“My brother has a big mouth.” She crosses her arms and appears very agitated; her nostrils even flare slightly.
I sit up, and the distance is just right that I can wrap my arms around her legs to force her to step forward. I peer up to her, resting my chin on her belly. “I don’t know. Does he? I don’t know what happened.”
Violet doesn’t seem to want to look at me, but I can see she’s visibly annoyed, and I feel bad that it’s my doing.
“I’m sorry, maybe it’s not my place to ask.” But I’m desperate for an answer, because I’m now too intrigued.
I run my hands along the sides of her body, tracing the curve of her ass, before wrapping around her again so she has no chance to escape.
But she does, because she squirms out of my hold and flops onto her back on the mattress like a starfish, which isn’t half bad, because now I can just lie on my side and stare down at her.
“You want to know what happened?” She stares at the ceiling. “I destroy things. That’s what I do.”
My fingers find her loose hair, and I tuck it behind her ear. She doesn’t flinch, but I can’t seem to not touch her when she’s around me. “I doubt you destroy things.”
Her head turns sharply in my direction. “I was in an accident, with my ex. It was a few years ago. We were having an argument, and he ran a red light. Physically, everyone survived, except I had a broken rib and a few stitches from glass cutting me.”
“Shit, sounds a bit more than a normal car accident.”
I hear the longest sigh of my life escape her lips. “Well, the injuries were kind of the least of my problems. I discovered that I was the other woman.”
My brows knit together as I try to understand. “What do you mean?”
“After the accident, I discovered he had a wife with a baby. The hospital phoned his emergency contact. I swear I didn’t know. There wasn’t even one sign. I met him when he just moved to the city for his new job. Apparently, it turned out his family was still back in Atlanta.”
I cringe for her. “Ouch.”
“I’m a horrible person. I played a role in destroying a child’s family.”
“You had no idea. It’s the asshole’s doing, not yours.”
Violet laughs without humor. “That’s what Ford said. My mom and I barely talk, my dad is fine with me but he sometimes lacks emotion. Ford is… Ford. My brother who is more than a brother, he fills in for what my parents lack. Which is why he was the one I called, and he met me at the hospital. If you ever wanted to see him ready to kill, then that was it. Which is why I’m thankful that he doesn’t know what we’re doing.”
I bite my inner cheek and tense slightly, but it soon passes. “Don’t let the asshole prevent you from moving on.”
“It’s not that I’m not open to dating, Dec. It’s more that I currently enjoy knowing the clear lines of what to expect, less likely to lead to a surprise.”
“Ah, you mean that party. You obviously enjoy sex but don’t want to deal with the thought of getting hurt again.”
She seems to ease. “Exactly. Just like this week, we have a deadline.”
My finger grazes the skin around her navel. “Now I understand why you seem very comfortable with all the situations we find ourselves in.”
Her lips quirk out, and it’s freaking cute. “What about you? What could have possibly happened to make you so opposed to relationships?”
I lie back and bring my arms behind my head. “Easy. Nobody has given me a reason to believe that a relationship worthy of more is possible.”
“That’s called, you haven’t found the one. You never got close to feeling like maybe that person is more than a friend with benefits?”
“Not entirely. I dated someone for a few months a couple of years back. It wasn’t serious but more than benefits, I guess,” I admit for the first time.
It grabs her interest, and now she’s the one lying on her side to watch me. “What happened?”
“I discovered her hidden stockpile of birth control that she swore she was taking, and a lie like that is something you can’t come back from. Trust is a big thing.” Wow, I never realized I was keeping that in, and it feels damn good to have told someone else.
“That is bad. I couldn’t agree more. Trust is everything.” Violet grips the front of my shirt and yanks me, causing me to move until I’m hovering over her. “Look at us then. Two hopeless souls,” she whispers.
“Nah, you still believe in love. Why else would you help people romance through flowers?”
