of sorts. “I know you guard your privacy. But perhaps if you open up, it will help. You know I’m here for you, don’t you? You can tell me anything.”
“The truth will make you run.”
“Blake, you’ve seen how I’ve lived all my life. It’s far from pretty.” I took a breath. “I’ve even witnessed a murder.”
Blake turned sharply. “Really?”
I nodded solemnly. “One doesn’t live twenty-three years at that estate without seeing something evil. I’m telling you this because I’m stronger than you might think.”
“Oh, there’s no question about that. I sensed that from the beginning. You’re stronger than me.”
“Not physically.” I reached out and stroked his muscular arm.
His beautiful mouth lifted at one end. It was the sunniest he’d been all morning.
He took a deep breath. “I should have brought my sleeping tablets.”
“I don’t want you to take those just to sleep with me,” I said.
“Then what do you want?”
His frustrated tone made me wince. “Normal, I suppose.”
“Then you’re with the wrong man. I don’t do normal.”
I bit my lip. A storm of emotion churned away.
Sulking, I turned my face to the window and stared at the streak of blurry green landscape. My eyes burned with tears.
“Penelope, I think you know how much you mean to me.”
I sniffled and removed a tissue from my bag. “I guess we’re fuck buddies.”
“I hate that term. It’s crass. We’re not mindless teenagers. It’s more than that. You’re more than that. I just didn’t expect this to happen.”
“What to happen? Say it.”
“You to happen.”
“You make it sound as though I’m a disease.”
“You’re not.” His voice had a frustrated edge. “You’ve given me more pleasure in the past couple of months than any woman I’ve ever known. And it’s not just the sex. I like talking to you. You’re incredibly smart, brighter than most. And your art, your creativity, your drive… you’re one very special girl.”
Special girl? I wanted to be the love of his life. I wanted to hear that he couldn’t live without me.
“What’s wrong, Penny?”
I turned to face him. “You called me Penny.”
A little smile touched his lips. “That’s what you wanted.”
Short, sweet, and evasive as always. That was Blake. Not short of course, as he was tall and broad and so fucking beautiful, I wanted to devour him. And the darker he got, the sexier he became. Only, I wasn’t sure my nervous system could cope.
We arrived at my new house—the house that bound us together.
He leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. “I have an important meeting, but I’ll drop in later. Okay?”
A cold feeling swept through me. Separation anxiety. I had it bad after two days together not just fucking but watching a little telly, talking about art, and working on my projects together as well. I’d loved every minute. Even if the nightmares soured things a little, those tender moments of closeness had meant everything to me.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I’m scared because I’ve fallen hard for you.” I opened the car door and hurried out to avoid another stretch of silence.
I went to the door, and just as I was turning the key, I turned and noticed Blake watching me from the car. Our eyes met, and his face softened into a gentle smile. It was Blake’s way of telling me that things would be okay and that we’d find a way.
I lightened. My clutching core released, and I blew him a kiss. His smile widened. It worked. We were good. For now.
* * *
LOST IN A DAYDREAM, I was sitting in my sunny living room overlooking the park when my phone buzzed. Blake’s handsome face, trying to smile looked directly at me. His sultry stare seared into me with the same look as when he was inside of me.
“Hey,” I said.
“Penelope. I’m afraid I can’t come over later. I’m off to the Cotswolds. Milly’s dying.” His voice had a slight tremor.
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not sure when I’ll be back. I want to stay with her. I’ll call you.”
“Sure. Please take care,” I murmured.
“Bye.”
And that was it. No “I love you.” It was probably too much to expect and selfish of me to think about that. Milly meant the world to Blake. She was like family. In any case, I’d only heard him utter those words once, while he was in the throes of an orgasm.
I rose from the sofa. I had to stop thinking about Blake. There were things to do. When I wasn’t in my studio, which was most of my