Even when I was married there’d been many mornings I’d find the other side of the bed void of my husband.
I leaned over, clenching the pillow beside me in my hands and breathed in Paxton’s scent that he’d left behind. A part of me really wished he was still there but the reasonable side of me said it was probably best that he wasn’t. Why fret over something that was going to be gone before the next light of day anyway?
But what about his promise to stay until I said I was ready for him to leave?
“Are you smelling me again?”
My head snapped toward the open door at the sound of his sexy voice. My eyes roamed his entire frame before settling on his face.
When he smiled, I groaned.
Those dimples are going to be the death of me.
He threw his head back and laughedas if he knew the thought that raced through my mind.
“I certainly was not. You’re not even near me to smell you,” I retorted in a semi-agitated tone because I was embarrassed as hell.
He walked toward me with a smirk on his handsome face. “But you were smelling my pillow.”
I opened my mouth to deny it but he cut in before I could say anything.
“No use lying, darlin’. I caught you red-handed with my pillow in your hands and your cute little nose buried in it.”
Gah, the guy was infuriating. It sucked he was so damn adorable at the same time.
Changing the subject so I didn’t lie as he said, and had in fact caught me in the act, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.
“I thought you’d left.”
He made it to the edge of the bed, a cup in his hand I hadn’t noticed and after setting it down on the nightstand, he sat down on the edge of the bed.
“You need to understand something about me. I promised you I’d stay until you said you were ready for me to leave.” He leaned in closer and looked me straight in my eyes. “I keep my promises, sweetheart.”
My breath hitched. His buttery tone caused goosebumps to break out all over my skin. My gaze zeroed in on his lips and I had this insane urge to kiss him and see if the magic I’d felt at the party was a one-time thing. I had a feeling it would feel just as wonderful but I needed to pull my head out of this lust-induced fog that surrounded me when Paxton was near.
Promises were something I stopped believing in a long time ago. He may have kept his but that didn’t mean he always would.
And I was leaving.
There was no reason to get closer to him or anyone when it would only be a matter of hours before I made a run for it.
Leaning away from him, I concentrated on what I needed to do. “Could you take me to get my car so I can get it running somehow?”
Then I would head back to see if I wanted to salvage anything at all from the apartment. I was glad it was Sunday and the bakery was closed so I could say goodbye on my own, but alone didn’t seem to be in the cards when I heard Paxton’s next words.
“Your car is already out in the parking lot. It was just your battery and Lyric and Kace got it running and brought it over.”
He made it really hard not to fall for him when he did sweet things all the time.
“As far as your apartment, we’ll go together and the ladies want to come help.”
I opened my mouth to tell him they didn’t have to, but he cut me off before I got a word out.
“Don’t say they don’t have to. They’re your friends and want to. Just let them in, darlin’.”
I could argue but it would be useless, they’d come anyway. “Fine.”
He gave me a triumphant smile and I rolled my eyes.
