Page 99 of Golden Ruin

Home.

Fucking finally.

My heart’s been racing since the second my plane took off, and it’s still pounding as the driver pulls into my neighborhood. Production arranged all my travel, right down to the black car waiting at the airport, but as I watch the guy go the exact speed limit, I wish I had my truck.

I would’ve gotten here in half the time.

It takes forever for him to finally pull up to the door and shift into park, then we step out of the car at the same time.

“Would you like help carrying your luggage, sir?”

I’m already hiking my bag up my shoulder. “No, but thanks.”

“Very well,” he nods. “Have a good evening, sir.”

I take the porch steps two at a time. “You too. Thanks.”

He pulls off as I unlock the front door, but before I even make it inside, the aroma of a home-cooked meal hits me. I’ve been thinking about this moment since the call last night, finally laying eyes on two of the most important people in my life. It sucks that I won’t get to see Jax until tomorrow, but coming home to Lexi is far from a letdown. I’m not even lying to myself about why that is. To put it plainly, I missed her.

Like crazy, actually.

My steps echo against the tile when I walk in, shutting the door behind me. Music floats out of the kitchen, and I smile knowing she connected to the Bluetooth speaker. That’s new. I like it. Or rather, I like what it means. She’s getting comfortable here, making her mark on the place, no longer tiptoeing around like she’s in a museum. I’ve wanted her to feel at home since the first day she got here. And now, this is proof that might finally be happening.

“Smells amazing.”

“Shit! Sterling,” she huffs, clutching her chest.

A quiet laugh leaves me as I lower my bag to the floor. “Sorry.”

“Sure you are,” she says with an eye roll, but a smile softens it.

My shoulder settles against the archway, staring harder than I should. She’s wearing incredibly short shorts and a plaid button-down that almost hides them completely. I watch her put the finishing touches on dinner–lasagna, breadsticks, salad. Somehow, she managed to do all this and still look like a fucking dream as she makes her way around the kitchen, grabbing a plate from the cabinet, a fork from the drawer.

“How was your flight?”

The question sobers me, and I tear my eyes away from her legs and ass in those shorts.

“Uh, fine. No complaints. Was work okay?”

She shrugs. “Fine. No complaints.” She flashes another smile as she mocks me.

Now, I’m fixated on her mouth, her lips. But after a few seconds, my arms feel strangely empty, because everything in me wants to get closer, to draw her into a hug and hold on for hours. That’s what I would’ve done before, but I’m not sure she’d be cool with that now.

“Jax had a good day at school?” I ask, needing to distract myself.

“He did. Wouldn’t stop talking about that damn turtle again,” she laughs. “I dropped him off with Mom and Benny somewhere between my bath and popping the lasagna into the oven.”

Mention of her using the tub has me imagining her naked from memory, but I force the visual out of my head.

She’s quiet while she mixes the salad, and it’s as I watch her, as I catch the distance behind her eyes, that I realize something’s off. Even if she’s doing everything she can to pretend that’s not the case.

“Tell me about your trip. How was it?” she says, cutting in right as I was about to ask if she’s okay.

I take a moment before answering, because I’m not focused on me right now. I’m focused on her.

“Busy,” I sigh. “Before the commercial, there were wardrobe fittings, lighting tests, and shit like that. The morning of day two was the editorial shoot, and the evening shoot was for the billboard campaign. Days three and four, production hosted a meet and greet with influencers to get a bunch of social media content, a luncheon with other athletes on their roster, and the rest is all a blur of brand dinners and networking.”

She places a fork on my plate, then slides it over as I drop down onto a barstool. “Damn. I mean, I knew being Sterling Golden was a big deal, but… damn,” she says again.