And his truck.
It was parked exactly where it was last time. His outline was difficult to see, but I could make out the shadow of his muscular arm and shoulder.
My heart started to race.
I could go back to bed and pretend I didn’t know he was there.
But I stayed in front of the window, debating what I should do. It was freezing cold, and I didn’t want to leave him outside. I didn’t care that much about his discomfort; it was just an excuse. But if he was going to watch me, I’d rather it be from inside my apartment.
That was an excuse too.
All I’d been doing for the past three months with this man was make excuses.
I walked outside into the freezing cold. Despite all my layers, it wasn’t enough to defend me against the frosty air that pierced right through my clothing. My arms immediately crossed over my chest, and I stood at the railing, looking down at the silver truck that contained a beast of a man.
Within seconds, his peripheral vision picked up on my movements, and he turned to gauge the situation outside my apartment. His gaze locked on mine, and he stared at me with blue eyes that reflected the frigid winter. It was a clear night and the stars were bright, but the lack of cloud cover only made it colder.
He stared at me without blinking, watching me with his usual intensity.
I’d missed it.
And I hated myself for missing it. No other man had ever looked at me that way. No other man was man enough to pull it off. Only Bones had the testosterone to make a single look so powerful. Only Bones had the strength to make a woman like me feel weak…and enjoy feeling weak.
Nothing happened as we stared at each other. He didn’t get out of the truck to join me. As if he was waiting for me to go back inside, he sat absolutely still, like a mountain in a storm.
I pulled out my phone and called him.
Without taking his eyes off me, he took the call and pressed the phone to his ear. But he didn’t say anything, so silent, I couldn’t even hear him breathe. He had the confidence to stay quiet for long periods of time, not caring about the discomfort that stretched between him and another person.
I knew no words were forthcoming, so I spoke. “I thought you might be out here.”
Nothing. Not a word.
I held his gaze, hoping he would say something. “Are you going to do this every night?”
Another pause ensued. It lasted so long I assumed he wasn’t going to say anything. Eventually, he did. “You want me to leave?”
“If I said yes, would you?”
His blue eyes were pretty even this far away. “Yes. You have the power to make me do anything now. Ask me to disappear, and you’ll never see me again. Ask me to stay and never leave, and you’ll have me.”
“Wow…that’s a lot of power for one person.”
Finally, the corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “I think you can handle it.”
“I’m not so sure.”
Another minute of silence. Another minute of direct eye contact. Another minute of me in the freezing cold.
“You should go inside.”
All I had to do was walk in and forget about him, but now that I’d seen those pretty eyes that haunted my dreams, I didn’t want to go inside without him. My bed suddenly felt lonelier than it ever had before. Without him beside me, it would never be comfortable again. “I will…but you should come with me.”
He didn’t wear a victorious expression or grin in arrogance. He hung up the phone immediately and got out of the truck, dressed in his black hoodie and black jeans. He looked up at me as he approached the stairs, his blue eyes focused on me like a target. As he came closer, his size became more enormous. His shoulders were broad, his arms were sculpted, and he was every inch of the man I remembered.
He stopped in front of me, his chin tilted down so he could look at me. He didn’t touch me or kiss me, acknowledging the distance between us. A week of silence had passed, so neither one of us knew what this was anymore.
I walked inside first, and he followed.
We headed to my bedroom, and the clothes dropped to the floor behind him. His sweater made a dull thud against the floor, and his shoes were just as heavy. He stripped down to his boxers.
I turned around and looked at him, unable to take my eyes away from the enormous bulge in his boxers. Long and fat, he was as hard as ever. I was still in all my baggy clothes and without makeup, but he was harder than a steel rod.