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I parted my lips. “We negotiating?” I teased.
“Not up for negotiation,” he said, in his what I’d come to know as his “I mean business” tone.
“Not even coffee?” I couldn’t help but tease him again.
“Lily. I’m serious,” Jonas said, annoyance in his voice.
“You have nothing to worry about outside of friendship,” I assured.
“I’m not worried about you, but I know Ian, and he’s interested. I don’t want you to see him outside of when you’re with me,” he said.
I grinned. He was going all possessive, and it thrilled me. I liked the idea of him wanting me all for himself as I felt the same way about him.
“Okay. I won’t do anything with Ian without you.” The sound of a car speeding past had me speaking louder into the phone as I paced a path on the sidewalk. “I wish I could see you now.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. The words escaped my thoughts and I couldn’t take them back.
“I wish I could come back right now,” Jonas replied.
I let go of the breath I was holding.
“Even if I’m not physically there, I’m here for you. Call me anytime. Regardless of the hour. I’ll make time for you,” he promised.
I swallowed against the lump in my throat. “Thanks. You can call me, too.”
“Good. See you soon, Tiger Lily,” Jonas said.
I smiled as I took one last look at my home and headed back up Franklin Street.
“See you soon, Jonas.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
‡
By the timeI reached Mary’s apartment, there was a text waiting for me from David.
You have an open ticket from Boston to Newark waiting for you at the airport. I’ll pick you up in arrivals. Mr. Crane said it’s bought and can’t be refunded.
I shook my head, though I was smiling. Jonas was back and he was already taking over. The fact that he had reached out, and was willing to consider the possibility of us, clouded any of my annoyance at his overseeing my transport back to New York. Strangely, I found it comforting. Perhaps I was giddy over the possibility.
Jonas’s offer of friendship was a step forward. He was seeing me as more than a sexual partner. He missed me and couldn’t stop thinking about me. He had feelings for me. My mind skipped over the part I wasn’t ready to handle—Jonas would choose a new companion to fulfill his sexual needs to avoid mudding the waters with me. Instead of dwelling on the negative, I floated in the possibility.
I skipped up the steps and put the key in the lock. As I swung open the door, my feet bumped into a bag and I almost tripped. On further examination, I realized it was my bag.
“Mary?” I called out.
Mary came into the living room like a whirlwind, her coat swinging around her body, my coat in her hand.
“You took an extra-long run today,” she said as she handed me the coat. “I have class tonight. Did you forget? I can only drive you to the train station if we leave right now.” She paused long enough to say, “Unless you want to stay an extra day? You’re, of course, welcome.”
I smirked. Mary had warned me about her schedule and I had promised to not take too long for the run last night, but I still teased her. “Doesn’t look like it.”
“I’m sorry.” She bit her bottom lip. “We planned it last night and I’m sorry to do this to you. I didn’t want to pack you, but I didn’t want you lugging everything on the bus or wasting money on a taxi. If you want to stay, you can. I want you to stay.”
She reached for my bag and started rolling it back toward her bedroom.
“Stop, Mary,” I said and laughed. “I was only joking. I just hoped for a shower and to pack up, or for us to have a coffee together or something, but that’s fine. I took longer than normal, so it’s my fault.”
