I rub my solar plexus to try to get rid of the fear that she would push me away.
Turns out, it doesn’t take too long to get a tree moved when one has the right equipment. The tree wasn’t that big, just big enough to make it impossible for one person to get it out of the way. Elle keeps her distance while we are trapped—her focus on cleaning the surface of her desk. My ears burn while she focuses on a certain spot. She’s refusing to make eye contact with me and fear coils in my stomach.
Once the door is open, Elle jumps from her chair and starts to make a beeline, pun not intended, for the door. I’m shocked when she stops right before she crosses the threshold to escape, turns on her heel and rushes back to me. “Almost forgot.” She mumbles before placing her hands on my cheeks and pulling my face down to her level and pressing a quick kiss on my lips.
I’m stunned just long enough for Elle to make her escape.
I’m standing in the office, debating on if I should chase Elle back to her house to continue the activities we started last night or head home but before I can take a step, Paul and Jude come prowling into the office with opposite expressions on their faces.
Jude’s expression is ferocious—like someone had murdered his pet then fed him a rotten lemon. His arms were crossed and he was staring me down. Paul, on the other hand, had a smile so big it looked like his lips were going to split from the strain. “So, anything interesting happen while you two were trapped overnight?” Paul dragged the O out so the simple word had tripled in length.
My mind went blank.
What was I supposed to say? Paul literally caught us snuggling and I have no doubts they both saw Elle’s attempt to escape, including our good-bye kiss.
Jude probably thought Elle had been body snatched with how the last time the two of us were in a room together went.
This room.
The room where I tasted Elle.
The room where I officially became addicted to Elle.
“I, uh, plead the fifth.” Paul barks out a laugh at my response. Somehow, Jude’s scowl deepens—it would be fascinating if I wasn't on the receiving end of it. My mouth goes dry and I yank on my curls, my anxiety starting to spike with the opposite reactions from the two men who I would consider closest to Elle. “Listen, anything that has happened or will happen is between me and Elle and when—if—she feels the need to share you will be some of the first to know.” I huff out a breath to punctuate the end of my statement.
I’m lying.
Whatever was happening with Elle was newborn baby new and I wasn’t going to risk messing things up by talking to anyone besides her about it.
Paul’s eyes narrowed slightly and Jude’s scowl becameslightlyless intense. After the most uncomfortable 60 seconds of my life, Jude gave me a nod and walked out of the building. One down.
“I respect the answer but just know that if anything goes wrong, I will kill you and Jude will help me hide the body.” A slap on the shoulder punctuated the threat and then Paul was out the door as well.
Jokes on them, I knew Elle could handle her own murdering if it came to that.
God, I hope it didn’t come to that.
Chapter Thirty
ELLE
Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit.
What do I do?
What did I do?
I was freaking out and I’d totally left Patrick to the wolves that were Paul and Jude. I shouldn’t have kissed him. If it wasn’t for that, we could have just played off waking up in each other's arms as that being the only option. They would have believed I wasn’t a complete monster to make him sleep on the floor, right?
But no, I had to make him know that last night wasn’t a fluke to me.
Was it a fluke to him?
Oh my god! I had kissed him, I started all of this. Fuck! What if he thought he had to dothatjust because my family owned the Farm?
Was I a predator?
A small cry escaped my lips as I fling myself onto my bed. A quick alligator roll and I was cocooned in my blanket where I would stay until Honeyville PD: Special Victims Unit came to arrest me. I’d confess, I couldn’t put Patrick or my family through a trial.
