She took a step back as she adjusted the strap of her camera again, bringing it back in front of her like a shield. “I guess I’d better go.”

I had no choice but to watch as she descended the stairs of the tube. Well, I’d screwed that one up. I should have just left her alone. I should have given her the tour then put her in a taxi. I should have left things as just friends with us. Should should should.

Instead, I’d kissed her—again. And not in that sweet way that said, ‘I think I could care about you.’ But in that desperate way that said, ‘I won’t be able to think about anything else until I’m with you.’ Trouble had just landed on my doorstep.

18

Abbie…

After another sleepless night filled with dreams of Alexi, I strolled into the living room to find Faith surrounded by stacks of books. “What’s all this?”

Faith looked up absently from the piles before turning her attention back to a hardback with a bare male ass on the cover. “New client. An author. I have to plan their PR package. Boss man has me getting familiar with her work before I start working on it.”

“Let me guess, your boss is going to take credit for all this work too?”

“Probably.” Faith sighed. “So, Mr. Lover has been calling the house line, looking for you nonstop. What do you want me to tell him?”

To fuck off, maybe?

I groaned as I slung my camera bag over my shoulder. Sooner or later, Faith would ask why I wouldn’t at least talk to Easton. And then what the hell would I say? “Shit, I'm sorry, Faith. I hate to put you in this position, but I'm just not ready to talk to him yet. Mom must have given him your number. I know I have to deal with him eventually. But my brain just gets clouded.”

Faith nodded. “I completely understand. I was mostly just telling you to find out if we can turn the ringer off permanently, or if there is someone you anticipate calling the house phone.”

I blinked. “You'd do that for me?”

“What are friends for? Besides, no one ever uses the land line. Most everyone calls my mobile, unless it's the council tax people or something. We don’t need it.”

“I appreciate it. I'll deal with him eventually, just not quite yet.”

Faith eyed my bag. “You headed to campus?”

“Yeah. I'm just going to grab the bus. I want to use their fancy computers for my photo manipulation and printing on large canvases. I think they'll give the images I took on Saturday more pop if I go large scale.”