I didn’t get time to argue before Lukas’ phone rang, waking him abruptly. Jensen grabbed it off the bedside table and scowled. “It’s just Karen.” Lukas reached for it and Jensen ended the call, putting the phone back down. “You don’t need to hear her bullshit right now. She can probably see my car on the cameras and just wants to yell at you.”
“She’ll keep calling. Give it here,” Lukas threw back.
“No. You can’t stay here, Luke. Come back to my place.”
“That’s a fucking great idea. Then we can tell everyone we moved in together and are expecting a baby by Christmas,” he snapped, climbing out of bed to put some distance between them. “Whatever the fuck has happened between us was a mistake. It’s not happening again.”
I sensed Jensen’s hurt but he did well to keep it out of his voice. “Then you need to stay with Rory or one of the others. I need to know that you’re okay, and you won’t be if you stay here.”
Lukas glanced at me and I smiled. “Stay with me. Please.”
“I don’t want Josie to see me like this. She has enough to worry about right now,” he said weakly, but Jensen shook his head.
“Maybe she can get you private appointments on the down-low with a therapist? She won’t tell Karen shit.”
Lukas tensed and I got to my feet, moving towards him. “Don’t worry about that now. You need a good meal, a decent sleep, and for people to leave you alone for the night. I can hide you from Josie if you need me to. She gets back from her trip early tomorrow.”
His shoulders dropped in relief as he nodded. “Just you?”
“Just me,” I promised, turning to give Jensen my attention. “Give him some space until this dies down. I’ve got him.”
“Please text me,” Jensen answered, but he was looking at Lukas. “Just once a day even.”
“I can do that,” Lukas agreed, surprisingly letting Jensen walk over and hug him. They didn’t talk but they didn’t need to.
Jensen left first so Karen could see him leave alone, and after an hour, I led Lukas outside towards my car and headed straight home.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
RORY
Caden and Tyler left us alone, even going as far as spending the night at Tyler’s so Lukas didn’t feel so smothered, but Josie was done with me slacking off at school and ruined our plans the next morning to lay around in bed.
“Good morning,” Josie said brightly as she flung my curtains open, turning and frowning when she noticed Lukas in bed beside me. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now, your education is calling. You too, Lukas.”
“One more day?” I begged with a groan, and she rolled her eyes.
“No. If you’re not ready to return to society, then you need to go to therapy. I’m not saying this to be mean, but laying around the house isn’t helping you. I didn’t mind you missing school at first because you’d spend your evenings catching up, but the headmaster called and you haven’t returned the last couple of things. So, back to school or therapy. Breakfast is on the table, and your coffee is being made. Uniform is hanging up in your bathroom.”
“You’re serious?”
“Absolutely. Women can’t run the world from their beds. They get up and go out into the world to threaten men’s masculinity,” she teased, waggling a finger at Lukas. “Do I need to give you two the safe sex talk?”
I smirked, peering at her from under the blanket. “No. He gave me a safe word. We’re good.”
“Safe sex in my house is not having it at all. Make smart choices,” she huffed, ignoring her phone for a second as it started ringing, not finished scolding us. “I expect you both to remain at school until the end of the day. Go to your classes. And Lukas? You call me if your mother makes a scene like that again, I’ll handle it. I heard all about it. I hope you’re alright.”
“I’m fine,” he mumbled, not wanting to talk about it.
She eyed him, knowing he was full of shit, but she finally nodded and pulled her phone from her pocket to answer the call, pressing it to her ear on her way out and turning into the business woman the rest of the world got to see.
Lukas huffed, draping his forearm across his eyes to block out the light. “Do you think she’d notice if we skipped and just went somewhere else?”
“Definitely. I wouldn’t put it past her to call and check that we’re there,” I snorted, shuffling closer to press a kiss to his chest. “C’mon. Get out of bed and let’s get some coffee. Do you have a uniform here?”
“Yeah. It’s in my room.”
“Meet in the hallway after a shower,” I encouraged, running my fingers across his abs and making him shudder.