luvs,” I reply like a sullen preteen.
The second we see her step into the elevator, Easton has my arm and slams the door shut with his foot.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he accuses, as his body presses mine into the wall.
“I’ve been working. Maybe you should spend a little more time working and a lot less time trying to play grab-ass—”
Easton’s hand lands on my hip, and my breath hitches.What are you doing, Lexi?
