couple of days with this woman, I feel comforted by her, despite the fact she’s doing nothing more than hugging me. Her coconut smell usually strikes me as something between exotic and sultry, but today it’s the equivalent of apple pie in the kitchen. It’s homey. It’s soothing.
Her lips travel gently from my shoulder and up my neck before brushing my ear in a gesture that’s more consoling than seductive. “You deserve better.”
I cup her face and fuse our stares together. “So do you. And that’s my point. She—”
“Voldemort?”
“Yeah. She treated me like I was disposable. Like trash. We only had two weeks together, so I know comparing ten years isn’t the same but—”
“What good am I doing myself if I don’t stop letting him affect how I feel now that he’s long gone?”
“Exactly. The things he convinced you of and the feelings he foisted off on you were convenient for him. As long as you were willing to take the blame, he could convince himself he’d done nothing wrong.”
Her mouth curls derisively. “You’re assuming he’s capable of that much self-reflection.”
“Voldemort wasn’t, either.” I brush a thumb across her lips. “I know how much Thom hurt you. It’s not just the infidelity but the faithlessness, the way he acted as if your feelings meant nothing. It’s hard to recover from that. It’s even harder to put it behind you enough to trust again.”
She sighs like that task is already so monumental it’s weighing her down. “Yeah.”
“And I get it. So I can be patient. But can we agree on one thing?”
“What?”
“I’m not Thom, and you’re not Voldemort. And I would never go out of my way to hurt you.”
Slowly, she nods, then bites her lip. This time, it’s not a coy gesture but genuine concern. “We can do that, but I’m only here another ten days. Does any of this matter?”
She’s asking about our expiration date. It’s time to confront this head on. “Who says we have to be over then?”
“How would that work? I live there, you live here…”
“I don’t know. I only know that it works if we put in the work and we want it to work.”
Masey nods slowly. “I’ve always thought that’s true about relationships. Thom told me I was looking at the world too simplistically.”
“Thom is a douche.”
“He had good moments. Great ones, even. But…yeah. I think you’re right.” She bites her lip again, and this time I can tell it’s purely because she’s contrite. “I’m sorry about everything.”
“Don’t be. This isn’t how I might have chosen to have this talk—”
“You mean me flying jealously off the handle, marching past your family, tears and door slamming in full force?” She grimaces. “It’s so cringe. I wish I had a do-over.”
“But it told me I matter to you.” I’m afraid to tell her how much I needed to know that.
“You do.” She strokes my face.
“Honey, you matter, too. Don’t ever doubt that.” I kiss the tip of her nose. I want to be closer to her, not just sexually—though I’d love that—but physically and emotionally.
I want to make love to her.
Because I’m pretty sure I’m in love with her.
But if I touch her, I can’t guarantee that she’ll get to finish her filming tonight.
“I should go take a shower.” I hoist my thumb in the direction of my bedroom. “And let you get back to filming.”
She looks disappointed but nods as she caresses my shoulders—and eats me up with her stare. “Okay.”
Shit. I need to get out of this room now…or I’ll end up inside her, not caring about anything else.
With a nod, I leave and shut the office door behind me.
In the hall, I let out a long sigh. Sure, we made progress—more than I thought possible. But I want to be with Masey so badly. It’s lousy timing that she has to produce this video tonight. Still, I can’t stand in her way. Thom did enough of that.
Inside my bathroom, I slide out of my shorts and turn on the faucet. Moments later, I’m stepping inside, grateful for the sluicing of the cool water over my skin. But it doesn’t do a damn thing to soothe my restless mind.
Where do Masey and I go from here? I know what I told her about putting in the work if we want it to work, but realistically…she’s right. I live here. She lives in Cali. I don’t know where that leaves us.
Suddenly, the shower door snaps open. I swipe the water from my eyes long enough