I scooped my phone off the counter and typed a reply.
Jack: Will do.
I grabbed my plate and returned to the table. When I sat, I was pleased to see that Lorelei’s plate was almost empty.
“Who texted you?” she asked, setting down her fork.
“Jewel did earlier,” I said. “But the one just now was from Cam.”
“Oh.” Lorelei’s kissable lips rounded.
I liked the natural blush color. I wanted to test the shape of them, to see if they were as soft and perfectly made for me as they looked.
“Did they warn you about me?” Her sudden tension visible, she glanced at the door.
“No, they’re worried about you,” I said, setting her straight. “They’re sorry and feel bad about the way they reacted. They understand you. I think I do too, at least a little.”
Lorelei tilted her head, considering that. A long strand of her wet hair slid forward over her shoulder, creating a blotch of wetness on her blouse. “They should hate me.”
“They don’t hate you.” I drew my gaze up from her rounded breasts, finding her expression troubled.
“I’m a drug addict. A prostitute. And I’m a thief, since I took that money from Cam with no intention of repaying it. How can you understand that?” She dropped her chin. “How can anyone?”
I scooted my chair forward until my knee bumped hers, then lifted her chin that too often fell. “You made mistakes that you’re sorry for, and you’re a survivor, Lorelei. I understand that. They understand that. I think lots of people could once they knew your circumstances and got to know you.”
Her tension fading, she placed her hand on my wrist and squeezed. “You’re a survivor too. I forgot about your background. But I shouldn’t have.” Her eyes softened, reminding me of the ocean at dawn.
Distracted with her looking at me like I was something good, it took a moment for her words to register.
“How do you know about my background?” My gaze narrowed.
“You were in New Horizon.” She removed her hand. Reaching for the pitcher of water I’d put on the table earlier, she poured some into her empty glass.
“You recognized me?” I wasn’t sure I liked that. Most didn’t anymore. I was a man now, a fractured one with no remaining hint of that boy. My hair was shorter, my features sharper like the jagged edges inside me. “You were a New Horizon fan?”
“I knew the band.” She licked her lips, and I imagined them wrapped around my shaft.
I was a bastard, but I couldn’t help it. My thoughts kept circling around claiming her.
She shrugged. “Their music wasn’t exactly my kind of music. Your songs were about simple things, but they were good, and your harmony was amazing.”
It wasn’t my type of music either, but Zenith had wanted songs focused on girls, dancing, and parties, and they’d wanted them done their way. It had been a mistake to sign with them, but it wasn’t all bad. I’d used the wisdom gained by that mistake to demand a better deal with Black Cat Records. “So, not a fan?”
“Not really.”
She shook her head, and my lips twitched. I liked that she wasn’t a starstruck fan. I hoped that meant she was attracted to me and not an image.
“I’m sorry about Micah,” she said softly.
I tensed, pain threatening to blast me apart again like it had when I lost him, until she laid her hand over mine. My tension eased, and the pressure inside me lowered. Warmth flowed from her to me.
Most didn’t bring up Micah anymore. It had been five years. I was supposed to have coped and moved on, but I hadn’t. How could I move on with Micah gone?
“I miss him,” I said. “Every single day.”
Her eyes glistened. “He was your brother. You counted on him being there. It leaves a big hole in your life with him gone.”
“Yeah. Exactly.” I nodded once.
Lorelei seemed to understand. She was unexpected in so many ways. It had been a long time since any woman had tried to understand or offer me comfort. A lot of that was on me. I avoided situations where they could get close. I’d remained faithful to Carrie during our marriage, though she hadn’t.
“Sounds like you know something about it,” I said, but I hoped not. Hadn’t she been through enough?
“I had a stepsibling, a foster brother.” She withdrew her hand, then her gaze. “He was my protector for a while. He got me through some rough stuff, but then he abandoned me.”
“I’m sorry, Lorelei.”
“Me too,” she said. “He was the first guy to pretend he cared about me, but it was all just one big terrible lie.”
She brought her gaze back to me, her expression hard, not soft.
She’d withdrawn. A protective maneuver, it was one I used myself to keep people at a distance. I mourned the loss of her closeness as she pushed away from the table.
“Eat. I’ll clean up the dishes.”
When she turned away, I let her go, knowing she needed the space. I wasn’t the guy who had hurt her, but words wouldn’t convince her. I had to show her.
CHAPTER 8
Lorelei
“I didn’t mean to hurt Jack’s feelings,” I told Prince, who lay beside me in the bed. He should probably be on the floor, but I didn’t want him down there. I felt safer with him beside me.
Prince looked at me with a glint of accusation in his doggie eyes. He’d seemed to sense Jack’s mood and had chosen to sit beside him while we watched television.
Well, Jack had watched the show he’d been streaming featuring a bodyguard. It was well-acted but too intense for me.
Actually, Jack was too intense for me, or my feelings about him were. I needed to leave before the situation got any worse. But I was warm, well fed, and I liked Jack a lot. I could give myself one night of luxury, couldn’t I?
What would staying change?
I knew the answer as longing swelled within me like the crescendo to a love song. It was a fairy tale to believe a guy like Jack could be interested in a girl like me. The only prince I could ever have was lying next to me now, and he watched me with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.
Glancing at the nightstand clock, I knew what I needed to do. I just had to do it.
Sighing, I threw the covers back. I was fully dressed. It was three a.m. Surely, Jack was asleep now.
“Let’s go, boy.” I put my feet on the floor, my running shoes still on.
Sleeping with them on had become a habit since I left LA. I had to be prepared to run. I didn’t know if it would ever be possible for me to ever sleep soundly through the night again without fear. Bad stuff happened in the dark when you were on your own. Stuff even having a big dog like Prince couldn’t save me from.
I was too damaged to have Jewel and Cam as friends, or nice lives like they had now. Hell, I’d been that damaged for a long while.
I patted my leg and Prince whined a bit, but he came.
“He’d kick us out eventually,” I said in a quiet confidential tone. “You know it. I know it. Everyone knows how stories like mine end.”
Tears pricking my eyes, I unlocked and opened the door. I stood still and strained my ears, but I didn’t hear anything.
It was time to go.