Descent From Grace: A Luxe Novella Book 1.5 (2 page)

With a defeated tone, he muttered, “Okay. I want you to be happy, baby.”
Lilith let out a frustrated chuckle and stood. “Mmm,” she hummed out of annoyance. “I question the validity of that.”

  “Lily,” he grumbled, standing. “Please don’t.”

Like a reprimanded puppy, he looked down when she brought an icy glare to him.

  “Should we go get blood drawn?” She swiped the key off his desk.

While her back was turned, Ian pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled sharply before they exited his office.

  “Tash, I’m taking Ms. Tudor for blood work. Only calls I’ll take are from my dad.”
Tash nodded then smiled at Lilith with a small wave. Before rounding the corner to the elevator, Lilith returned the smile. The doors opened and she stepped inside, then grabbed his tie. Pulling him in, she pressed her lips to his while pinning him to the wall and rubbing her hip against his growing erection. Her vast range of emotions that day were disconcerting.

While at the clinic, Ian held his phone in his hands to keep them off her.

  “It’s my dad.” He looked up from his ringing phone. With a smile, she nodded and watched him walk away.

A garish smile pulled at her full lips and she pulled her phone from her purse to text Ashley.

SEXY LILITH
:
Dinner tonight? My place?

She giddily waited for a reply. ‘My place’ sounded amazing after not having a real home for two months.

ASHLEY
:
Fuck yes and I’m moving in ;)

Minutes later, Ian sat back down and picked up a magazine, nonchalantly saying, “My dad wants to get lunch.”

  “Okay. I’ll go to the library until you’re out of work?”

Coolly, he responded, “With us,” and opened the magazine without looking at her.

Her eyes flashed to the woman calling her name before she could riposte.

When Ian went to stand, she put her hand on his shoulder. “Stay here. You’ll get the results in the office anyway.”

The skilled nurse pushed the needle into her arm painlessly and Lilith intentionally jerked.
  “Oh!” The nurse gasped as blood emerged from the puncture. “You okay? I’m sorry.”
Smiling, Lilith said, “I’m fine,” and closed her eyes, reveling in the brief pain.

Ian stood when she returned twenty minutes later; he took her hand.

  “Not very discreet, Mr. Jacks.” She scowled, pulling her hand away.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes, knowing she was pissed about something. It was probably his ridiculous idea of the life they’d live.

Ian pulled up to a condo and Lilith glanced around. “Is this it?”

  “This is it.” He looked at her to gauge her reaction.

Looking over at him, she scrunched her nose with a happy grin. “It’s beautiful.”
He smiled, relieved she was expressing some sort of elate.

They got out of the car and he said, “That’s yours,” pointing to BMW 6 Series Convertible in vermilion red parked in the driveway.

  “Finally!” a man boasted, emerging from the condo.

With a large grin, he lowered the arm he threw up in the air out of frustration. The aged man looked exactly like a future Ian, or Ian looked like a youthful him. The man’s hair was salt and pepper and not styled like Ian’s, but everything else was the same, down to their build.  

  “Son.” Ed grinned, slapping Ian’s shoulder before he turned to Lilith. “And Lilith.” The charming grin tilting his lips was distractingly similar to Ian’s.
Lilith bit her lip then quickly put a smile on her face to disguise the unexpected feeling of arousal.

  “Hi.”

Able to read the unintentional vibe she was giving off, Ian glared at her disturbed.

  “Lily, this is Edward, my dad, and obviously he knows you,” he said, annoyed by the both of them.
  “Ashley talks about you like you’re her left arm.” Ed’s smile did unspeakable things to the area between her legs; with a blush, she looked away. “And you’re now employed through my son.” He slapped Ian’s shoulder again. They turned to walk into the condo. “And his fiancée,” he then said, causing Lilith to choke on a gasping breath.

Ed looked over his shoulder at her and grinned. Lilith glared at Ian, wanting to push him down the stairs, and feeling her malicious grin on him, Ian kept his sight forward.

