"A friend. And...I'm hoping I will hear back on something I asked his PI friend to look into."
She chews on her lip. "You know, I love Enzo, and he's worth it. But if you like someone else, go for it." She looks down. "I hope you give my brother a chance because I like having you around."
"I like being around you," I say, meaning it.
There is a lot I want to say, but she is his sister, his fifteen-year-old sister. I'm not about to burden her with any of my Enzo-shaped problems.
Then Lyndall, the girl in jeans and a T-shirt, eyes me critically. "You should dress up. It makes me feel better."
"I only have my work clothes."
"This Simon has a closet of girly stuff."
"Cross-dresser?"
She wrinkles her nose. "Girlfriends. I bet he's brought them here. By closet, I mean some dresses. I put one on your bed."
"Maybe I will go shower and put it on."
Anything to avoid being in the clothes I wore before we had sex, and anything to get his clothes off me. I'm betting the panties I hand-washed are dry, too.
With that, I head upstairs and take that shower, and then I put on the floral dress.
It is one of those maxi numbers, but it is better than the jeans and T-shirt because it isn't something that has been on Enzo's frankly hot body, and the further away from him I get, even if it comes to clothes, the better.
I try to call Silas, but it goes to voicemail.
I don't leave a message.
Instead, I text.
Me
Hi Silas, it's Lola. I know I just spoke to you this a.m., but did you find anything out?
He doesn't answer. Of course, he doesn't, because he didn't pick up his phone, but I'm restless.
Me
Please, as soon as you find anything, let me know. I'm scared.
Writing that out makes me sit down hard on the bed, and the breath rushes from me.
Would Enzo harm me?
Would Enzo, one of the two men I started catching big feelings for, hurt me?
He could have before this.
Hell, if that was his plan, why did he snuggle with me on his sofa?
Enzo had no idea his little sister would turn up, and he flipped into protection mode the moment someone started slamming into the door with what sounded like some kind of sledgehammer.
I chew one of my fingernails, a habit I haven't had since I was little.
"Yeah, but why did he have all those pictures of me? There must have been thousands."
And heat suddenly consumes me.
