Page 23 of Unraveled

By the time I returned to the bedroom, I’d stowed whatever emotions I’d been experiencing and was operating in safer territory. Thankfully, she made it easy to get there by keeping things light.

“So, are you going to feed me or what?” She pinched my ass when I went for my dresser, making me chuckle.

“Yes, ma’am. Let me get some clothes.” I opened a drawer, searching for something comfortable.

“That would be a shame. You could at least go shirtless for my viewing pleasure.”

After pulling out some sleep pants, I put them on and turned toward her. “Does the same apply to you?”

“How about I steal one of your T-shirts, leave off my bra, and put on a thong?”

“No arguments here.” I handed her a folded white T-shirt and watched as she put it over her head and sniffed the collar. Next, she grabbed a pale pink thong out of her bag. What was there about a woman in a man’s T-shirt that was so innately sexy? Of course, seeing her lips swollen from my kisses did something, too. “I’d better get downstairs before we both starve.”

In the kitchen, we made small talk while I chopped up veggies for a salad. She sat at my island on a stool, crossing her perfectly toned legs as she watched me.

“You sure I can’t help? I may not be a great cook, but I can be a decent sous chef.”

I flashed her a grin. “Nope, you sit there looking beautiful.” The salad was simple, with lettuce, cucumber, peppers, and tomato. “What do you have on your schedule for tomorrow?”

“Dentist appointment. Then I have to go shopping for some things I’ll need.”

I wanted to ask what those things were in order to obtain some clues about her destination. But I decided to stay with our game instead. “They let you take stuff into the witness protection program?”

She grinned. “Perhaps. Maybe I’m in witness protection now, and Layla isn’t my real name, and my hair isn’t really black.”

“It’s quite the cover, having your brother a part of it. Perhaps the entire family’s involved?”

“In that case we’re screwed because my mom can’t keep a secret. At all.”

“Guess now I know who to call to find out where you’re off to for the year.”

I was joking, but a look of panic crossed her face, which drained of blood.

“I was kidding,” I assured her. “I respect your privacy.” Even if it was driving me crazy she couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me where she was going or what she’d be doing.

“Thank you,” she murmured, seeming to relax at my apology.

After the vegetables were chopped, I took the chicken out of the refrigerator. I was decent at grilling any meat, but chicken parmigiana and lasagna were my two put-some-work-into-it type of meals.

“Are you seeing your parents again before you leave?”

“No. This last weekend was enough. Especially with my mother. Unfortunately, she never got over my rejection of the plans she had for me when I was younger.”

Suddenly, I recalled a snippet of a memory from my college years when I’d seen family pictures at Russ’s house the times he’d invite me over for a weekend dinner. “Wait. Did you model or do some sort of contest when you were a kid?”

She groaned, clearly not loving the recollection. “I was in beauty pageants up until age fifteen. Did Russ tell you?”

“Maybe. But I also remember seeing pictures at your house. Years ago during college, Russ used to invite us over for dinner sometimes. You were living in LA.”

“Those pictures remain. A shrine to what could’ve been. My mother was Miss Washington 1984.”

“I take it that was her dream for you, then?”

Her sigh told me this was a sticky subject. “Yeah, it was. One I unfortunately shattered when I refused to be her personal Barbie doll any longer. How about your parents? Are they local?”

“They live a few hours south of here. Along with my little sister, they’re in Portland. She’s finishing up her master’s degree down there, and my dad and mom both retired last year. I suspect I’ll get a few more visits now that they have the freedom to travel.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?”