I set the bags on the counter, noticing the bread was out and a butter knife was lying on the counter. The batteries I’d left for Laikyn were still there, unopened. The retractable walls at the back of the house were open, and the outdoor living area lights were on. Laikyn’s phone was on the small table, but she wasn’t lounging around. Nor was she in the pool.
I ventured out to the recreation room but knew before I reached it that she wasn’t there, either. Whenever she was, there was always music coming from inside. I went in anyway. The lights were off, so I flipped the switch, the room brightening instantly.
I felt a strange sense of relief when I noticed she’d been out here. This was one of the reasons I’d been expecting a text. Jinx had talked me into spending the entire night working out here, painting walls, installing shelves and lights and shit to make it more of a space for her. He was considerate like that, while I would’ve assumed she was content with whatever she had until she told me otherwise.
It looked the same as it had at five this morning when we finished and returned to the house. Only now, it felt more like Laikyn’s space because she’d rearranged several things. The place was both messy and organized, although I wasn’t sure how that was even possible. The important things like her pencils, brushes, and paint were neatly set on a shelf, while drop cloths and canvases were strode out everywhere.
My gaze snagged on the piece that looked like a child had been throwing paint, not caring where it landed. When I first saw it yesterday, I noticed the drop cloths arranged around it to shield the wall and the floor, which I took to mean the design was intentional. For whatever reason, I liked this one. It made me smile. Had Laikyn been pissed at me when she did it? If so, it would be the first sign of genuine emotion I’d seen from her since I first met her. Although she had no problem talking about her life, she managed to mask her feelings with sarcasm, wit, and seduction. This felt real to me.
When I turned to go back to the house, I noticed another painting, this one definitely not done from frustration. I moved closer, admiring the brush strokes, the way Laikyn had made the colors pop as though they were coming off the white background. It wasn’t finished, but it felt familiar. As though I’d seen that particular sunset before.
Something pinched in my chest, but it wasn’t the first time that day. Whenever I thought about Laikyn, I had this foreign squeezing sensation in the center of my body. I was doing well to ignore it. Mostly.
Okay, fine. I wasn’t, but I damn sure didn’t want to admit that it could mean something.
Feeling petulant myself, I returned to the house, my destination her bedroom. Laikyn’s door was open, but she wasn’t in there. I turned on my heel and headed for the stairs, a tightness in my groin beginning as I thought about what Laikyn had been doing in my bathroom last night. If she were at it again, I would have to paddle her ass for taunting me.
The air slowly leaked out of my lungs, and a sense of peace settled over me when I found her asleep in my bed. She was under the blankets, her dark, multi-colored hair fanned out on my pillow.
She looked good there.
Also something I wasn’t going to admit aloud.
I took in the room, most notably the drawers hanging out of the dresser and the nightstands. I grinned, then detoured to the closet and found it in the same state of disarray. A pile of clothes was on the floor—far too small to be mine. I crouched down and picked up the delicate white lace. Laikyn’s panties. Beneath them, her bra, her shorts, and her T-shirt.
If her clothes were here…
I returned to the bedroom and moved closer to the bed. She wasn’t naked because I could see gray cotton covering her shoulder.
Waldo came over, sniffing her hand where it rested.
“No,” I said firmly, then pointed for the door.
He peered up at me for a moment, then turned and sauntered out. There was a good chance the food would be strewn across the kitchen when I went down—Waldo wasn’t one to sulk gracefully—but at the moment, I didn’t give a shit. He could have it.
I tapped Laikyn’s arm gently, then nudged her more insistently when she didn’t budge.
Finally, her eyes fluttered open. A moment later, a smile formed on her face.
I cocked an eyebrow and met her gaze. “You’ve been busy, I see.”
She rolled to her back, brushing her hair from her face. I resisted the urge to sit down beside her. I had this ridiculous need to be closer to her, but as I’d told myself all day, it wasn’t in her best interest. Or mine. Once she figured out what I was up to, she was going to hate me. That was going to be difficult enough to deal with. The last thing I wanted was to have her body imprinted on mine. I didn’t need her haunting my soul for all of eternity, yet I feared that was exactly what was going to happen when all was said and done.
Odd since I’d never had this sort of attraction to any other woman from my past. They’d been appealing on a physical level, and when available to sate the urge, I’d accepted what they were offering. But this thing I felt for Laikyn, whatever the fuck it was, was unnerving. I damn sure didn’t want to give in to it.
Laikyn glanced around the room momentarily. “What time is it?”
“A little after seven.”
She stretched. “Is Jinx here?”
“Will be soon. I brought dinner.”
“Yeah? What are we having?”
“Chinese.”
Her smile made my dick thicken. “You don’t leave your comfort zone much, do you?”