Dive deep with Her fear

I cannot believe this is happening. I cannot believe Ed Jacks knows I’m engaged to Ian, because I know the man knows Ian is with Karen! I want to lob off my arm. Fuck cutting!

We step inside the condo that emanates class and beauty, and when inside, I see Ashley’s art covering the walls. I don’t want to look at him because I’m pissed, but I look at Ian confused. Obviously this condo has been around for a while.

  “I hope you like it, Lily. I normally rent it out, but Ian mentioned getting you a place, so I sold it to him.” Ed smiles at me and I let out a ridiculous huff-like laugh.

Looking at the man makes everything below the belt pulse, and my god, he is Ian thirty years from now and I’m okay with that.

I’m a little relieved Ian didn’t just go out and buy me a condo, but I’m still pissed his dad knows too much about us.

  “Anyway,” he says when I don’t say anything, and I don’t mean to be so rude. I’m still a little shocked. “Look around, it’s your place.” As he puts his hand on my arm, I feel my clit twitch. I cannot have this sexual attraction to Ian’s father!

  “It’s beautiful,” I finally say.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ian smile and Ed hands me yet another key.

  “This is to your car. It’s a six series. Red’s okay, right?”

  “Yes.” I nod, still looking around. I don’t want to look at him because the really messed up feeling that I want to fuck him right here won’t leave my head.

  “That too your fiancé bought.”

My eyes go to Ed’s grin and it’s sexy, but I’m pissed and I feel my cheeks getting red.

  “Bathroom?” I ask with the fakest smile.
  “I’ll take you,” Ian blurts; of course.

Damn you Ian; he’s only taking me because he knows I want to cut. Or hell, apparently I’ll bite myself now too. What the hell was that! What was I thinking? Because now my wrist is subtly killing me and that’s the most annoying type of pain.

Ian takes my hand and when we round the corner, I pull my hand from his.

  “How could you!” I’m mindful of my tone so Ed doesn’t hear, but I am fuming Ian told him we’re engaged.
  “Don’t worry about it, okay?” He opens the bathroom door and gestures me inside.

  “What are you doing?” I ask when he closes the door behind us.

  “You gonna pee?” he says in the most dick-like manner.
  “Are you kidding me! Get the fuck out!” I almost yell this too loudly; I pull open the door. “Get out,” I growl, having a hard time controlling my anger, feeling like I could shove him.

I see his eyes dance around the room before he leaves, like he’s checking if there’s anything I can hurt myself with. When he steps out of the bathroom, he looks back at me, and just to be a bitch, I part my lips and push my tongue to my canine tooth then slam and lock the door.
  “Lily!” I hear his hands smack the door.
  “Go away, Ian. I have to use the bathroom,” I huff.

I don’t have the urge to cut anymore, now I’m just tired and feeling mentally exhausted. This morning has been treacherous and my mood swings are insane. I knew it’d be bad when we came home, but I didn’t think I’d be like this. I thought maybe I’d push through a little depression, but I’m going straight crazy. I’m not sure I can deal with what I’ve agreed to.

I lean on the door and he loudly knocks. “Lily,” he says a little louder.
God, my emotions are insane today. “Please, baby,” I manage to say, fighting back tears. “I’m okay.”

  “Ian,” I hear Ed say, then I hear Ian’s footsteps as he walks away from the door.

I take a few deep breaths before going to the mirror. The weeks when I was in Barbados I didn’t have to wear makeup. Nothing could bring down the bliss I felt, not even my mom in the mirror, but today I applied a full face, and looking in the mirror, I still see her. I know what I forgot, lipstick. Pulling my red lipstick out, I glide it across my lips then push them together.

When I come from the bathroom and meet them in the living room, Ian’s eyes shoot to me and he crosses the room, taking my arm that I nonchalantly pull from his hand. I know he’s discreetly trying to check for marks.

  “You want to look around, Lily?” Ed asks me and I smile.

When I look at him, I swear he’s flirting with me because I’ve seen this same look on Ian’s face, and I know damn well when
he
used it, he was trying to seduce me.

