Jace
“Ma’am. I’m urging you to stop, now.”
I blink one eye open, taking in the sharp shards of light that hit my irises. I go to rub my face but my arm is stuck under something heavy.
My eyes pop open, taking in Lennox’s completely naked body.
His lean, hard muscles splayed out over the majority of my bed with one leg draped over my bottom half.
His black hair is a mess against the crisp white pillow and his phoenix tattoo looks like an actual fire burning underneath my soft linen sheets and fluffy duvet.
“Howard, get out of my way!” My entire body bolts up as my mothers voice echoes through the hallway.
Fuck!
“Lennox, get up.” I smack his chest and he groans. “Lennox,” I whisper-yell.
He stirs, begrudgingly, as he palms his face.
I shake him, practically pushing him off the bed.
“What the hell?” he wakes up now, opening his eyes and moving like a goddamn sloth, like he doesn’t have a fucking care in the world.
“You have to hide in the closet or something.”
“I’m sort of in the closet.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
Is he seriously making a joke right now?
“No, you have to hide,” I say, panic stricken as I glance over my shoulder at the door.
“Howard, I’m warning you. I will fire you here and now.” My mother’s voice is louder, this time accompanied by hard footsteps from her heels clacking on the hardwood floor.
Lennox tilts his head at me with an exasperated expression. “Oh, bloody hell, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
He rolls off the bed with a loud thud, then crawls under the bed.
The door swings open as I turn, appearing like I’ve just woken up.
I raise my hand over my eyes, as if the light is hitting them for the first time. Then pressing into into my hand, I push myself upright and take in the insanely angry woman standing in my doorway.
“I’m twenty-five years old, mother. You can’t barge in my bedroom whenever you feel like it. Can I have some fucking privacy please?”
She ignores me as she swivels her gaze across the room then looks at me. She trails her eyes over my sleepy expression, taking in the empty bed, then tilts up her chin with a snobbery disdain.
“Did you enjoy your stunt last night, Jace? It was all over the news.”
She walks into my room ignoring my request for privacy, because that word doesn’t exist in her dictionary. She leans forward, peeks in the bathroom and continues walking through the room.
“I don’t recall you asking permission to do something so ridiculous and reckless. Oh, that’s right, you didn’t. Because you’re following that man around like a lost puppy and can’t think on your own accord.”
“It was for charity mother.” My voice is raspy and annoyed.
She continues her slow pace around the bedroom, peers around the corner into my reading nook, then turns back around.
I glance at the doorway where Howard is standing, his arms are crossed over his body and his hands clasped together in front of him. As if he’s waiting to escort her out. He doesn’t look at me or say anything. He never does say much, but he’s always been loyal and very good to me.
My mother walks back toward my bed, standing at the end of it in the most domineering way. Very Misery by Stephen King vibes.
“Where is he?” she asks.
“Who?”
“That hellion you can’t seem to stay away from no matter how many times I’ve ordered you to. I saw the footage of the car arriving home last night,” My stomach plummets to the floor and I think I might vomit, “but miraculously, the video cuts out the moment Howard parks.”
My eyes saucer in surprise. I didn’t think about the camera’s, but I also didn’t think she’d go back and watch them.
That was stupid of me.
“And?” I say, unaffected.
“You know no one is allowed here without my approval.”
“Fully aware,” I say unamused.
She steps back, making her way to my walk-in closet, moves the hangers around then steps back out.
“I find it ironic the recordings are nothing but static after you decided to leave poor Elodie and frolic around with Lennox Rome last night, then coming home straight after. Don’t you think that’s odd?”
“You’re conjuring up ideas, mother” I say, annoyed as I press my fingers into my eye sockets.
“Howard, did you bring home just my son last night? Because you of all people know that my rights under the conservatorship state who I allow in this house. You’re also obligated under your contract to tell me the details of everything that happens.”
My eyes snap to him. I’ve managed to maintain an even expression but my body is wound with nerves.
Howard owes me nothing and Lennox is hearing every single word.
Fuck.
Fuck.
“Yes, ma’am. I picked up Mr. Wilder at the Chikara Tower building last night and drove him straight home.” His words are sharp, factual. He could get fired for lying, but he stands, statuesque, like a professional polygraph test passer looking straight ahead not budging the slightest.
I turn, pinning my mother with a knowing expression and hold my hand out to the door. “If you don’t mind, I need to get ready for my fitting today.” She knows I’m not lying about that because she memorizes my calendar like the back of her hand.
“Keep up these charades, Jace, please do. You’re only doing me a favor by galavanting around like your actions don’t have consequences.
” She shrugs. “The court will grant me everything I’m asking for and more.
You think you don’t have any choice under your conservatorship now—” She tsks.
“You’ve never been responsible without the rules I’ve put in place, what makes you think you’ll start now? ”
I don’t answer, I can’t. I revert back to the sixteen-year-old irresponsible boy that she reminds me about constantly.
She walks to the door, head held high then stops in the doorway, turning around. Getting one last final word in like she always does. “Luca’s death was on your hands. Do you really want to risk Lennox seeing the same fate?”
My heart drops, not because of what she said but who she said it in front of.
She turns, exiting through the threshold of my room, leaving the stench of her expensive, nerve-grating perfume and the heavy feeling of guilt and regret on my shoulders.
“You will not walk me out,” she tells Howard as she spins on her heel and leaves.
The silence is heavy as he watches her walk down the hallway, waiting long enough to hear the front door close and her car peel off in the driveway, then he steps into my room.
His eyes are glued to the bed frame and I know he could have told my mother where Lennox was.
He could have told her he dropped us both off, but he protected me and I didn’t even ask him to.
“Sir.” He hands me a tiny piece of plastic held between his pointer finger and thumb. I grab it and turn it over, inspecting the tiny SD card. “The house footage from last night.”
“Thank you,” I whisper in shock and awe, seeing how much he’s done and how much he’s putting himself on the line for me. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“You’re not the only one who wants you to get your freedom back.
” He smiles at me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile.
I mean, I don’t see teeth and it looks almost painful for him, but it’s there.
“What happened with Luca wasn’t your fault.
” He places his gigantic palm on my shoulder then turns around, heading toward the door.
He steps through with a soft click signaling it’s fully closed and all I can hear in the silence is Lennox’s heavy breath coming from the underside of my bed.