That shouldn’t matter as much as it did.
I wasn’t entirely clear if he was helping me at Jace’s insistence or because he was a good guy or because he was interested in me for real. But last night had made me more sure than ever that it was the third one.
The way he had kissed me. God. There was nothing friendly about it, even if I had told him he was a good friend right after. I guess I had needed to mentally distance myself from the whole thing before I ripped off his jeans and rode his cock right there in my living room.
My life was a mess.
I had already pulled him into my chaos, but I didn’t need to make it even worse. Or maybe it was too late for that.
I shook my head and refocused on my work. I didn’t need to be thinking about the kiss right now. I needed to be focused on earning my keep.
But I was tired.
So much had happened in the last few months, and sometimes it hit me all at once.
“Just need to head out and check on something,” Jace said, grabbing his jacket and walking out the door. I nodded. Once he was gone, I rested my head in my hands, and shut my eyes for a moment.
Having the door officially closed on Teddy and my relationship couldn’t come soon enough.
The door to the office swung open a moment later, and Ijerked my head up. Elias came through the door, and the smile fell from his face. “You okay?” He asked, crossing the room to stand by my desk.
He was covered in sawdust, but I didn’t call him on it.
I nodded. “Just tired, I guess.”
He blew a breath out of his nose. “Come on, I’ll take you home. You can take a day off once in a while.”
I nodded, getting to my feet. There was no reason to fight it. I could get some work done from home later if I felt more energized.
I climbed into the passenger seat of the truck, enjoying Elias’s woodsy scent. He was quiet in the driver’s seat as he navigated the snowy driveway out of the lumberyard. “I wish I could do more to make this situation better for you,” he admitted as he clicked on the signal light and merged into traffic.
My foolish heart gave a little squeeze. “It’s not your job to fix my life, E.”
He nodded. “I know. I still wish I could.”
How the hell he was single, I had no idea. Although every other woman’s loss could be my gain if I was brave enough to put my heart on the line when I had crashed and burned so hard with Teddy.
I zoned out for the rest of the drive until I heard Elias curse under his breath. I glanced out the windshield to see more fresh tire tracks in my driveway. “Son of a bitch. He can’t possibly be here again.”
We got closer to my cabin, and I saw Teddy pounding on my front door. “Your car’s here. I know you are too,” he yelled loud enough that I could hear him over the engine of the truck. Elias put the truck in park and got out more quickly than I did, stomping through the snow with single-minded efficiency.
I scrambled to catch up.
“What are you doing here again?” Elias demanded.
Teddy rolled his eyes dramatically. “Can I just talk to my fiancée without the guard dog?”
“I’m not your fiancée. I’m not your anything anymore, remember?”
“Whatever. Can we just talk alone, Layne? I know we can sort this out together.” He flashed me what was probably supposed to be a charming smile, but it just pissed me off.
“No, we can’t.” If I wasn’t already feeling done with this day, I sure as hell was now.
Elias wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “You heard the lady. Leave.” He guided me to the front door, and we both went inside.
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me,” Teddy yelled after us. I slammed the door and locked it.
Elias pulled his arm from my shoulders, and I missed his touch as soon as it was gone. “Do you want me to call the cops?” he asked.
