Her cheeks turned that rosy-pink color.
“But I’m guessing you want to visit with Calvin while he’s here,” I continued, hating it.
She shrugged.“He did come here early because he was worried about me.”
I nodded.That was what I’d figured.“Fine.We will visit.”
Her brows drew together.“We?”
“I told you I wasn’t leaving you alone with him,” I reminded her.“Let’s go before I change my mind and we end up in my room.”
Forty-Two
Elsie
Gathe was a welcome addition.The tension in the room had gotten so thick that I wasn’t sure what to do, where to look, what to say.Thankfully, Gathe showing up with his easygoing wit made things less intense.Not that I wasn’t enjoying having Forge sitting so close to me that the sides of our bodies were pressed together while his arm was behind me on the sofa as he played with strands of my hair.I was soaking that up like a thirsty woman in a desert.But making eye contact with Calvin while this was happening was difficult.
While I was almost positive that Forge wouldn’t actually hurt Calvin, I didn’t want to see the questions in his gaze.Gathe becoming the center of attention, however, made it easier for me not to stare straight ahead at the screen, which was currently showing thoroughbred racing.
“How’s LA?”Gathe asked Calvin when the current race ended and went to a commercial.
“Uh, it’s good,” Calvin replied.
“You’re working on a television set, right?”
“I was, yes.We wrapped up the filming this week.At least for the season.It’s a short one, only four episodes.Not sure if there will be a second season yet, but we have hopes it will do well,” he explained.
“You ride?”Forge asked, leaning in close to my ear.
My body was already tingling with all this touching and closeness.Having his voice low and warm breath tickle my ear only added to it.
“Uh, horses?”I asked, feeling flustered.
He chuckled.“Yeah, Pickles, horses.”
I nodded.“I have yes.A couple of times.”
“As soon as we have the nod to break you out, I’ll take you to ride,” he told me.
Going anywhere with him sounded nice, but I wasn’t sure I could handle the kind of horses they raised.“Um, thoroughbreds are big,” I said, cutting my eyes to him.
He smirked.“You’re so scared of big things,” he teased.“But I wouldn’t put you on a thoroughbred.We have some Tennessee Walkers, quarters, and paints that you can ride.”
I bit my bottom lip, holding back the grin from his comment about big.I knew exactly what he was referring to, and I wasn’t sure I was so scared of that anymore.Or I wanted him so much that I was willing to try it.The idea of Forge being my first made my heart flutter in my chest.
“Earth to Forge,” Gathe called out.
Forge’s gaze, which had darkened as he looked at me, lifted slowly to glance over my head at Gathe.
I took a deep breath and hoped I didn’t look as worked up as I felt.We weren’t alone.
“Yeah, I’m working the games tonight,” Forge replied.“And Elsie is helping me if she wants to.”
I hadn’t even heard Gathe ask him.I’d been so zoned in on Forge that everything else faded to the back.
I nodded my head and glanced over at the other two, only to catch Calvin watching me.Smiling reassuringly at him, I turned my focus back to the screen.He was going to have so many questions, and I didn’t know how to answer any of them.I wasn’t sure he would like my answers anyway.
Forge hadn’t let me out of his sight the rest of the day.He’d included Calvin, if you could call allowing him to stay in the same room with us including.Perhapstoleratedwas a better description.
