“Then let him. Who the fuck cares? You’re not with him anymore.” I took a breath to calm myself. “I can’t tell you what to do, but I strongly advise against seeing him. I’m sure your family would agree with me. But if you insist on going, I’ll go with you.”
“No,” she replied immediately. “This is between me and him. Promise me you won’t get involved.”
“I can’t promise that.”
She huffed. “Why?”
“Because I care about you, and I don’t want to see him hurt you more than he obviously has already.” There was something about the way she shifted her feet and toyed with her lower lip that pressed me to ask her a question. “Has he ever hit you?”
“Not like you think.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“He never punched me,” she answered, her clarification doing nothing to calm the erratic pace of my heart.
“What did he do?”
“I don’t want to talk about this.” Again, her gaze wandered around the room. Clearly, she was uneasy, and I didn’t want toadd to her discomfort, so against my protective instinct, I didn’t press her for more information.
“That’s fine. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. Just know I’m here if or when you want to talk.”
I wanted to demand she tell me every detail of her marriage and what she endured under the same roof as that man, but Sophie wasn’t my wife. She wasn’t even my girlfriend. She was someone I was interested in, was insanely attracted to, and was having fun with.
“Thank you, but how about we focus on your back now?” She pressed into my muscles, distracting me with the magic of her fingers.
“I can think of something else that needs your attention,” I teased, pushing the issue of her ex to the back of my mind for now.
She flicked the top of my ear. “Don’t start.”
“Fine.”
My faux-annoyed tone made her chuckle, and now all I could think about was what other noises I could get her to make.
31
“When was the last time you ate?” Jackson asked as he walked up the stairs behind me. “I can hear your stomach growling.”
“You heard that?” I asked, surprised I wasn’t embarrassed. “I didn’t have breakfast or lunch yet.”
“I’m going to go for a run, but I can make you something to eat before I do.” When we got to the landing, he pulled me into him, tipped my head upward, and placed his lips over mine. “My menu is limited, but I can always put myself on there.”
“That’s so tempting,” I mumbled against his mouth. “But I’m going to have to pass on both right now.”
He pulled back. “Are you sure? Because I can always go for a run later.”
“No. You’ve gotten off schedule enough for today. And you still have another training session later.”
“You’re right. I don’t want to piss off the guys any more than they are already.”
“Exactly,” I said, pecking his lips, but when I stepped back, he pressed me against my door, placed his hands on my waist, and gazed so intently at me I got lost in his stare. He didn’t say anything at first, the silence sizzling between us.
“I like you,” he finally uttered.
“You do?” I asked teasingly. “What do you like about me?”
My question was risky, something one would ask further into a relationship, although I wasn’t sure I could classify what we were involved in as a relationship. I liked Jackson. I liked him a lot, but I didn’t allow myself to even fantasize about a future with him, not wanting to get my hopes up. Plus, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to jump into something new right now.
He twirled a lock of my auburn hair between his fingers. “You’re gorgeous, of course. But you’re also kind, funny even when you don’t mean to be, and there’s something about you that calls to me on a level I can’t understand yet. I’ve never felt anything like it, and I’m trying not to freak out.” His elated smile stole some of the anxiousness from his voice.
