Page 26 of Love is Fake (Love is Everything #1)

Chapter

Twelve

I’m on a perfectly nice date, with a perfectly nice man. So, what in tarnation is wrong with me?

Lennox’s voice has been ringing in my ears all evening.

You might be out with him, but you’ll be thinking about me.

Damn him, why did he have to be right?

I’ve been distracted all night and I’m sure the good doctor must have noticed.

I’m thankful he’s keeping up the conversation more or less single-handedly as he drives me back to the Gray mansion and I direct him round the back rather than to the main door.

Coming face to face with Lennox again tonight is the very last thing on my list of crappy ways for this day to end.

“You really didn’t have to walk me to my door,” I tell Jack, secretly wishing he’d just said goodnight back at the car.

“I wanted to,” he smiles as I dig around in my purse for the keys to the pool-house. “I like spending time with you, Izzy. I’d very much like to see you again.”

His voice drops and I know with a sixth sense I’ve developed over years of dating he’s going to lean in for a kiss and I really don’t want him to.

What the hell is the matter with me? If we’d met two weeks ago, this guy would have landed right in the ‘keeper’ column. He ticks literally all the boxes: smart, good-looking, funny, kind and he’s a freakin’ surgeon. He’s literally the jackpot of dating.

So why don’t I feel anything at all?

He makes his move and at the last moment I tilt my head so he kisses the corner of my mouth rather than landing a direct hit.

“Look, Jack -,” I start, ready to tell him I think we should just be friends, when I take a step back and right into a solid wall. Except this one isn’t made of brick, it’s all muscle.

I don’t have to turn around to see who it is, I already know, even though I can’t really believe it.

“Lennox.” My date nods his head in acknowledgement, his frown showing he’s as confused as I am as to why Lennox is outside my living quarters when supposedly we just work together.

“Doc,” Lennox drawls, putting his hand proprietarily on my shoulder, pulling me a little closer against his warm body.

I try to step away from him, to shake him off, but he holds me tight against him, ignoring the elbow I’m digging into his side.

“You kids have fun?” Lennox asks, patronizingly and I glare up at him with all the fury I’m feeling. He doesn’t even bat an eye.

“Yes, thanks,” I say through gritted teeth, smiling an apology at Jack who looks at me questioningly as he watches the interaction between the two of us.

“What’re you doing here, Nox? It’s my day off, remember?

” I inject a false brightness into my voice because I have no intention of having the argument I feel brewing inside of me in front of Jack.

“This isn’t a business visit.” He looks down at me with that arrogant expression and I want to punch him right in his handsome, smug face.

I don’t believe this. He’s just made my date think there’s something going on between us.

“Well, I guess that explains why you were so distracted tonight,” Jack frowns, clearly put-out and I can’t blame him for it either.

“I’m sorry, Jack, but this really isn’t what it looks like.” I cringe at how cliché that sounds, but I don’t want him to think I’m trying to date two men at the same time.

“It’s fine, I should get going anyway,” he shakes his head, already backing away. “I’ve got an early surgery in the morning.”

Sure, you do, I think to myself. But I know a brush-off when I hear one. Not that I can blame him.

“Thanks, Jack. I really did have fun tonight,” I tell him, hoping he doesn’t think the worst of me, even though I know by this point it’s probably a lost cause.

“See ya round, Doc.” Lennox sends the man a mock-salute, his smug smile unwavering as Jack walks away.

I wait until he’s out of earshot before I stamp on Lennox’s foot, hard, making him grunt in pain. I use his surprise to shove his arm off my shoulder and then I turn around to him, poking my finger in his hard chest. “What the hell is your problem?”

He looks down at me, his eyes going to my finger as if I’m entertaining him. “What’re you talking about?”

“You just made Jack, my date , think that we’re sleeping together!” I mimic his deep tones. “Why would you sabotage my night like that? Friends don’t pull that kind of crap on each other.”

“We’re not friends, Isabella.”

“Yeah, no shit!”

“Did he kiss you?”

I look up at him, not believing he’d have the gall to ask me that question.

I shake my head at him. “As if it’s any of your damn business!”

“I’d say after what happened last night, it is my business.” His eyes flare with anger and I’m sure mine have the same fire. He may be pissed, but I’m already on my way to livid.

