“It’s fine; forget it. I was trying to let you rest. Feeling better?”
I step farther into the kitchen and look around. “Groggy. Is it tomorrow? Did I sleep all night?”
He nods and goes to the fridge, taking out a glass carafe of orange juice. “You did. OJ?”
“Yes … thank you.”
He pours the juice into a small glass and hands it to me, our fingers touching. I catch his eyes traveling down to my chest.
“You look good in my shirt.” He raises his eyebrows and wiggles them at me.
I’m sure I blush a thousand shades of red. I can’t believe I stood here with my nipples visible in front of his friend.
“You ripped my shirt. And my bra. I took this out of your dresser. I hope that’s okay.”
He hooks his fingers in the waistband of my jeans and pulls me closer to him. “I’ll buy you a new shirt.”
Being so close to him again quickens my pulse. I’ve never had a one-night stand before, I have no idea if that’s what this is, or how I’m supposed to act now. On television, the girl usually goes home the next day and they never speak again.
Slut. You fucked someone you met at your husband’s grave.
I squeeze my eyes shut and try to ignore the voices. They never seem to stop.
When I open my eyes again, I see that he’s watching me intently, as if he’s trying to read my mind.
“No, I don’t need a new shirt. Thank you, though. I should go. Can you take me back to my car?” That’s still at the cemetery.
He lets out a deep breath. “I was thinking … I’m staying here for a month. Kinda like a mental vacation or something.” He slowly brushes his hand down my arm and grabs onto my hand. “Why don’t you stay with me? You kinda look like you could use a vacation.”
I must have heard him incorrectly. There is no way this total stranger just asked me to spend a month with him.
“Excuse me?”
“I think you need it, too. I’ve seen you in the cemetery before. I watched you.”
I pull away from him quickly, as if he’s on fire. “What? Why? Are you sick? You don’t watch people in a cemetery. It’s a sacred place. What the hell is wrong with you?”
He doesn’t even flinch or defend himself. He just answers me calmly. “Because watching you made me feel.”