Page 53 of Undeniable Love

“But you don’t have her address,” she finished for him, but he could see she was conflicted.

Holding up a hand to her, he straightened. “I’m not asking you to betray a confidence or her privacy,” he assured her. “I just hated to leave without saying a proper goodbye.” Now that he was standing here, he realized how creepy it would be to ask for her address and then just show up at her house uninvited. It would be wrong and an invasion of her privacy.

“I really wish I could help you,” Trish was saying, “but it’s not my place. I can call her and ask if it’s okay…”

That might work. If she told Trish no, it would lead to a ton of questions that he was sure Lucy wouldn’t want to answer.

“That would be great. Thanks, Trish!”

Five minutes later, he had hope.

And an address.

Jax drove while trying not to get his hopes up too high. He had no idea if Lucy agreed simply to avoid unnecessary questions from her receptionist or if she genuinely wanted to see him. Either way, again, he was about to find out.

Her house was a small craftsman bungalow near downtown. It was old, but the yard was immaculate. When he got out of the car, he saw her standing on the porch.

And she didn’t look even a little happy to see him.

Bracing himself, he walked up to her and gave her his usual smile. “Hey. This is a great house. Do you do the yard work yourself?”

Ugh…what the hell was that?

By the frown on Lucy’s face, she was thinking the same thing.

“You left without saying anything,” he blurted out, which was almost as awkward as the yard work comment. “I thought…I mean, I had hoped we could spend some time together.”

Those big green eyes went wide. “Are you serious right now?” she asked, heavy on the sarcasm. “Why would you want to do something like that after telling your brother that you’re dating someone? I was sitting right there, Jax! I get that no one knows about our little weekend thing, but it’s pretty crappy for you to do that to your girlfriend.” She snorted with disgust. “On top of that, cheating is a huge trigger for me, so if you think you can just show up here…”

Ah. It all made sense now. She was mid-rant, but that didn’t stop him from moving in close, cupping her cheek, and silencing her with a kiss. Lucy went completely still for a moment before pulling back.

“Jax, I…”

“There’s no girlfriend, Luce. At least…not yet.”

She took a step back with another snort.

“What I mean is…I said all of that to Simon while touching you. I thought you would realize I was talking about you. Us. Maybe I’m being presumptuous, but…”

“Wait…what?”

Closing the distance between them again, he nodded. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I lied to everyone about leaving today because I really wanted the chance to be alone with you. I get that you have to work and probably have other plans or commitments, but…I’m just asking to spend some time with you. Alone.” He paused and watched as her expression softened and felt the first rays of hope. “The text you sent me the night I got hurt was the only thing that made me feel better. Just knowing you were thinking of me…I…I can’t explain it, but…it mattered. A lot. Maybe more than it should.”

“Why don’t we go inside?” she asked quietly. “People recognize you everywhere you go and I’d rather not give my neighbors anything to gossip about. You know how small towns are.”

He did.

Following her into the house, Jax paused in the entryway. It was all very feminine. Lucy struck him as someone who was more laid back and casual and someone who wasn’t overly girly, but one look around and he realized just how wrong he was.

The living room was small but the overstuffed white sofa was draped with a soft pink blanket and there were three minimalist paintings of hydrangea flowers in soft blush pink hanging above it. Every piece of furniture, every pillow or piece of décor felt peaceful and welcoming and in complete contrast to Lucy’s larger than life, bold personality.

“I like this,” he said. “It’s not quite what I expected, but…it’s you.”

Lucy rolled her eyes as she sat down on the sofa. “Please, maybe you should tell your face that, because your expression was mildly horrified when you first looked around.”

Stepping farther into the room, he couldn’t help but laugh softly. “I wouldn’t say horrified; it just…wasn’t what I expected. But it took less than three seconds to realize that this…” He motioned to the room, “is the real you. The badass woman you present to the world is only a small piece of the puzzle.” Then he sat down. “And you know what?”

She looked a bit hesitant. “What?”