Six
The following afternoon, Solene checked in with Darcy. Pleased to note the sixty-year old grandma had everything in hand despite her absence, Solene gave more thought to retooling her handling of the daycare. She’d had a few offers to buy her out, but nothing she’d given serious consideration.
Yet if she had a competentmanageron hand, she could get to work on that new foodie venture she’d been thinking about. As usual, boredom had set in with her current business. Once it moved into the black, the challenge faded, and she needed something new to grab her attention.
Solene wondered if she’d ever be satisfied with anything…and automatically looked for Deacon. He was humming in the kitchen as he threw together ingredients for soup.
She sighed. Being in danger, secluded from others, and with Deacon no less, should have made this stay excruciatingly painful.
Instead, she felt as if she’d won a dream vacation—one where everything looked brighter, smelled better, and gave her a high like no other.
She’d never had better sex with anyone, and she’d never felt so incredibly connected either. The physical desire she could rationalize. She’d been without sex for a long time. But the emotional tie had been unexpected. What made it even worse was that she had no idea how Deacon really felt.
After giving him so much crap for weeks, to fall so hard so fast for the man made her head spin. She wanted to throw things. To blame him for screwing with her ordered life. She wanted to be with him today, tomorrow, next week. Hell, for the foreseeable future.
For Solene, that was saying something. He hadn’t bored her yet, he was hot in the sack, and he made her laugh. Whywouldn’ta woman want a man like Deacon around?
Then she remembered just last week, when he had flirted with a waitress right in front of her. To her knowledge, he hadn’t done anything with the woman. Or the one from the grocery store. Or the ladies at the book store, the post office. Etcetera, etcetera. Deacon was a handful. Even though he remained friendly yet aloof, women wanted him.
The way most men acted around Solene, until they realized they’d get nothing from her but a cold shoulder.
To feel a sense of jealousy, like her exes had, partly amused her. And partly annoyed the crap out of her.
It shouldn’t have.
She had no claim on Deacon. He could flirt or screw anyone he wanted. Just because they’d had hot monkey sex didn’t mean she owned him. No matter how much she wanted to.
Hell. This is why sleeping with him was a mistake. All these stupid feelings.
He must have felt her gaze on him because he looked up and pierced her with that dark stare. “Everything okay?”
“Fine.”
“Really? Because after that phone call, you’re looking at me like you want to skin me alive.”
“That’s just a result of your stellar personality.” The smile she gave him was nothing but teeth.
He laughed. “Ouch. No happy morning-after for us, hmm, buttercup?”
She worked to stifle a grin. His nicknames were ridiculous. “Apparently not, bunches-of-love.”
He gave her an overly sympathetic face. “This is because you’re walking funny today, isn’t it?”
She flushed. “Stop.”
“I swear. I had no idea moving your legs like that would cause a cramp. You’re so bendable.”
“Argh. Deacon stop.”
He laughed and brought her what looked like a stew.
“Why are you always feeding me?”
“Because I like watching you eat.” He shrugged and sat with her, spooning his own stew.
She took a bite. “Oh my God. Is this from that can?” She never would have imagined it would taste so good.
“I tinkered with it.”
