“How’s my baby?” Aria grinned.
“Girl, don’t you dare change the topic,” her friend scolded. “There’s no need to worry about your baby, you know she’s at home here. I want all the details now.”
Aria laughed then relayed the night’s events quickly.
“And you were worried about what exactly?” Kelly scolded.
“Honestly, Kells, I still have no idea what drew me to the man in the first place or to kiss him without thought.” She’d visited three clubs and two bars that night. The men she’d encountered held only a slight appeal. Some handsome yet their arrogance overpowered their intelligence. Others, gorgeous until they opened their mouths, and the creepiness shone brighter than the neon club lights. And then there was Reece. Beautiful, if one could call a man that. Downright sexy yet, his cockiness laced with underlying pleasantness attracted her most.
“Honey, take each day as it comes. Don’t question anything.” Kelly whispered, then called Prisha to the radio. Five minutes later, confident Prisha wouldn’t miss home; Aria signed off with Kelly just as another bout of sleet pounded the cabin walls. In the kitchen, she switched on the percolator then prepared lunch or perhaps dinner since she wasn’t sure when Reece would wake.
Chapter Eighteen
Three hours went byquickly. After she’d checked on Reece, Aria curled up on the sofa in front of the fire. Knees drawn beneath her chin, she stared into the darkness illuminated only by the half-hidden moon glowing through her living room windows. A constant stream of rain beat against the window panes while the wind howled eerily among the trees. Her head buzzed with endless questions and the mysterious awareness of the man in her bedroom down the passage. More so, the insane desire to lie beside him and repeat his cuddled warmth of the previous night.
Jay left her heartbroken and a deep void filled with a terrifying wariness to trust. She was confident no man could fix that hole, now or ever. Not an ordinary repair but one resilient enough to overcome what she’d gone through. Sex with Jay had been pure agony. Her shrieks of pain turned him on, and when those cries became desolate whimpers of a woman on her knees begging him to stop, it turned him on even more. His possession gave new meaning to demonic tendencies, and no matter how hard she’d tried, her efforts to fight him off proved useless. As she saw it, her existence became inconsequential, and shame prevented her from talking about it.
Not that she could anyway. Her stepmother cut her off from the world. Alone with no means of reaching out, she couldn’t confide in anyone. Besides, what would she have said? Her husband, a well-known businessman whom everyone adored, was a filthy, disgusting sadist? What greater shame for a woman to suffer than to let people see her so broken and weak.
Reece’s magnetic pull scared her a little. Controlling her reaction to his presence proved difficult so far. He made her feel safe and gave her a sense of belonging. Last night sheer stupidity allowed her to succumb wantonly to the pleasure of his touch. However, other than sex, she couldn’t offer the man anything else. She didn’t do relationships well. Worse, her family called her a tarnished woman, someone who would never hold onto a man’s love and heart.
Loathe to admit it, her relationship with Reece needed to stay within the confines of casual sex. Younger and a playboy straight up, he’d probably tire of her quickly. How would she keep him interested when there were so many beautiful, unburdened women out there? What about Prisha? Men, no matter how willing at first, wouldn’t consider ready-made families a lifetime investment.Jesus, woman.Annoyed with the direction of her thoughts, she ran a shaky hand through her hair.
With a soft sigh, she pushed up from the sofa and reached for the guitar hanging on the wall. The instrument gifted to her by her father on her fourteenth birthday came at a time when life was happy and without the dictatorship of her stepmother. While her father ensured she attended classes to hone her skills, the last time she’d played was at his funeral. She saw no reason to after that. Nervous, she slid the strap over her neck and strummed a few notes until satisfied it sounded perfect. Then let her fingers guide her heart to the words of her favorite song. Seconds later, she lost herself to Heartland’sI Loved Her First.Adrift in a world where only music and its gentle calm existed. No confusion, no fear of the unknown and, no what if’s. Just her and the beauty of her skilled fingers.
When the final words drifted toward the end, Aria looked up. She stopped singing. Her gaze locked with Reece’s intense blue ones. She had no idea how long he stood at the arched entrance and watched her sing.
“God, you’re a beautiful singer,” his husky whisper filled the silence with an opulent intimacy.
Warmth spread from her cheeks down to her neck. “Thank you.” Unaccustomed to this remarkably solemn version of the gentle mischief-maker, she wasn’t sure what else to say.
“That song means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”
She nodded. “My dad’s favorite. How could you tell?”
“It’s the passion in the way you sing those words.” He walked toward her, his steps slow.
