“Hey, you never texted me yesterday about the Paxton job. Are you doing it?”

Lucy swallowed hard, feeling a flutter deep in her gut. “Not sure. Still in the works.”

She had no clue what was going on with that. Couldn’t exactly tell her assistant that she slept with him and things were up in the air. Didn’t seem very professional. After telling her about the shop and to postpone the interviews with the designers who were coming in that week, she said she’d get back to her about Benji’s account.

“Okay, do you have specs? Pictures, so I can get started on that?” Rayne asked and Lucy nodded.

“I’m driving to my brother’s right now. We are staying with him until things are figured out. Let me get settled and get my laptop to upload the pictures from the downstairs—”

But she paused.

Her laptop and camera were in her bag.

In Benji’s house.

Fuck.

Leaning against the counter, Benji crossed his arms over his chest. Before him sat one black pump, one naughty lace thong, and a bag full of designing stuff, all spread out on the island in his kitchen.

All belonging to his magician, also known as Lucy.

That girl and her disappearing act were impressive. Problem was she left a lot behind. Now he had to figure out how to get it back to her. He tried her business line, but they were closed on Sundays. He searched her bag for her cell phone number, nothing. He could drive to the shop since he knew she lived above it, but he didn’t want to just show up. That was rude. So there was only one thing he could do, but he was stalling.

Because calling your linemate for his sister’s number so that you could get her stuff back to her after a night of endless pleasure seemed a little tacky. Then again, maybe it didn’t, but he still felt a little strange about it. He knew Jayden would ask questions and he wouldn’t lie, but he also couldn’t disrespect Lucy like that. So he was kind of stuck.

And looking at her things wasn’t making it any better.

Man, why did she have to leave?

He’d had so many plans. He had wanted to wake up in the middle of the night and take her to oblivion at least ten more times. He wanted to make her breakfast; he wanted to plan to get together today. Maybe a movie or something, hockey with Angie, anything. He just wanted to see her before he left later that night. It pained him to know he wouldn’t see her for the next five days, especially since he didn’t get to do anything with her he’d wanted to.

Because she ran.

He should have known she would. That girl didn’t ever do anything for herself, and of course, she would freak out about it. After last night, the way it felt… Man, it was like bombs going off all around them. He knew it would be—she was the sexiest thing he had seen in a long time, but he hadn’t expected for it to feel so damn perfect.

As if he was only made to make love to her. That was a scary and fucking guilty-ass feeling. What about Ava? She was his soul mate, right? But then he slept with Lucy and it was just different. He couldn’t explain it, but it was easy to say he felt like shit for it. He felt like he was betraying Ava. But was he? It had been twelve years. He had to move on. Didn’t he?

Closing his eyes, he shook his head. He needed to return Lucy’s things and then take a step back. No one feels shit like that after only one time, and he sure as hell didn’t deserve to feel these emotions. But the thought of not having Lucy made him physically hurt inside. He was so tired of moving through life and not being happy. For so long, he had mourned Ava and Leary—and he would always love them, he would—but wouldn’t they want him to be happy?

Fuck, who knows?

All he did know was that Lucy may have skipped out on him, but when she was there, in his arms, beneath him, he had been so fucking happy, he could have cried manly tears. He didn’t know what that meant for him. Did he chase after her, demand she give him at least a minute of every one of her days? Or did he just hand her her things and walk away?

Why couldn’t she have just stayed so they could have figured this out together?

He shook his head. He had known she was going to be trouble the moment he saw her, yet he still went after her. Still had to touch his lips to those red-hot lips of hers. Feel her body beneath his and hold her in his arms. He just had to. And now, now he was craving her like he used to crave alcohol. The only problem was his thirst for bitter liquid could never come close to the thirst he had for her at that moment. He was pretty sure no matter how much of Lucy he got, it would never be enough.

And while it scared him to no end to have those kinds of feelings again for someone who wasn’t Ava, it also excited him.

It made him feel alive again.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he curled his toes against the tile of his kitchen floor as he hit Jayden’s contact info.

Jayden answered right away. “Bro, what’s up?”

“Hey, man,” he said, grabbing his shirt into a fist at his ribs, his heart pounding against his chest. “Can you send me your sister’s number? She was here yesterday for a consult on my house and left her bag. Something had happened or whatever, I don’t know. She just rushed out of here without her bag.”

Oh God, he was lying. He hated lying.

“Oh, hell. Yeah, her damn apartment flooded and they are starting work on it today. She’s actually on her way here. She’s gonna stay here till it’s done.”

Oh, no wonder she was so upset. “Oh, that blows. I couldn’t get much out of her.”