Mrs. Cole glanced at Lennox. “I’ll go call the restaurant to place our dinner order. Would you two like to join us for dinner?”
I blinked.
Once again, Duke slid in with the save. “We’d love to, but we have dinner plans at our parents’ house. But next time I’m in town, how about I cook dinner for everyone?”
“Sounds wonderful,” Mrs. Cole said. “It’s a date.”
“Great,” Duke said.
“Well, we’d better let you order your dinner,” I said lamely. “It was so good to see you again, Mrs. Cole.”
“I hope to spend more time with you, Blake,” the older woman said.
I nodded. “Definitely.” I met Lennox’s gaze. “I’ll talk to you later?” This time, I kissed him, surprising the hell out of myself. Pulling away, I scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah, um… Bye.”
“Bye.”
I watched them walk away. When they were finally out of sight, I glared at Duke. “Don’t say anything.” Then, I stalked off toward my car.
Chapter 11
Out on a Limb
Lennox
The term “crazy” about something or someone had always seemed foreign to me, impossible really. But standing in the middle of Blake’s living room watching her simultaneously work, blow on her niece’s belly, help Bliss pack a diaper bag, answer texts from her family, and get dressed for her brother’s cooking class…I’m definitely crazy about her.
That was just the tip of the iceberg, though. Blake was stubborn. She’d refused to call me anything other than herfriend. It had started as a joke, something we’d both laughed about after my mother had given her the moniker months ago. Now, it bothered the hell out of me. Because I felt like she was mine. Everything about her—her body and her soul—was mine. I wanted to go to sleep next to her every night and wake her up with an orgasm every morning. I wanted to give her and thisnon-relationship everything I had. I wanted to take things to the next level. And I was willing to jump through hoops for her.
“Did you hear me, Lennox?” Blake bounced her niece in her arms.
“Huh?”
“You weren’t even listening.” She tilted her head. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” I told her. “What’s up?”
“We can go as soon as Bliss gets off her call, okay?”
I nodded. “That’s fine. No rush.”
Blake bit down on her lip. “Well?”
Confused, I asked, “Well, what?”
“How did it go today?”
After numerous letters from faculty, strong statements from Blake and her father, and an outpouring of support from my students, the complaint against me had been dismissed and the matter was officially closed. “Better than I expected,” I said, telling her about the hearing. “The Dean even apologized for everything. Dory will never be permitted to take a class at the university again.”
Beaming, Blake hugged me. “That’s good! Now if only I had a chance to beat her ass. Any word from Jace on her whereabouts? Tristan had to turn his attention to another case.”
“Not yet.” Dory had managed to thwart authorities. But I knew she was still around, waiting and watching. It was only a matter of time before she was caught. And that day couldn’t come soon enough.
Bliss emerged from the bedroom. She smiled at me. “Hey, Lennox.” She greeted me the same way she always did—with a wave and a kiss on the cheek.
“Hey.” I’d gotten to know Bliss pretty well over the past few months. I definitely understood why Blake was so adamant about protecting her. She was sweet, giving, a beautiful person. And she’d fallen into motherhood seamlessly.
Blake handed the baby to her sister. “I just changed her, and the diaper bag is all packed.”
