Young.Stupid.Unloved.Hungry.
Lachlan knows there’ll come a day when Jules packs his things, but it’s far off yet, not on the horizon.
‘How are you doing?’he asks in Jules’ room.
Mimi’s fast asleep next door.
It’s after midnight.
‘Fine,’ Jules answers, undressing with his back to Lachlan.
‘Shall we run through what I know about the party?’
‘You can brief me on the way, right?’Jules glances over his shoulder and Lachlan nods.‘Then I’d rather not think about it for a few more hours.’
Training is building muscle where it wasn’t before.It’s carving and crafting and sculpting Jules into a man.Slow progress but he’s not the skinny boy Lachlan knew two years ago.He’s shot up, filled out, flourishing despite the circumstances.He’s so fucking beautiful it stirs physicalachesinside Lachlan.
‘No problem.’
Jules pulls on sweatpants and nothing else, bare chested when he turns to look at Lachlan.‘He didn’t hurt you?’Lachlan shakes his head, pushing off the doorjamb where he was leaning.
‘Jules.You know while we’re there, we can’t—’
‘Don’t.’
‘It’s probably a good thing.’
‘I saiddon’t.’
But Lachlan can’t stop.
‘This thing between us… it’s so wrong,’ he whispers, means it, knows it, no doubt inside him that it issofucking wrong.‘If we have a chance to properly stop it then we should.’
‘Break what?’
‘Us.This.You and me.’
‘There is noyou and me,’Jules says flatly.‘There’s nothing to break so don’t talk like there is.I get it, all right?He told you to end it.’
Lachlan frowns.‘He doesn’t know.’
‘Don’t lie to me.’
‘He doesn’t know or if he does, he didn’t say anything.’Lachlan comes closer.‘Did you think—?’
‘Go away now, Bodyguard.’His voice is trembling.‘Just go away.’
‘Jules,’ Lachlan says seriously, very muchnotgoing away.‘Tell me what you think is happening.’
‘I know what’s happening, don’t treat me like a child.I know you have permission tomanage methe way Fenwick did,’ Jules says, cold and lifeless.‘I know you were pretending and I appreciate it.’His voice drops to a shaky whisper.‘More than you’ll ever know, actually, but now that he’s told you to end it, I’d rather you didn’t—’
‘No, stop,’ Lachlan says quickly, hand on his face.‘Look at me, sweetheart.’
‘Don’t you dare call me that,don’t—’
‘I’m not pretending,’ Lachlan says hotly, a little offended.‘I wasn’t…’ he says, trailing off as it takes a moment to even arrange the words, ‘managing youfor him.That’s not what this was.’
Jules won’t meet his eye, trying not to cry for the second time today and Lachlan should let him go, should back off and let the misunderstanding settle because he’s right, this iswrong.
