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I looked her straight in the eyes and told the truth. “I went back to her apartment last night. We kissed. But I left before anything else could happen. I wasn’t into her.”
Lala stayed silent and shook her head, almost in disbelief. “Jesus. What’s wrong with me?” She blinked. “You don’t owe me an explanation, Holden. I’m sorry I reacted that way.” She blew a breath up into her hair. “This is not a good look on me. I have no right to be jealous right now. I should be minding my own damn business instead of wanting to rip that girl’s head off.”
Damn. That’s kind of hot. “I don’t know what to say, Lala.”
That was the truth. I almost always had an answer for everything, but I didn’t know how to respond. I’d wanted to rip Warren’s head off for calling his own fiancée the other day, for Christ’s sake.
The fact that she’d admitted her jealousy gave me a massive high at first, but I came crashing down pretty fast as we entered our ride and went home in silence.
Because it hit me: It didn’t matter that she was jealous; it didn’t change anything. She still had a fiancé. She still chose to be with him. She was still leaving New York after this contract was up and possibly moving to California. And I was still supposed to be protecting her from me. I was still not right for her.
Lala had a crush on me. That was it. She liked me because I was forbidden—her older brother’s best friend. The second she felt she could truly have me, she wouldn’t want me anymore. Reality would set in fast. She would soon realize I could never be the safety net she needed.
CHAPTER 9
Lala
“Oh no…”
I frantically turned the bathroom knob back and forth a third time. But it still didn’t budge. It was like someone had locked it from the outside.
Feeling a panic attack coming on, I grabbed the doorknob with both hands and yanked as hard as I could.
Still nothing.
Leverage…leverage is what I need.
So I planted one foot on the wall to the left of the door and gripped the knob with both hands again. This time, when I pulled back, I let my weight do the work while I pushed from the wall.
It worked! The knob moved…
Only the door didn’t come with it, and I flew backward across the bathroom, landing on my ass with the knob in my hand…
And the door still shut.
Shit.
I didn’t even have my phone in here. Not to mention, it was probably around two in the morning. I’d been up all night working on the presentation I had to make tomorrow—or today, that is—to the grant committee, and I still had another hour or two of work before I’d be done. I needed to get the hell out of here.
But playing with the mechanics inside where the knob used to be proved fruitless, and the damn doorknob wouldn’t click back into place. After about twenty minutes, I had no choice but to try to wake Holden. I felt terrible doing it at this hour on a Monday, but I couldn’t be stuck in here all night. Luckily, our bathroom walls were adjoining, though I wasn’t sure if he would hear me. Or if he was even home. But I had to try.
“Holden!”
Bang, bang!
“Holden! It’s Lala. I’m stuck in my bathroom and need help!”
Bang, bang, bang!
That went on for a few minutes, and then suddenly I heard a crash inside my apartment.
“Lala!”
“I’m in here, Holden! In the bathroom! I’m stuck!”
“What the hell?” He stood on the other side of the door. “Where’s the doorknob?”
I leaned down and spoke through the hole where the knob used to be. “It’s in here with me. The lock jammed, and the knob came off in my hands when I tried to pull it open.”
“Alright. Give me a minute. I need to run next door to get a screwdriver.”
“I have one now! I picked it up after the beeping incident, so I wouldn’t need to bug you again. It’s in the top drawer in the kitchen!”
“Okay, great. Hang on.”
Two minutes later, the door popped open. It wasn’t until I saw Holden’s face that I remembered I was only wearing a tank top and underwear, sans bra.
He gulped and took a long look before turning his head. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you weren’t dressed.”
I wasn’t the only one scantily clad. Holden had on only a pair of boxer briefs, his beautiful tanned skin and carved six pack on full display for my eager eyes, yet again. I couldn’t stop myself from staring. Silence ticked by until Holden turned his head back, probably to see why I’d grown quiet. “You oka—”
My eyes rose to meet his, but not before he’d caught me ogling him.
