“I know exactly what you mean. There’s nothing like walking around naked in your own house.”
I burst out laughing. “Oh my God, you’re one of a kind. Nothing clears your head like a good laugh, and you’ve already made me laugh out loud more than once.”
“I’m the life of the party, didn’t you notice?” he says with a dazzling smile—though I can tell it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
Something tells me he’s not as happy as he pretends to be.
“Anyway, Michelle’s house was nothing like I imagined. Like most people, I thought the French—especially the women—were open-minded, full of life. But with her? Not even close. Just the idea of me going for a walk at Champ de Mars would make her think I was trying to sneak off to meet agang of delinquents—which is what she called any young person, by the way.”
“I haven’t even met her, and this cousin-aunt-whatever already gives me the creeps.”
I smile, because she really can be terrifying when she wants to be. “So yeah, even in Paris, I was the weird girl who was always sketching during breaks. End of season. Coming soon: Lilly in Boston.”
“Just be careful, okay? From what you’ve told me, you were pretty sheltered—even during college. And the real world . . . it can be rough for people with kind hearts.”
Chapter 19
I was completely off the grid all day yesterday, following a lead on Jonathan’s organization's whereabouts.
I left Blood in charge of watching Lilly, trusting she wouldn’t get herself into trouble. I trust him with my life, and I knew if anything happened, he’d reach out to me immediately.
I told Blood to keep an eye on her, but I didn’t assign a bodyguard.
After what I just learned, that’s going to change.
I didn’t expect her to be out for hours, all the way into the night, with her phone turned off.
Lilly got home around nine last night, according to what I just found out. She didn’t bother to tell her brother where she was going, or explain why the damn phone was off.
I’d barely returned to Boston when I was told about it—and I lost it. Got in the car and drove over four hours straight to the beach house to see her.
I hadn’t planned on coming, even after her teasing invite. Being alone with Lilly at the beach is way too tempting. But the second I heard she vanished off the radar?
My radar?
I went fucking insane.
Furious after what Blood told me, I grabbed my laptop and tracked her phone’s last location. I don’t give a shit if she hates me for invading her privacy. Her safety comes first.
The screen showed she was at a mall not far from my penthouse last night.
Logically, I should’ve just called her at the beach house, asked her where she’d been. But I wasn’t thinking logically.
I was thinking like a man who’s completely unraveling.
Which still feels like an understatement. Tension’s eating away at me. I haven’t had sex since she came to stay with us.
How fucked up is that?
I thought about going out tonight, finding someone to take the edge off, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to touch anyone who wasn’t her. And not being able to have her is turning into a slow kind of torture.
Yes, I’m pissed she went off the grid. But that’s not the only reason I’m here.
I want to see her.
I never thought voyeurism was my thing, but if I can’t touch her, maybe I can at least look.
She said she wanted to have fun. Where? With who? The idea of another man touching her—my forbidden girl—makes me see red. I want to be the one to teach her. To hear her moan for the first time.
