Trust in Me - Quinn Ward Page 0,18

thing you just blurted out to someone when you were just getting to know them—the fact he was a principal at a high school said there had to be at least ten years between us, probably more. That was a whole lifetime he could have shared with someone else.

“Relax,” Theron urged me, resting his hand on my hip. “If you’re having second thoughts, I can grab my keys and we can go out to lunch. It was probably a bit much for me to ask you over to my house when we barely know one another. I don’t want you upset.”

“No, it…it’s n-not that,” I stammered. Great, now I was turning into a bumbling mess. “It’s unconventional, but I’m not worried you’ll hurt me or take advantage of me.”

Theron grabbed my bag, slinging it over his shoulder before sliding his hand into mine. “Let’s take this inside and you can tell me what has you worried.”

“I’m not—” Theron cut me off with one quirked eyebrow, silently daring me to finish what would have been a lie. “Sorry. I wouldn’t say I’m worried so much as realizing I don’t know anything about you.”

“That’s the whole point of me inviting you over here, sweetheart. I was upset when you weren’t able to go out to dinner Monday, and wanted to find a way to see you that would allow you to take care of your homework, too,” Theron explained. His house looked like something out of a magazine. While the walls and hardwood floors were shades of gray, there were pops of color throughout that brought the open concept to life.

“I’m sorry about Monday,” I apologized, sucking my bottom lip between my teeth as I toed off my shoes. This was our chance for a fresh start, and that meant being honest with him. “I did have a project I needed to work on, but I was also nervous. I… Well, let’s just say I haven’t dated much, and I’m sure you have. While I was getting ready, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the reasons you could do better than someone like me.”

I stiffened at the low growl behind me. Theron spun me around, dragging his thumb over my bottom lip to free it from my teeth before tipping my head back so I had no choice but to look at him. “Thank you for being honest with me about Monday. Now, let’s get one thing clear. I will be the one to decide if you’re worthy of my time. And you are more than enough. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t have invited you into my home. I should be the one who’s worried. You’re young and beautiful and have your whole life ahead of you, while I’m an old man who can’t stop thinking about someone half his age.”

Half his age? If he was fifty, I wanted his genetics. He wasn’t bulky, but he was definitely fit, with toned arms and a firm chest, and there wasn’t a hint of gray, even at his temples. Seriously, no way would I have pegged him for being that old.

“Oh, sweetheart, you looking at me like you want to climb me is good for the ego.” Theron chuckled, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me in for a tight hug.

“How old are you?” I asked, leaning back so I could look into his deep brown eyes. He swallowed, and I had to fight the urge to lick his defined Adam’s apple. I wasn’t ashamed to admit I had an unhealthy obsession with men’s necks.

“Forty-three.” Okay, so not twice my age at all. It was still one hell of an age gap, but if he didn’t mind, neither did I. Even when I’d been a teen, trying to figure out who he was when my outside didn’t match my inside, I’d always been attracted to older men. Before she knew what was going on, my mother had been scared to death that I was going to run off with an older man and get myself knocked up. Now, we laughed about those memories and how off-base she’d been.

“I’m twenty-five,” I told him. The numbers that had never mattered suddenly felt important. “So you don’t have to worry about the half your age thing. I’m still in school because I took some time off to…”

I waved a hand down my body. Talking about my transition was something I didn’t enjoy. I’d purposely taken what most assumed was a typical gap year between high school