“Minus fifteen. He’s clueless,” Jace filled him in. “Actually, so am I, so shoot. I’ll be taking mental notes for later. I’m sure I’ll be needing them at some point.”
I squinted at my brother. “I thought you were happy with your bachelor status.”
“Some habits just get old,” Jace said with a half smile and a wink. “Wait until Lori, Val, and Hailey arrive. They’ll hand you your ass. And I’ll be cheering them on.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Will
I resisted precisely twenty-four hours, and then I headed to the inn. I was still vacillating between Fuck, that was stupid, and The point is worth considering. But I wanted to talk things out with Paige. I felt her absence like a physical punch in my gut. Not listening to her soft breath at night and her slight snores in the morning was killing me.
The inn was quiet when I arrived, which meant all workers had left for the day. I gritted my teeth when I saw the front door open. What was the point of a state-of-the-art alarm system if she left the door open?
I went inside and found her in the kitchen, which was being remodeled to fit the new purpose of the inn. The fridge door was open, and Paige was rummaging in one of the lower drawers, her ass sticking up proudly into the air.
“Paige—”
She yelped, straightening up and spinning around in one move, nearly backing into the fridge.
“Oh my God. You scared me. What are you doing here?”
She rearranged her shirt, pulling at the hem. Her body language tipped me off that something was awry. Her movements oscillated between too quick and too slow, like she couldn’t control her reactions. I swept my gaze across the counter and found the culprit: a bottle of wine. It was open, but she couldn’t have had more than one glass.
“Are you... drunk?”
“No, just a little... out of sorts. Luna is coming here tonight, so I brought out a bottle of wine. I only had one glass, and I haven’t eaten all day. I’m fine, just... balance issues.” She’d also pulled at her T-shirt too much, and now her breasts were practically spilling out and she wasn’t even noticing, but I didn’t see how that could earn me points, so I kept the observation to myself. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought we could talk.”
She licked her lips, sighing, then looked at the floor. She was so damn cute that I just wanted to back her against the fridge and kiss her, sink inside her.
“I don’t know, Will. Maybe you’re right.”
“What?” I croaked out, my voice raw.
“Well, if you think I’m some emotional whacko... if you can’t even trust that I know who I want, that I know what’s best for me, then maybe you’re... not right for me.”
“I don’t think you’re an emotional—”
“And if you want to pull out of the project, I understand. I just ask you for a little time so I can find another source of funding,” she went on, as if I hadn’t said anything at all. Panic was unfurling inside me now.
“Paige, of course I don’t want to pull out of the project. Look at me.” I walked up close and took her face in my hands, but she tugged at my wrists. I let go.
“No, you’re not allowed to do that eye thingy.” She emphasized every word with a wiggle of her forefinger.
“What eye thingy?” I asked, bewildered.
“That thing where you look at me until you make me all hot and bothered and I can’t help squirming.”
I saw my chance and leaned in, but Paige placed a firm hand on my chest, pushing me away.
“Oh yeah, really? You think you can kiss me if I don’t even want you to do the eye thingy? No kissing.”
“Okay.” I held my hands up in surrender.
She was talking very fast as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other.
“I think you should lie down, Paige. Come on, I’ll help you to the couch.”