“Because I need money,” I say as if it’s not the most obvious thing on earth. I turn and almost collide with his chest, so I step back. I feel off balance having him here. He makes the small space smaller, and now I can smell his cologne.
“Why do you send me food and these?” I point at the roses and the food.
“Because I can.” He shrugs those massive shoulders again.
“Well, stop it, or I’m going to kick your sorry ass until you’re black and blue,” I warn, and he snorts.
Giving me his back, he roams around the place. He picks up a family picture. It was taken a few years ago during my Christmas visit. My parents, Sylvie, and I are smiling for the camera, and the picture reminds me of when we were all happy together. Before Sylvie and I started bickering for no reason, before Gavin stole from me and ruined my credit.
He puts the picture down after examining it closely. He walks out of the living room, goes down the hall, and opens the door to the bathroom. Thankfully, I only have one towel on the floor there. To my shock, he picks it up and puts it in the laundry basket in the corner. He slides past me, but when he does, our bodies rub against each other.
Next, he opens the door to the only other room in this house: my bedroom.
“Jesus,” he says when he notices the mess of clothes on the bed and floor.
I grab the doorknob and slam the door shut to show that I don’t appreciate him invading my privacy. “If you don’t mind, I need to shower, eat, and go to bed. I’m working twelve hours tomorrow.”
His Adam’s apple bobs, and he looks at my face before his eyes roam my body. His eyes lock with mine again. In that one moment, the temperature in the room heats up. I take a step closer to the door so I can go in and get clean clothes, but he stands there, peering down at me.
He’s like a mammoth in my small apartment, and his presence ignites a spark inside of me. There’s something intoxicating about him, and if I had the time, I’d try to figure it out, but I can’t. Not with him. Not with a criminal when I’m trying to get my life back into some semblance of normalcy. But with each lingering gaze, I feel something inside of me shift. It’s not justphysical. It’s something more profound, and from the look in his eyes, I feel like he’s trying to figure out what this is, too.
“Excuse me,” I say with my eyes still locked with his.
He starts to bend down, and I hold my breath. To my relief and disappointment, he walks past me and returns to the living room. I step inside my bedroom, grab a clean pair of pajamas and my towel, and dart across the hall to the bathroom. After closing the door behind me, I lock it and lean against it. I can feel my heart in my throat, and I take a deep breath to calm down.
I don’t hear any movement, and after a few minutes, I strip naked and get in the shower.
Chapter 14
Rip
She comes out fifteen minutes later wearing bright yellow pajamas and bare feet. Her toes are painted a dark shade of purple and are nicely trimmed.
“What the fuck are you still doing here?” She goes from exasperated to annoyed as she looks around the now clean room. I hear her stomach growl, and she approaches the table that I set. I placed two plates of food and put the bouquet of roses in the middle of the table. Instead of just getting water bottles, I filled two tall glasses. I organized her mail and put it on the ugly bookshelf against the wall.
She sits down and eats, and I do the same. We don’t say a word, but she devours her food and finishes before me. Once I finish, I clear the table.
“Sit down. I’ll get it,” I say when shestands.
“So, listen …” She clears her throat, stands tall, and tries her best to look authoritative. “Thanks for the ride, even though I didn’t need it. I was fine walking.”
Remaining stoic, I wait to hear the bullshit she’s about to spew from those perfectly plump lips.
“However, I don’t know what this is, or what you think you’re doing.” She gestures between us. “Maybe you think you like me?”
I snort at the way she poses that as a question. I don’t answer. I don’t even so much as shrug my shoulders, but I do enjoy staring into those dark eyes of hers.I wonder if she knows how pretty she is?Probably not.
“I’m very flattered, but you don’t, okay? Trust me on that. I’m a disaster, and I’m boring. So damn boring. A man of your …” she taps her chin as she thinks of the word, “entrepreneurial spirit should be with someone like-minded. You deserve excitement. I work a regular, boring job. I’m a physical therapist for fuck’s sake. You can’t get more boring than that. I file my taxes each year.” She gestures at me again. “And I don’t hide any of my earnings.”
I arch an eyebrow at that accusation.
“And I’m scared to death of motorcycles. If Lexi is no longer your type, you should find yourself a hot biker babe, biker baddie, biker bitch, or whatever they call themselves. Someone with blue eyes and skin that looks and feels like porcelain, if you get my drift.”
“I don’t. What are you trying to say?” I know what she’s getting at, but I want to hear her say it.
“What I’m saying is that I’m not your type. I’m not the woman for you. You’d be bored with me in a day or two. And I’m messy. Look around you.”
“It looks fine.”