“Last night wasn’t a big deal, just like you said,” I remind him, my voice bitter. I turn away from him to unlock the door. I’m done with this conversation. “Go home, Nox. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

I can almost hear his eyebrow quirk up at that.

“I am home. I live here, remember?”

Smart ass.

“Yeah but you don’t live here .” I motion towards ‘my’ pool house, coming to a decision I should have seen coming from a mile away. “And I won’t be living here past tonight either,” I add.

Lennox puts his foot against the doorframe, stopping me from closing it on his surprised face. “What?”

“What ‘what’?” I glare at him. “You think after everything that’s happened, I’m going to stay here?

Thanks, but no, I don’t need you thinking you can run my life because I work for you and because of one, stupid,” mind-blowing, “kiss.” And, thinking about it, I’m not sure I can even work with him anymore, not when things are this tense between us.

Not when touching him will feel less professional and more… personal.

Lennox’s expression is more than surprised, he’s downright shocked. “You can’t leave. Not because of me.”

“Just watch me,” I tell him, sighing when I can’t slam the door to make my point. “Now, can you get your foot out of the way, Nox, before I break it?” I ask the question sweetly.

Nox plants his hand on the doorframe all but forcing his way inside. “We’re not done, talking.”

“Oh, we really are,” I disagree.

“I’m not leaving until I say what I came here to say, Isabella.” He fills my doorway, telling me with his body he has no intention of going anywhere.

“Fine, then we’ll talk outside.” The pool house is too small for Lennox; he has a habit of filling up every space he’s in, making it impossible to get the distance from him I need.

Lennox only takes a small step back, forcing me to squeeze past him. “Fine.”

Ass.

I cross my arms, defensively. “So what did you ruin my date to tell me?”

Lennox rubs his forehead, his expression pained. “I didn’t mean to ruin your date.”

Not even he believes that.

“Sure, you didn’t,” I snark, “you just wanted him to think you and I were together so he’d step off! You did everything but pee on me in a bid to mark your damn territory!”

He mirrors my crossed arms, not looking even a little bit sorry.

“Why?” I demand. “You didn’t want anyone else playing with your toy?” My voice wobbles, but I refuse to let it break.

“My toy?” Lennox looks convincingly aghast. “Is that how you think I see you?”

“I don’t know anymore, Nox.” I fist my hands, digging my nails into my palms to distract me from the emotion rising up inside of me.

I’m angry and frustrated and…so many other things I can’t quite put a name to.

“I don’t understand you, Lennox. One minute you seem to like me, respect me even and then last night…

” I trail off not really knowing what I want to say.

Perhaps because there’s too much to say.

“Last night I kissed you,” he finishes, flatly, that emotionless voice of his coming into play again.

Angry Lennox is hard to deal with but, not as hard as this cold version of him I’ve seen in glimpses.

“Last night you kissed me like you wanted me and earlier tonight…you kissed me like you hated me.” I swallow the hurt down. “So, yeah, you made me feel like a toy, like this is all some damn game to you.”

“Izzy,” his voice is tender and, in an instant, he’s right in front of me, close enough to reach out and tuck my hair behind my ear.

“I never meant to make you think that. I fucking hate that I made you feel like that.” He cups my face and – because I can’t resist him even when I know I should – I lean into his touch. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

He pulls me towards him and, when my arms snake around his waist, he crushes me against him, holding me as if he’s never going to let me go and I don’t think I want him to.

“If you didn’t mean to, then why did you?”

I feel him relax against me as he strokes my hair soothingly, his chin propped on the top of my head, holding me close.

“Because when I’m around you, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing half the time,” he sighs. “You make it impossible for me to think straight, so I say and do stupid shit.”

I blink, taken aback by his honesty and by what he’s saying. Slowly, I look up at him, needing to see his face when he answers my next question, because my heart is hanging in the balance and when he meets my eyes, it all but stops.

“You said last night wasn’t a big deal, heat of the moment.” I bite my lip, stalling but knowing I won’t get away from asking the question I really want to ask. “Did you mean it?” I add.

Lennox shakes his head, looking me dead in the eye. The heaviness I’ve been carrying around in my chest eases, bit by bit.

“I want you,” he growls.