I pushed off from the counter and headed for the door.
"Take your time. We are fine in here if you need a break," Woods called out as I exited the kitchen.
Rush and Nan stood in the hallway in what looked like a heated argument when I walked out. Nan shot her icy glare my way. I could see the frustration in Rush's expression. I was only causing him grief. I didn't care to see this. They could have their family quarrel and get over it. After tonight, I should have enough money to move out. Tomorrow I would find a place because sleeping under Rush's roof was going to be impossible. I turned and opened the door leading outside.
"Blaire, wait," Rush called out.
"Let her go, Rush," Nan demanded.
"I can't," he replied.
The door closed behind me and I tried to block out what I'd heard. I didn't need to think or even consider that Rush would fight for me.
The door swung open and Rush came running out of it. "Blaire, please wait. Talk to me," he begged.
I stopped and watched as he ran over to stand in front of me. I had nothing to say to him. I'd said it all.
"I'm sorry. But you're wrong; I didn't ignore you in there. Go ask anyone. My eyes never left you. If there was any question in anyone's mind how I felt about you, the fact I couldn't look away from you while you walked around that room should have answered it." He paused and ran his hand over his hair, and muttered a curse. "Then I saw the look on your face when you saw Bethy with Jace. Something inside me was ripped open. I didn't know what you were thinking but I knew you were realizing the wrongness of tonight. You should have never been there serving everyone. You should have been by my side. I wanted you beside me. I was strung so damn tight waiting on anyone to make a wrong move toward you that I forgot to breathe most of the time."
Rush reached out and ran a finger over my clenched fist. "If you can forgive me, I promise this will never happen again. I love Nan. But I'm done trying to please her. She's my sister and she has some issues she needs to work out. I've told her that I'm going to talk to you about everything. There are some things you need to know." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm dealing with the fact that you may walk away from me once you know them and never look back. It scares the hell out of me. I don't know what this is that is going on between us but from the moment I laid eyes on you I knew you were going to change my world. I was terrified. The more I watched you the more you drew me in. I couldn't get close enough."
He was ready to open up to me and let me in. He wasn't just using me. I wasn't just another girl he screwed and tossed aside. He was ready to let me into his world of secrets. He wanted to keep me. My heart gave up. I'd held back and I'd fought hard to keep him from taking it over. Still, he'd managed to own it. Seeing him vulnerable was the last straw. I couldn't hold back anymore.
I had fallen too far. I was in love with Rush Finlay.
"Okay," I said. There was nothing more to say. He had me.
Rush frowned. "Okay?"
I nodded. "Okay. If you actually want to keep me so badly that you're willing to open up to me, then okay." I would not tell him I loved him. It was too soon. He'd think it was because I was so young. That was something I'd hold close to my chest until I knew it was time. Maybe it was because I was so young. I felt it just the same.
A small grin tugged on his lips. "I just bared my soul to you and all I get is an 'okay'?" he asked.
I shrugged, "You said everything I needed to hear. I'm hooked now. You have me. What are you going to do with me?"
Rush let out a low sexy laugh and pulled me close to him. "I'm thinking sex on the sixteenth hole by the lake would be nice."
I tilted my head as if I were thinking about it. "Hmmm... problem is I'm supposed to change and go work in the kitchen the rest of the night."
Rush let out a heavy sigh. "Shit."
I pressed a kiss to his jawline. "You have a sister to escort," I reminded him.
Rush's arms tightened around me. "All I can think about is being inside you. Having you pressed close to me and hearing you make those sexy ass little moans."
Oh. My. My heart rate picked up at the thought.
"If I could walk away from you easily I'd take you into that office and press you up against the wall and burry myself deep inside. But I can't have a quickie with you. You're too damn addictive."
His description had me breathing hard and clinging to his shoulders. "Go change. I'll stand out here so I'm not tempted. Then I'll walk you back to the kitchen," Rush said as he slowly released me.
I needed a moment to get myself under control before I let go of his arms. Then I turned and hurried into the office.
I didn't see Rush again after he left me at the kitchen door with a quick kiss. The night had been endless and I was exhausted. Preparing food was harder than it looked. After the place had emptied and cleared out we had then been left with the task of cleaning up.
Three hours later it was almost four in the morning. I all but stumbled out into the early morning darkness and headed for my truck. Part of me expected Rush to be waiting on me but then he'd have had to sleep in his car so that would have been ridiculous.
I cranked up my truck and headed for his house. I didn't have to go into work today so I could sleep. I also wouldn't need to find that apartment any longer. As soon as I pulled into the driveway I looked up to see the lights were still on in Rush's room. The top of the house was all lit up compared to the darkness in the rest of it.