"What did she say?" Jack asked.
Alec shut his eyes and shook his head. "I cannot believe this is happening," he muttered. "I don't know, man. She said she loved you, she doesn't know where this is going, and you’ve never been with a real woman before." Jack made a face. "Metaphorically speak, of course." He dropped his hands so they hit the side of his thighs. "Look, man. I don't want to lose you if things between the two of you don't work out. I don't even know if I'd be able to be your friend if you guys were able to be friends."
"I understand—"
"I don't need you to understand," Alec said. "I need you to be there for my sister. I need you to not fuck this up, because if anyone is going to fuck it up, it's you. Not her. Lily is an angel. She doesn't fuck anything up. She makes everything better. But you…" Alec shook his head. "Look, you're my best friend, and that should say something because I don't hang out with assholes. I don't. You aren't an asshole." He collapsed into the couch. "Man, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore."
"You're saying you want both me and Lily to be happy," Jack said. "You'd prefer us to be happy with different people and it's difficult for you to accept that we're happy together. But you're worrying about something that hasn't happened yet. Hell, it might never happen. So why stress yourself out, man? You're going to give yourself gray hair."
"True," Alec said with a small nod.
At that moment, there was a gentle knock on the door. Alec furrowed his brow and stood. Jack tensed. He hoped it wasn't the cops or Andrew Corwin or, God forbid, his mother.
"Can I help you?" Alec asked after he opened the door.
Jack looked around his shoulder to see how Alec was responding. Charming smile, eyes relaxed, shoulders, down, chest slightly puffed out. He was talking to a pretty girl. Probably one of Lily's friends.
Jack slowly stood. God, he hoped the video hadn't made its way across her campus. It would only be a matter of time before the people who controlled her scholarship got hold of it.
"Hello," the voice said. It was low and smooth. "My name is McKenna Hawthorne; I'm an attorney with Tucker & Bundy. I should say intern. I don't have a law degree just yet. Anyway, I need to see Lily Sinclair, please?"
Suddenly, Alec's entire demeanor changed. "Of course," he said. "What, did Andrew Corwin send you to scare us?"
"I'm sorry," Jack heard the woman reply. "Do interns scare you?"
"You're not talking to my sister—"
"We represent your sister," she said. "I wanted to ask her a few things. Seraphina Hanson hired us."
"Oh."
"I'll get her," Jack said, not bothering to hide the smile on his face.
Seraphina actually came through. This might actually work.
20
Lily
Lily furrowed her brow as she stepped out of her room. She wanted to give Jack and Alec some space as they worked out their differences. She knew they would. And, God forbid, if she and Jack ever broke up, Alec would be the protective big brother for a couple of weeks before moping around the apartment until Lily got fed up and told him to invite Jack back as his friend rather than her boyfriend. She knew she wouldn't be able to get between them and she didn't want to. In fact, she hoped Alec would get his head out of his ass in order to ensure they weren't fighting for long at all.
When Alec came to her door and said she had a visitor, she thought Alec was playing some kind of joke on her. Until she saw a young woman, probably a year or two older than she was. Maybe even more.
"Can I help you?" Lily asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.
"Hi." The girl was dressed in a cute professional skirt that clung to her body without being too gratuitous. "I'm McKenna Hawthorne, and I'm an intern with Tucker & Bundy. I wanted to talk to you about what you talked to Vicky Mendez about a few days ago."
"Oh." Lily blinked once. "Sure, sure, sure." She headed to the kitchen. "Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Milk?"
"A cool glass of water?" Alec asked. Lily's eyes widened in horror as she saw her brother's patented charming smile.
McKenna didn't seem to notice, however. She headed over to the kitchen table with her briefcase and her jacket in her arms.
"Need help?" Lily asked, grabbing the jacket before McKenna could say anything.
"Thanks," she responded, taking a seat. "Actually, I'm fine. I have some in my car that I forgot to bring with me. I don't think this will take too long, actually." She unlocked her briefcase and pulled out some paperwork. "Seraphina Hanson hired us. The video in question has already been removed from the website and IPD is going to press charges for selling and distributing pornography involving a minor. They also are going to bring charges against Andrew Corwin, but it's likely the DA will strike a deal with him if he enters a guilty plea, because it's his first offense and because you were just under eighteen rather than a more vulnerable age."
"Okay," Lily said, nodding her head. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She wanted Andrew punished but she didn't have the energy to be upset that it wasn't more. "That's better than nothing."
"We wanted to know if you wanted to press any civil charges against him," McKenna continued.
"Civil charges?" Lily asked.
"Do you want to sue him?" McKenna asked with a grin.
"Would I have a case?" Lily asked.
McKenna glanced up at the ceiling. "I am obligated to remind you that I'm not a lawyer and therefore unable to offer legal advice," she said. "But I can tell you that from the little I know about what happened, I would sue the fucker for all he has. Even if you get nothing out of him, the hell you would force him to endure would be well worth it."
Lily opened her mouth, ready to agree, but hesitated. Andrew Corwin was a pathetic human being who didn't give a shit about anyone save for himself. He was a college dropout who lived in his parents' home by himself because his parents moved someone else after they retired. If Lily agreed to sue Andrew, she knew it could take a year or two for the judge to rule in her favor and award her damages, damages Lily would never get because Andrew didn't have anything. Did she really want to deal with a year or two of Andrew? She was all about revenge, but she didn't need to be vindictive—especially after Jack beat the shit out of him.
"I think I'm okay," Lily finally said. "But thank you for your non-legal advice-advice."
McKenna gave her a grin and put the contract back in her briefcase. "Hey," she said. "This is why I got into law. To make assholes like Andrew Corwin get what's coming to them." She grabbed a small card before snapping her briefcase shut and standing. She handed Lily the card. "If you change your mind, or need any other help, don't hesitate to reach out."
