Billy & The Beast (Ever After, New York #3) - Eli Easton Page 0,28

of my vanity left that it meant something to me that anyone found me attractive, that I could be looked at with desire, as if I wasn’t completely repulsive and broken.

But it was one thing to not be put off by the mask. It was another to see what lay beneath it, and under the shirt and the gloves. The thought of him seeing me like that and his face showing disgust, him trying to hide it . . . that was unbearable. My heart sank, and the excitement in my blood dulled under a rush of disappointment.

So when the movie was over, and Billy put the laptop aside and lay back in the lounge chair, looking at me warmly, and perhaps slightly tipsily, I got up and stretched.

I sat on the side of the pool, pulled my lounge pants up a little, and stuck my feet in the water. My feet hadn’t been burned, protected by the heavy boots I’d worn that night.

A moment later, there was a ripple as Billy slipped silently into the pool. He swam a backstroke, looking up at the sky.

“So . . .” I said, to change the subject to something very much not sexy. “Tell me more about your mother.”

Chapter 12

Billy

I’d promised my mom I’d be home for dinner. I really didn’t want to leave Aaron, but it was the Fourth of July for my mom, too, and she needed someone to celebrate with.

We ate more of her homemade potato salad and brats done up on the little portable grill. My body was tired from the sun and swimming, but my mind was jacked. I’d spent the day with Aaron. And it had been amazing. I wanted more of that. Way more.

Where was this going? Could it go anywhere? God, I hoped so.

My mom picked at her food as we sat in old lawn chairs in the backyard. I forced myself to stop daydreaming and pay attention. She looked tired and a little blank.

“You could have invited Janice over tonight,” I said. “We haven’t seen her in a while.”

“She probably had plans. Anyway, she understands my silences.” Mom laughed bitterly. “She’s been my friend since high school. She knows I’m weird.”

I frowned. She sounded so resigned. Like she was just accepting being down all the time.

“Hey, guess what? My boss, Aaron, gave me the name and number of his doctor. He says he’s amazing, and he does telehealth. He said he’d talk to him tomorrow and tell him to fit you in as soon as you want.”

She didn’t looked pleased. “Why would your boss know I needed a new doctor?”

“We were just chatting about Ever After in general and the hospital here and I mentioned we didn’t love our doctor.”

She gave me a suspicious look but didn’t follow up on that, thank God. “He might not take our insurance.”

“I think Aaron has the guy on some kind of retainer or something. He said it wouldn’t cost anything. Anyway, might as well have one consultation with him over the phone. It couldn’t hurt, right?”

“I’ll think about it.”

That was good enough for now. I’d work on her more later.

“So tell me what’s going on with this guy,” she said, turning the tables.

“Huh? Nothing.” God, I was a terrible liar.

She made a face. “Come on. I’ve never seen you so dreamy over anyone.”

I couldn’t stop a smile. I thought about the way Aaron had looked just before I left, sitting on the side of the pool, throwing the ball into the deep end for Jack to fetch and return, over and over, as if he had all the time in the world to play with a dog. I thought about the way Jack had run up the steps in the shallow end and licked Aaron’s face, wagging his tail voraciously as if to say, This is fun, huh? I’m glad you’re having fun.

And Aaron had hugged Jack, even though he got his shirt wet. He’d kissed Jack’s head.

I’d never been so envious of a dog in my life.

“See? Look at that expression. You’re gonna make me blush,” my mom said.

I wiped a hand over my face, trying to hide whatever was giving me away. “Okay, yes, I like him. But nothing’s going on. And probably nothing will go on.”

She made an unhappy noise. “Is he gay?”

“Bi, I think.”

“Hmmm. And he doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

“Nope. Or boyfriend.”

She looked worried. “Just be careful. Don’t give that big heart of yours away without being sure he won’t break it.