  “Well.” I say and glance around. “I’m going to be living here awhile, no reason I can’t look around later. I can’t exactly opt for a different place, can I?” I look at Ian and I know that was bitchy of me.

  “You don’t like it?” he asks and the hurt in his voice almost makes me cry.

I’ve finally gone insane, I think. One second I’m trying to be a bitch and the next I want to cry because I hurt his feelings.

  “It’s fine.” I touch his arm and smile. “I like it.” With a nod, I rub my thumb across his arm then lower my hand.

  “You hungry, Lily?”

I bring my attention back to Ed and the thought to say ‘yes, for you’ comes to my head. FUCKING INSANE!

But I smile and force that thought away while nodding and say, “I am.”

He takes my hand and is walking me out the door and toward my car.

  “You like seafood?”

  “Not particularly, but I’m up for something new. I eat some fish.”

When he starts talking about the restaurant we’re going to, I glance behind us at Ian looking at his cellphone despondently, and I wonder if it’s Karen.

  “You drive your car and I’ll drive Ian’s.” Ed holds his hand out to Ian for keys and Ian looks at him like he’s insane. “Better yet, I’ll ride with Lily.” He grins sinisterly and Ian hands over his keys instantly. “All right then. You know where it is?”

  “Yeah.” Ian mutters, circling the car to get into the passenger seat.

My
car! My red convertible BMW!

Did He hold too tight?

Karen’s just texted me she fell out of the bed and is having a hard time getting up. I asked where her sister was, but she hasn’t showed yet.

  “Everything okay?” Lily asks while I text Karen’s sister.
  “Uh.” I look at her. “Karen fell out of the bed and hurt herself.” I’m not going to lie to her.
  “Ian!” she gasps and you have no idea how happy I am to see her concern. She’s been a Ferris wheel of emotions today, but this is the only one that is truly her.

  “I’m texting her sister.”
  “She’s not there?”

I know I shouldn’t be smiling, but I’m relieved Lily’s still in there somewhere behind these muddled brown eyes I’ve been looking into all morning.

  “I guess not,” I huff and set my phone in the cup holder.

  “Should we go there? Or you, I mean?”
  “No, we’re having lunch with my dad.” I’m staring forward, hoping she doesn’t see my worry.

  “Ian, if she needs help, you need to be there.”
  “Lily, I don’t want my dad at the apartment. He’ll insist on coming up to see her.”
  “Then you go and I’ll go to lunch with your father.”

I glare at her surprised. “You will?”
  “Yes. Apparently I’m an open book so there’s nothing I should be keeping from him. Which, by the way, thank you for opening that book without telling me.”
  “He won’t say anything.” It’s a stupid story how I accidentally came to tell my father I was marrying Lily but still dating Karen. I don’t want to think about it, but I know my father wouldn’t rat me out. “Will you please not look at my father with those eyes either?”
  “What?” She plays dumb.

  “If I weren’t there, Lily, you would have jumped on him.”
  “Oh my god, Ian!” She’s laughing because it’s true. “I would not fuck your dad.” Still with the laughter.
  “But you want to.”
  “Yes!” She laughs harder. “He’s very attractive, and damn him if he’s not a mirror image of a man I’m in love with.”

I smile and look out the window, but it’s not really good enough. What if my dad seduces her? He’s a dog like that. I can regrettably say I wouldn’t be shocked.

Taking my hand, she says, “I love you, Ian.”

I press her hand to my lips and kiss her fingers then the wrist she maimed in the Luxe bathroom.

  “When can we get married?” I ask and when she looks at me, she’s no longer smiling.

She yanks her hand away. “I don’t know, Ian. Can I just get through today? Through you going to take care of your girlfriend while I, your fiancée, has lunch with your father?”

That shut me the hell up. Her insane mood swings are because of what I’m putting her through, and I know I can’t be upset about it. I just wish we could spend the night together and I can reassure her everything will be okay.