full of fluffy towels and sheets, and I
rummage through them a bit.
“What are you
doing?”
“Looking for
skeletons.” I glance at him over my shoulder. “Just in case there
are a few more hanging around I should know about.”
I almost feel guilty at
the sadness that fills his eyes. Almost.
“What? Did you think I
wasn’t mad at you anymore? I am. I’m still fuming. A string of
promises and soft words followed by a cozy home tour isn’t going to
change that.”
He shuts the door and
takes a deep breath. “There are no more, Dayton. Naomi was my one
and only, very ugly skeleton. If there’s anything you want to know,
you can ask. I’m an open book now.”
I chew the inside of my
lip and search his eyes. The pained shadow hits me hard. Jesus. I’m
a real bitch sometimes. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“No, no, it wasn’t.” He
brushes his thumb across my cheek. “I deserve everything you can
throw at me and more. I know you don’t trust me. I can see it in
your eyes.”
I sigh. “I do trust
you, Aaron. As a person, I
do. But I just don’t know if I trust you with my heart
again.”
“I’ll prove you can.”
He softly touches his lips to mine. “I don’t deserve this second
chance, but I’m going to make every second of it worthwhile. For
the both of us.”
“Deserve it or not, you
were going to take it,” I mutter. “Easy way or the hard way. I know
when to pick my battles.”
“Oh yes. Because I
wholeheartedly believe you aren’t going to fight me every step of
the way.”
I follow him into the
kitchen and nod when he pulls a bottle of wine from the fridge. “I
will never stop fighting you. It’s way too fun.”
He places the glass in
front of me. “I know.”
“Crap. I drove to your
office. My car is still in the parking lot.”
He shrugs a shoulder.
“I’ll drive it back tomorrow.”
I curl my fingers
around the stem and watch him as he pulls a clean glass and pours
two fingers of amber liquid.
“Aaron?”
“Dayton?”
“I’m still mad at you.
Really, really mad.”
He smirks. “I
know.”
***
My thumb hovers over
the screen of my cell. The green call button taunts me, challenging
me. If I press it, I’ll be making a huge decision. Something that
could potentially change my life.
I take a deep breath,
throwing caution to the wind, and press the button.
It rings.
And it rings.
And it rings.
Monique’s voicemail
cuts in, her sharp voice telling me to leave a message and she’ll
get back to me. The beep is harsh and seems louder than usual, as
if it’s giving me an extra half second to make my choice.
“Monique.” I pause.
“Cancel Aaron’s payments. I’m still off the books, but I don’t want
him to pay for it. You understand.”
I hang up and drop my
phone on the bed. I stare at it for a long time, and my hands
tremble as I wring them in front of my body.
I either just made a
really smart move or a really stupid one.
Time to start finding
out.
Chapter
Seven
I always know when he’s
looking at me. My skin hums when he walks into a room, but his gaze
makes it burn. It’s always hot and heavy, laden with raw want and
desire.
It’s amazing how
something so small and simple can hold so much weight. How it can
take your breath away in a split second. His eyes have always had
this effect on me—this mesmerizing feeling that stills my whole
world until he looks away again.
I bite the inside of my
lip as I pull some underwear on. He’s filling the doorway of the
spare bedroom, his arms resting on either side of it and his legs
crossed at the ankles. I’m trying to ignore the way his dark jeans
are hanging low on his hips, his belt forgotten, the band of his
boxer briefs peeking above the waistband of the denim.
Trying to ignore the
way that ‘v’ curves over his hips and dips teasingly below
them.
I’m not doing a very
good job.
I pull a tank over my
head and tie the string on my shorts before turning. His lips
rummage through them a bit.
“What are you
doing?”
“Looking for
skeletons.” I glance at him over my shoulder. “Just in case there
are a few more hanging around I should know about.”
I almost feel guilty at
the sadness that fills his eyes. Almost.
“What? Did you think I
wasn’t mad at you anymore? I am. I’m still fuming. A string of
promises and soft words followed by a cozy home tour isn’t going to
change that.”
He shuts the door and
takes a deep breath. “There are no more, Dayton. Naomi was my one
and only, very ugly skeleton. If there’s anything you want to know,
you can ask. I’m an open book now.”
I chew the inside of my
lip and search his eyes. The pained shadow hits me hard. Jesus. I’m
a real bitch sometimes. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“No, no, it wasn’t.” He
brushes his thumb across my cheek. “I deserve everything you can
throw at me and more. I know you don’t trust me. I can see it in
your eyes.”
I sigh. “I do trust
you, Aaron. As a person, I
do. But I just don’t know if I trust you with my heart
again.”
“I’ll prove you can.”
He softly touches his lips to mine. “I don’t deserve this second
chance, but I’m going to make every second of it worthwhile. For
the both of us.”
“Deserve it or not, you
were going to take it,” I mutter. “Easy way or the hard way. I know
when to pick my battles.”
“Oh yes. Because I
wholeheartedly believe you aren’t going to fight me every step of
the way.”
I follow him into the
kitchen and nod when he pulls a bottle of wine from the fridge. “I
will never stop fighting you. It’s way too fun.”
He places the glass in
front of me. “I know.”
“Crap. I drove to your
office. My car is still in the parking lot.”
He shrugs a shoulder.
“I’ll drive it back tomorrow.”
I curl my fingers
around the stem and watch him as he pulls a clean glass and pours
two fingers of amber liquid.
“Aaron?”
“Dayton?”
“I’m still mad at you.
Really, really mad.”
He smirks. “I
know.”
***
My thumb hovers over
the screen of my cell. The green call button taunts me, challenging
me. If I press it, I’ll be making a huge decision. Something that
could potentially change my life.
I take a deep breath,
throwing caution to the wind, and press the button.
It rings.
And it rings.
And it rings.
Monique’s voicemail
cuts in, her sharp voice telling me to leave a message and she’ll
get back to me. The beep is harsh and seems louder than usual, as
if it’s giving me an extra half second to make my choice.
“Monique.” I pause.
“Cancel Aaron’s payments. I’m still off the books, but I don’t want
him to pay for it. You understand.”
I hang up and drop my
phone on the bed. I stare at it for a long time, and my hands
tremble as I wring them in front of my body.
I either just made a
really smart move or a really stupid one.
Time to start finding
out.
Chapter
Seven
I always know when he’s
looking at me. My skin hums when he walks into a room, but his gaze
makes it burn. It’s always hot and heavy, laden with raw want and
desire.
It’s amazing how
something so small and simple can hold so much weight. How it can
take your breath away in a split second. His eyes have always had
this effect on me—this mesmerizing feeling that stills my whole
world until he looks away again.
I bite the inside of my
lip as I pull some underwear on. He’s filling the doorway of the
spare bedroom, his arms resting on either side of it and his legs
crossed at the ankles. I’m trying to ignore the way his dark jeans
are hanging low on his hips, his belt forgotten, the band of his
boxer briefs peeking above the waistband of the denim.
Trying to ignore the
way that ‘v’ curves over his hips and dips teasingly below
them.
I’m not doing a very
good job.
I pull a tank over my
head and tie the string on my shorts before turning. His lips
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