Page 80 of Lowering His Guard

“Yep. And I’m not going to apologize. The two of you were circling around each other. It was making me dizzy.”

“Jace. You can’t play matchmaker with people’s lives.”

“Why not? It worked, didn’t it?” He waggles his eyebrows.

I groan. “I’m not discussing my relationship with May with you.”

“Relationship with May? You’re welcome.”

He bows. I stand and feign launching myself at him. He chuckles as he races away.

I check the time. “We need to leave in one minute.”

“Getting my bag!”

I grab my keys and phone and stand next to the door waiting for him. Two minutes later, he rushes out of his room.

“Where’s your bag?”

He glances down at his empty hands. “Oh yeah.” He rushes back to his room and returns with his bag.

I don’t bother asking what he was doing in his room if he wasn’t getting his bag. He’s a teenage boy. I don’t want to know.

“Let’s go,” I grumble as I herd him out the door and into the elevator.

I’m seriously tempted to walk him to his class. I want another glimpse of May before I start my day. Maybe another kiss.

I shake my head. I’m not kissing May in front of my son. He’s never met any of the women I’ve dated since his mother. Although, ‘dated’ isn’t exactly the correct term. More like had sex with and left before the cuddling could begin.

But I didn’t run out on May. I didn’t want to. I promised myself I’d only hold her for a few minutes. Before I knew what was happening, it was morning and I’d held her all night long.

She was hurt when I insisted we leave right away. But she also defended my decision to her mom. She’s not similar to any woman I’ve known before.

Serenity would have pitched a fit if I’d jumped out of bed. I need to stop comparing May to Serenity. They’re different people. It’s not fair to May.

“You walking me to class this morning?” Jace asks when we reach the lobby.

“Nah. You go ahead. See you this afternoon.”

His brow wrinkles and he opens his mouth – probably to ask a question. I’m not answering questions from my teenage son about my sex life.

I grunt before pivoting on my heel and marching out of the reception to the parking lot.

It’s a thirty-minute drive to Coastal State University. I’ll take a thirty-minute drive through some of the prettiest coastal areas in the country over driving through traffic any day.

No driving in traffic is one of the things I’m looking most forward to with retirement. Although, I haven’t figured out where we’re going to live yet. My parents want to live in Florida. I bought them a condo on the beach. But I have no interest in living there.

I usually have no interest in beaches. Except Smuggler’s Hideaway – an island with many beaches – has me captivated. Or maybe it’s May who’s captivated me.

I rub my chest as it contracts. I’m falling for my pint-sized surfer. But women aren’t to be trusted.

I was captivated by Serenity in the beginning, too. And look how that turned out.

Besides, how would it ever work with May? She lives on Smuggler’s Hideaway. I don’t. She’s chaos. I’m all about control.

I reach the stadium at the university before I can figure out how to handle the situation with May. I have a feeling this is a situation I won’t be able to control.

I enter a nearly empty locker room. Nolan and the rookie quarterback Beck are getting ready but no one else is here.