“Of course you were,” she said, shaking her head, “because that’s the kind of guy you are. Just like how you always show up whenever I need rescuing. I know you feelsomethingfor me, but I don’t understand why you won’t do anything about it.”
“I… I’m sorry, I…”
He flinched, clearly knowing he’d said the wrong thing, and Indy felt all her anger and rage fly back to the surface and boil over as she leaned in closer. “If any other man were standing in front of me right now, he wouldn’t be apologizing.”
Jack pressed his lips into a thin line. “You don’t understand. It’s complicated.”
“How? Explain it to me.”
He hesitated, but then said, “I’m too old for you.” His eyes darted away from her before he even finished his weak-ass excuse.
Indy snorted in disbelief. “Please, spare me.”
“Six years is more than you realize. The shit I thought I knew when I was twenty…” He trailed off, but there was something in his eyes, something that told her that the age thing, even if it was part of why he was holding back, wasn’t the only reason.
It just didn’t add up.
“I think you’re full of shit.”
He snorted. “Don’t you think I’d rather just take what I want and damn the consequences? But I can’t do that. That’s not the kind of man I am.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
“Then what the hell do you want from me?” he snapped, throwing up his hands in the air.
“I want you to stop being a coward.”
The words were liberating, like she’d been holding them in since the moment she first saw him, and now he knew the truth, even if he’d never act on it—at least not again. The seconds ticked away, and the longer he was silent, the clearer it was that he wasn’t going to respond, but Indy wasn’t finished. She was done pretending.
“If you don’t feel the same way,” she said, taking one step and then another toward him, until her body was nearly flush against his, “if you don’t want me, that’s okay. But if you want this as much as I do, well, you know where to find me.”
With her last words, she pressed a soft kiss against his cheek, inflicting the same sweet torture he’d put her through back when they first met. Then she turned and walked away.
THE SOUND OF RAIN AGAINST HER WINDOWS DREW PENNYfrom her sleep. The room was still dark, a product of the overcast skies outside. She let her eyes drift closed, and that was when she noticed it: a weight, heavy and warm against her stomach, an arm curving protectively around her body, two fingers tucked slightly into the waistband of her pajama shorts. She could hear his soft, even breathing on the pillow next to hers. She recognized the deep, slow rhythm. Alex was next to her and he was sound asleep.
She carefully rolled over. His arm remained around her, instinctively pulling her closer. He was practically radiating heat and she snuggled into it, pressing her lips to his shoulder. Penny closed her eyes again and let sleep slowly overtake her.
She woke later, sleepier than when she’d roused the firsttime, the rain still pelting her windowpanes. Alex was awake now, still holding her close, his eyes focused on her.
“Hey,” he whispered, nudging his nose against hers.
“Hi,” she breathed, their lips brushing together softly. “This is nice.”
He nodded in agreement. “Mm, more than nice. If I could wake up like this for the rest of my life, I’d die a happy man.”
She tucked her head into the crook of his shoulder. “I think that can be arranged. I sleep better when you’re here,” she said, her fingers absently drawing patterns against the skin of his bicep.
She reveled in a few more moments of peaceful bliss before she remembered why she was here and what she had ahead of her—the toughest test of her career—and she wouldn’t get any closer to it just lying here with him. “I have to get up.”
He groaned. “No you don’t. You have to stay right here.”
“I have to get up,” she said again. “Dom booked a practice court for ten. I have to take a shower.” A wicked grin spread across his face at the idea. “By myself. I need to get my head in the right space for my match tonight.”
“It’s raining. They’re going to cancel your match,” he argued against her neck, his hands already finding purchase against her hips, pressing her down into the mattress. Alex had dispatched his first-round opponent in straight sets the night before, his knee not giving him any trouble at all, and his second-round match wasn’t until the next day. He’d earned a morning of rest, but Penny definitely had work to do that day.
“It’s drizzling, and regardless, I have to prepare like I’mgoing to play,” she said, despite wanting to agree with him in the worst way.
“Fine,” he said, releasing her and burying his head beneath a pillow when she turned on a light.
