Ellison And Joycelyn: A Love Beyond The Rules Novel

Chapter 225 Shut up and drive , you old bachelor , Ellison snapped , his words cutting with irritation .

Haddy , however , wasnt bothered in the least .

In fact , he found Ellisons flustered reaction amusing .

You know what this is called , right ? Youve lost your wife and your dignity , he teased .

Although Haddy was usually calm , he didnt hold back when it came to retorting , even if the target was Ellison .

After leaving the restaurant , the six of them made their way back to Ellisons villa .

Leon , the most drunk , insisted on sleeping in a dog cage with the two little dogs once they arrived at the Grant family home .

Nothing could sway him .

Lucy , eager to continue the fun , headed straight to the karaoke room with Sandra , dragging Joycelyn along with her .

Meanwhile , Haddy grabbed a bottle of wine from Ellisons cabinet , pouring them both a glass to make up for the one theyd missed at dinner .

Well , since Joycelyns been taken , might as well have a drink , Haddy said , setting two glasses on the table and pouring one for Ellison .

Ellison , taking the glass and draining it in one go , made Haddy smile .

The two men settled in the garden , drinking and watching the stars while discussing business .

By the time the night was winding down , Haddy , having had a few drinks , realized he couldnt drive .

The guest room upstairs hadnt been made up yet , so he took it upon himself to change the bed linens .

Later that night , the door creaked open .

Lucy , freshly showered and parched from the alcohol , went to get a glass of water .

She had been sleeping downstairs with Sandra , but following her fuzzy memory , she ended up on the third floor , in the same room where Joycelyn had stayed during her wedding .

However , her sense of direction wasnt the best , and she ended up opening the wrong door .

Setting the water down on the nightstand , she collapsed onto the bed .

Moments later , she lazily kicked off her underwear and tossed it aside , falling into a comfortable sleep .

She started out sleeping peacefully , but when she turned over , her small frame ended up nestled into Haddys broad arms .

Haddy , who had drunk a bit too much , was deep in sleep and didnt notice the familiar scent of Lucys perfume .

He instinctively pulled her closer .

The room was quiet and warm until the first rays of morning light filtered through the curtains and onto the bed .

Lucy , still feeling the effects of the alcohol , woke up with a pounding headache .

She stretched lazily , her hand reaching out , only to land on a firm chest .

Her hand slid across his body , and Haddy immediately caught her wrist .

Lucy froze , yawning halfway , her eyes snapping open as she processed the situation .

Since the curtains were open , the room was already bright with the early morning light .

Lucys gaze landed on his chiseled face calm , refined , like a gentleman .

Haddy ? What the hell … ? Lucy shot upright in bed , only to be immediately knocked back down by the pounding i from her hangover .

ache What the hell are you doing in my bed ? Are you out of your mind ? Lucy snapped , her voice hoarse from the night before , but her fiery temper still as sharp as ever , completely ignoring the fact that he might be her future boss .

Haddy had only had a couple of drinks the night before , but it was enough to leave him a bit hazy .

He wasnt fully awake yet , and his demeanor was still sluggish , radiating an effortless laziness .

Werent you sleeping with Sandra ? How did you end up here ? Haddy asked , his hand resting on his forehead , his eyes half- lidded as if lost in thought .

Compared to Lucys panicked reaction , he remained as calm and composed as ever .

When it came to her , he was always more lenient with his boundaries .

Shit , this is a nightmare ! This has to stay between us , or I swear Ill make you regret it ! Lucy muttered , pressing her aching head , throwing off the covers , and scrambling to put on her shoes .

She moved like a thief , ready to sneak downstairs .

Lucy thought , Its my fault , but Im still blaming Haddy for this .

I got drunk , and he didnt even bother to lock the door ! Its too late to worry about that now .

I need to get downstairs before anyone wakes up ! Wait , your clothes , Haddy said , noticing the lacy bra on the pillow beside him .

With surprising tenderness , he picked it up and handed it to Lucy .

Lucy glanced down at her body in relief her sleepwear was still on .

As she casually turned her head , she caught sight of her lace bra in his hand .

His long , elegant fingers were holding it with surprising precision .

The image of him holding it was just as shocking as when he had carefully cleaned her underwear with a handkerchief the other day .

Holy shit ! Lucy gasped , looking down at herself .

She grabbed her chest , then darted to the edge of the bed , yanked the bra from his hand , and rushed to the bathroom to put it on .

It felt like she was caught red handed .

Haddy stayed sitting on the bed , watching her sneak out of the room and tiptoe downstairs .

He couldnt help but smile .

He thought , Twice now .

Next time , I wont be so lenient ! Lucys heart pounded as she made her way downstairs , feeling like a thief sneaking through the house .

Thankfully , no one had woken up yet , and she managed to get downstairs unnoticed .

But just as she exhaled in relief , Leons voice called from the lavish dog cage .

Lucy , good morning , he said in his hoarse voice .

Lucy froze , her heart skipping a beat at the sound .

She turned stiffly , seeing Leon in the cage .

His small face , no bigger than the palm of her hand , wore a smile that looked more pained than anything else .

Its still early .

Go back to sleep , Lucy said quickly , her feet moving before she could finish the sentence , hurrying back to Sandras room , By the time everyone was up at nine , Lucy was curled up under the covers , pretending to sleep , her mind racing with anxiety .

It wasnt until she heard the voices outside that her thoughts were interrupted .

Has Lucy woken up yet ? Is she still feeling bad ? Joycelyn asked .

No , I just saw her sleeping soundly .

I didnt wake her , Sandra replied .

Lucy was up early .

She came downstairs I saw her , Leon said .

At those words , Lucys heart sank , the weight of dread settling in .

She thought , What should I do now ? What sl Clutching the sheets tightly , Lucy felt herself spiraling into a storm of panic , her mind overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness .

I do ? Leons words left both Joycelyn and Sandra stunned .

Lucy slept downstairs last night ? But I thought her room upstairs was already cleaned up , Joycelyn said , confused .

Yeah , are you sure you didnt mistake it ? Lucy was right here beside me the whole time , Sandra said , eyeing Leon skeptically .

You didnt drink too much and start seeing things , did you ? Leon , holding two small dogs in his arms , responded seriously , We all saw it ! Haddy , where did you sleep last night ? As soon as he saw Haddy coming downstairs , he immediately asked .

Third floor .

Why ? Haddys calm , gentle face betrayed no sign of surprise .

I saw Lucy come down from upstairs , but Sandra insists Im seeing things .

Im telling you , I wasnt wrong ! Leons youthful arrogance flared , eager to defend himself .

Sandra , always ready to argue , shot back with a grin , Theres security footage .

Have Ellison pull it up .

If youre wrong , youll be doing my chores for a year .

Fine .

But if Im right , youll be giving me a years worth of baths ! Leons voice grew louder with his confidence .

Alright ! Deal ! Sandra rolled up her sleeves , ready for a showdown .

Hearing them mention the security footage , Lucy shot out of bed in a panic .

She thought , This is it .

These two are going to get me killed !