"Thanks," Lily said, tapping the corner of the thick card. "I will."
"You know," Alec interjected, stepping just in front of McKenna. "That briefcase looks pretty heavy. I'm happy to walk you back to your car and carry it for you."
McKenna gave Lily a look over her shoulder. "I'm sorry, is this cretin related to you?" she asked.
"Unfortunately," Lily muttered.
"I think you mean crouton," Alec said. "And you know what, you would be right. I'm fucking delicious. Not that you would ever know that now."
"Oh good, I tend to take my Caesars sans crunchy calories that take away from the salad. The fact that I don't have to ask anyone to hold them makes my life much easier." She stepped around Alec and gave Lily one last wave before heading out the door.
"Five bucks says she calls me," Alec said, hitting Jack's chest.
"She doesn't even have your number," Jack pointed out.
"Oh, that's right," he said. "I'll be right back."
Without warning, Alec dashed off after her, leaving Lily alone with Jack.
"So," Lily said, shifting her weight and setting down the card on the dining table. "You and Alec…?"
"We're good," he said. "I had to promise him he could beat the shit out of me, videotape it, and then put it on porn sites, but other than that, it's all good.
"
"Wow." Lily widened her eyes. There was something awkward in the air, but not in a bad, uncomfortable way. More like, there was something happening between them and she didn't know what that meant or what was going to happen, but she was looking forward to it. "That's him letting you off easy."
"That's what I said," Jack said.
Lily glanced down at the Band-Aids. Somewhere between the sex, the lawyer, Jack's make-up with Alec, and kicking his mother out of his life, they had come undone. Before she could stop herself, she walked over to Jack and began to fix them.
Silence.
There was nothing but silence hanging between them. That, and her heart beating against her chest. She wondered if he could hear it the way she could. Her cheeks turned red.
God, she wished they would stop doing that.
"Tell me," he murmured.
Lily looked up and nearly kissed his jaw. He had been leaning close to her and she hadn't even realized it.
"Your cheeks just turned red, so you had to be thinking about something," he continued. "Tell me."
Lily shrugged but she knew Jack wasn't going to let her off the hook. "It's nothing," she insisted. "I was just wondering if you had the ability to hear my heart. I just…it's beating so loud."
"I've seen you naked at least twice and I've explored your body more than twice," Jack said. He gently tugged his hand away from hers so he could wrap his arms around her waist and pull him to her. "Are you telling me that I still make you nervous?"
"Hell yes, you make me nervous!" Lily exclaimed. "Jack, you are—"
"And so are you," he pointed out.
Lily gave him a look. He didn't even know what she was going to say.
"You're just starting your career," she said. "I just, I don't want to keep you from really living, you know? You're going to travel. You're going to meet people—girls. And I don't want it to be where you regret not going out because you don't want to upset me. Or you do go out and put yourself in a situation you maybe shouldn't be in because of me."
"Stop that." Jack pressed his lips against hers to emphasize his point before pulling away and brushing her hair out of her face. "Listen to me. The way I feel about you, I've never felt about anyone before. And I don't just say that to say pretty words to a pretty girl. You're more to me than that. I wouldn't risk my friendship with Alec if I wasn't sure about you."
Lily nodded. "I know that," she said.
"And you're quite a catch, you know," Jack said.
Lily grinned. "I know that as well," she said. She glanced over at him, her eyes taking in his profile, those sharp cheekbones, the rigid jawline. God, he was beautiful. Her heart fluttered at the thought. And he was all hers. "I'm sorry for not telling you about the video."
Jack shrugged. "I don't blame you," he said. "It's not something I would want to share with someone I cared about. But you know you did nothing wrong, right?"
"I know that, but that doesn't make me feel any better," Lily murmured. "I'm just glad we get to put all of this behind us. I just want us to move on from all of this. I want you to focus on your career—"
"I just started," Jack said with a grin. "It's not a career just yet."
"It is," Lily said. "You need to take yourself more seriously, Jack. You can tell me how great I am, and it's true, but you need to be able to accept compliments just as much as you give them."
Jack pulled Lily onto his lap, holding her waist. She leaned down and kissed his lips. God, it felt good to kiss him. His lips opened up to her immediately and she sighed through the kiss. This was what love felt like. Accepting. Safe. Butterflies in the stomach. Warm.
"Jesus Christ!" a voice said from the front door. "See, this is exactly why I didn't want you guys together; because I would have to walk on shit like this. Under normal circumstances, I would say to get a room but that's the last thing I want. So can you just get off of each other for, like, five seconds?"
"I take it McKenna Hawthorne didn't exactly give you her number?" Lily asked, quirking a brow.
"No," he said. Lily had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing at the stupefied look on his face. "She didn't fall for any of my lines. The beauty one. The angel one. She said she had more important people to deal with. Am I losing my touch here?"
"Maybe we finally found a woman resistant to your charms?" Lily guessed. She slid off Jack but sat right next to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close to his chest.
"I mean," Alec said. "I don't know if it's possible to resist my charms, but I guess maybe it is?"
Lily laughed and it wasn't long until Jack joined in.
"So what are you going to do about it?" Jack asked. "On the off-chance you see her again."
"Well, she said no," Alec said, "so I'm going to respect that. Unless she goes after me. That's a possibility, right?"
Lily shook her head and Jack leaned in and kissed her cheek. Alec made another comment about them being together but Lily couldn't hear. Her happiness blocked everything else out.
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Acknowledgments
My family
My friends
Sarah Paige - for the amazing cover
Theresa Schultz for your amazing edits!
And last but not least, my readers
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