Page 54 of Love Decoded

I half-wonder if she’s going to push for me to stand in the hall when she says, “I left a few things in the kitchen that I wouldn’t mind taking with me. Do you mind throwing them into the boxes? I’ll pack up my bedroom real quick.”

I’m already rolling up my sleeves as I nod.

“Let’s do it.”

EIGHTEEN

CHARLI

It’s been twenty minutes of silently packing up my apartment, and every single one of them has been spent trying to regulate my breathing and not looking at Lucas.

That man is absolutely lethal with rolled-up sleeves.

He’s also starting to sweat through his white shirt—not that I can confirm it, because I haven’t looked at him since I saw the first bead running down his neck. Packing up the rest of my clothes has taken twice as long as it should have.

“Okay, kitchen’s done,” Lucas announces. “I’ll run this out to my car real quick, then I’ll come back to help you finish.”

With my back to him, my eyes slide closed as the front door slams behind him.

I’m pretty sure I’m two seconds from finishing, even without his help.

In the time it takes Lucas to take the kitchen boxes out, I manage to bring some level of order to my brain.

He’s my pseudo-employer.

He’s my kind-of landlord.

I’m only in this city temporarily.

He isn’t my type.

And yet, the moment he steps back into my apartment, his eyes bright and his shirt sticking to his skin, I forget all of that.

“What can I help with?” he asks as he stands beside me with a smile. A too-bright smile.

“Umm.” I mentally shake my head to clear my thoughts. Then I point at a random box. “Can you take that one out? I just need to…” I wave awkwardly at the mess in front of me.

“You got it, boss,” he says, clapping his hands together.

I roll my eyes at the title and open my mouth to chastise him, but before I can, Lucas lifts the box. And the bottom falls out.

Littering the floor with my underwear. And a bright pink vibrator.

I stop moving. I think I stop breathing. I can only stare at the floor in horror.

Even Lucas is speechless, which I’m probably safe to assume is the first time.

He clears his throat once. Then again. Then he drops the empty box to the floor with a wince.

“Uh… Want me to pretend that didn’t just happen?” His eyes dart to me, his cheeks pink. “I mean, I really don’t want to, but I’m guessing that’s what you’d prefer.”

“I—uh… I’ll just—” I force myself to start moving, to drop to my knees and brush the pile of fabric toward me. I’m not exactly a lingerie girlie, so it’s not like there’s lace everywhere, but it’s still my underwear.

And with a sex toy on top of it.

My face heats to a thousand degrees. I cannot believe this is happening. How did I go from denying a sexual attraction to Lucas to…this?

“Christ, Charli,” I hear murmured beside me.