‘What do you want to know?’
‘Anything.’
‘I’m twenty-four.’
‘When’s your birthday?’
‘May ninth.’
‘Taurus sun.’
‘You know about that stuff?’
‘Stuff?’he echoes with silky scepticism.
‘Star signs and whatever.’
‘A little.I prefer tarot.’
‘The cards?’It’s an invitation to tell him more.
Jules ignores it, pursues his own questions.‘So, what about partners?’
Lachlan sighs.‘No.’
‘In the past?’
‘No.’
‘No?Come on.’
‘This isn’t appropriate.’
‘You never dated anyone?’
‘Jules—’
‘Be honest.’
‘I am.’
‘Are you a virgin?’
Lachlan scoffs irritably but doesn’t want to risk breaking the truce.‘No.I’m just not a bigrelationshipguy.Not my thing.’
‘Fair enough.’Jules shrugs.‘I never had sex.’
‘You’re a kid.’
‘I’m eighteen, but that’s not the point.’
‘Whatisthe point?’he asks, already knowing he’ll regret it.
‘The point is whoever I sleep with, if it’s my own choice, is gonna get hurt by you or my father.Both, probably.Same thing anyway.You’rehisweapon.’
Jules will never know, but that’s the worst insult he could hurl at Lachlan, even softly spoken.
Lachlan lets silence take hold for the rest of the drive into the underground garage, but he knows what Jules is thinking now.He also knows enough about Jules to know once he gets an idea in his head, it’s not going anywhere.When they get out, Lachlan waits by the car for a beat and Jules does the same.
