Chapter 15 #2
“What were you and my mother talking about this morning before I woke up?”
Damn. I hoped we’d gotten past that. “Nothing. Just shooting the shit.”
She gave me a look. She knew I was lying. Of course, Frannie told her how she’d confronted me. There weren’t many secrets between those two.
“Your mother’s advice to me this morning only solidified the fact that I need to keep things purely business with you.”
Juliette sniffed. “Well, she had no right to interfere.”
We got in the car, but I didn’t start the engine. Instead, I turned to Juliette. “What made her ask me if I had feelings for you? Did you tell her we’ve crossed the line?”
She blushed. “I might’ve mentioned that things are a little complicated.”
“The feelings might be complicated, but the course of action isn’t. There’s not a choice,” I said, maybe a little too gruffly. But I started the engine and took off.
Juliette crossed her arms and looked out her window for the rest of the ride. Once again, you could cut the tension between us with a knife.
Maybe it was good that she was mad. We were getting too close—especially after Jersey. Frannie’s warning was the reality check I needed. She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know, but hearing it from someone else was a reminder to stay on course.
When we got back to the house, Juliette went straight to her room while I lay on the couch watching TV.
As I flipped through the channels, though, I remained preoccupied with the fact that I’d upset her.
I knew my harsh stance on the matter was just as much for my own benefit, to remind myself of the boundaries I’d been so bad at respecting lately.
I talked a good talk, but ultimately, I never felt in control around her.
Juliette didn’t come out of her room for most of the day. I ended up nodding off, and by the time I woke up, it was dark out.
I walked back to check on her. Running a hand through my hair, I knocked on her bedroom door—but there was no answer.
“Juliette?” I called. Is she asleep?
While I tried not to enter her room without permission, the fact that she didn’t answer was troubling. I finally opened the door, only to find that her room was empty.
“Juliette!” I yelled as I stormed around the house.
I called her, but there was no answer.
What the fuck?
Pacing, I pondered whether I should go in search of her or stay put in case she came back.
But I truly had no clue where she could’ve gone.
Wherever it was, though, there was no doubt in my mind that Juliette had left because she was mad at me.
This was my fault—because I’d turned so damn cold on the way home earlier—and I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to her.
Ready to pull my hair out, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore.
I rushed out to my car and drove off in search of her, roaming the streets of LA.
In the midst of my panic, I realized I wasn’t thinking about the job or whether Vince might kill me for losing track of his daughter.
The only important thing was Juliette and her safety.
No matter how much I tried to tell myself our relationship needed to be purely business, it wasn’t. Juliette mattered to me more than anything. Before meeting her, this whole thing had been, in the words of Paulie, “just a job.” But it was so much more to me now.
With no luck finding Juliette, I finally returned to the house. As I entered, my stomach dropped when I realized she still wasn’t home. I’d tried her phone three times while I was on the road, but I tried calling her again.
No answer.
Several minutes later, the door opened, and Juliette strolled in.
“Where the hell have you been?” Springing to my feet from the couch, I stalked toward her.
“I was next door at Pam’s,” she said casually, as if she hadn’t almost given me a heart attack.
“Why the fuck didn’t you answer your phone?” I started to pace.
“I left my phone here to charge.”
“I called you multiple times.” I placed my hands on my hips. “Why didn’t I hear it ring?”
“I had it on vibrate while I was napping earlier. I guess I forgot to turn the ringer back on.”
“You should always take your phone with you,” I scolded. “And you should never have it on vibrate.”
“Well, it wasn’t intentional. I was just thinking—”
“You weren’t thinking. That’s the fucking problem!”
Her face reddened. “Calm your fucking balls, Wes. I didn’t mean to scare you. You were sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you. I’d told Pam she could borrow my book. So I took it over to her, and then she asked me to stay for a glass of wine. That was it. Relax!”
As adrenaline coursed through me, I stormed toward her again. “I won’t fucking relax. You had me worried sick, thinking something had happened to you.” I inched closer. “Do you have any idea how scared I was that you could’ve been hurt—or worse?”
Her face softened as she looked into my eyes.
And somehow, I was certain she saw it.
The truth.
That this wasn’t just about my duty as her protector.
I couldn’t let my guard down like this. I forced myself to harden as I spewed words at her that I didn’t really mean. I just had to overshadow my own vulnerability.
“You are the most selfish person I know,” I lied.
“Selfish? What the fuck are you talking about, Wes? I can’t even do what I please in life because of this mess. How is that selfish?”
It isn’t. I’m just being a dick, so you can’t tell how damn crazy I am about you.
Her nostrils flared. “If you think I’m selfish, why don’t you tell my father you want a reassignment?
I’m sure there are other things he could use your help with.
Maybe he’ll assign a real man who won’t be so scared of me.
” She pointed at my chest. “How can I be selfish when I can’t even live my life without you stuck to my ass all the time? ”
I moved in, backing her up against the wall. “You wish I was stuck to your ass. That’s the problem, isn’t it, Juliette? You wish I was in your ass right now.”
Her mouth slowly widened. “Fuck you.”
“I know you want to…” I murmured.
That’s when I felt a firm slap across my face. I placed my hand on my cheek, realizing I’d taken it too far. But apparently there was still room to take it further.
Because the next thing I did was lean in and take her mouth with mine.