“What exactly are you starting?”
He looked at me with an intensity I’d never witnessed in him before. “Being the man you deserve.”Chapter 35* * *HollisI wasn’t leaving her tonight unless she insisted I go.
“Why don’t you go have that bath you were trying to take before I got here?”
“Are you leaving?”
“No. Not going anywhere. I’ll be right here when you get out.”
She pondered a moment. “Okay. I’ll try not to take too long. Help yourself to anything in the fridge.”
After Elodie disappeared into the bathroom, I noticed she had a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. Rolling up my sleeves, I turned on the water and began washing. When I’d finished, I grabbed a broom and swept. After that, I grabbed her Swiffer and mopped the floor. When that was done, I wiped down the counters. I took all my nervous energy out on the kitchen.
Not to mention, it was about damn time I’d helped her with something. This woman spent every day taking care of Hailey—and me. I wanted to take care of her tonight, show her just how much I cared about her. And not just tonight, but every night.
It must have been at least forty-five minutes before Elodie emerged from the bathroom. She wore a long T-shirt under her robe, and her legs were bare. Her damp hair cascaded down her shoulders.
She looked around at the sparkling kitchen. “You cleaned?”
I threw the towel I was holding over my shoulder. “Yeah.”
Her skin reddened. She actually seemed a bit embarrassed.
“I’m not normally such a slob. I got home from the city too late before we had to leave for the lake. That’s the only reason the dishes were—”
“Whoa. Hang on, I wasn’t thinking that at all. I was just trying to help. In fact, the whole time you were in there, all I’ve been able to think about is that it’s about damn time I did something for you for a change.”
“Well, thank you.”
She smelled so damn good, like coconut and vanilla. It must have been her shampoo.
I placed my hand on her cheek. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I feel better. That bath definitely helped me decompress. I did a lot of thinking in there, too.”
“About?”
“About this past weekend and about you.”
There was something I had to know. “Did your ex try anything on you up there?”
She blew out a breath. “He tried to reel me back in a bit, take advantage of my vulnerability. But it didn’t work. He told me the only reason he cheated on me was because he’s a sex addict. Can you believe that? I’m not buying his crock of shit, but it did get me thinking about you.”
My stomach sank. “Please don’t tell me you think I would ever do that to you.”
“No, actually. You’ve been with a lot of women, but you’re not a cheater, and you were always open about your intentions. I truly believe you’re a different kind of person than he is. You’re a better person—more afraid to be hurt than capable of hurting someone else. You’re more worthy of a second chance than he could ever be.” She sighed. “I can’t say no to you, Hollis. Because your reasons for being cautious are actually honorable.” She paused. “We need to try—for real this time.”
I responded by taking her hand and placing it on my heart. “Feel that. I’ve been worried you’d already written me off for being an asshole. I promise you won’t be sorry.”
My happiness was quickly curtailed when she said, “I don’t think you should spend the night, though.”
I couldn’t say it didn’t disappoint me. But I had to respect her wishes.
“Okay, baby. That’s alright.”
“I think I’m just going to go to sleep, if you don’t mind.”
“It’s only seven thirty. You’re ready to turn in already?”
“Yeah. It’s been a really long weekend. But will you tuck me into bed?”
Well, that sounded painful—tucking her into bed before taking to the road for my long, hard journey back to the city. At the very least, I wanted to lie next to her, breathe in some of that delicious scent as I fell asleep.
But it didn’t look like that would be happening. I had to respect her decision and not push.
“Yeah, of course,” I said.
I followed Elodie into her bedroom. It had a calming atmosphere with soft lighting and a feminine aura. Basically, it was heaven, and I didn’t want to leave.
I thought I’d known what torture was before—when she told me I would have to go home tonight. But apparently I knew nothing about torture.
She took off her robe, followed by her shirt, letting her creamy breasts spring free. I took in her perfect, light pink nipples, shocked. I hadn’t expected her to undress in front of me. But then again, maybe it shouldn’t have been surprising.
Because this was my bold Elodie we were talking about, the same woman who’d taunted me for days with her panties. She was most definitely an expert in cock teasing. And that was exactly what she was doing to me right now.