“What happened?”
“I don’t know. Somewhere along the way, it feels like I took a different path. You know?”
“Yeah. My life took a different path too.”
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because people are like diamonds—multifaceted and flawed. And if you love them, truly, you have to be willing to accept them. All of them, even the parts that don’t sparkle.”
She blamed Scott for ruining her life. I was grateful he’d saved mine. Without him… I shuddered, not wanting to consider the possibilities. And while there was a slim chance she would’ve found out about my background from his files, I felt compelled to tell her my story. I wanted to show her the man her father was, not the villain she saw him as.
“Let me guess,” she said with a wry grin. “My dad told you that.”
I smiled back and nodded. “A version of it. He loved you very much.”
She closed her eyes, a single tear slipping down her cheek. “Thank you for trusting me with your story.”
I continued to hold her hand, enjoying the connection. And feeling as if we were bound by more than just the physical link. Our stories were interwoven, our lives now interconnected as we navigated the fact that Scott had left us his home. I didn’t know what that meant for the future, but I knew something had shifted between us.
She yawned, and I glanced at my watch, not realizing how late it had gotten. How long we’d been talking. It was surprisingly nice.
“It’s getting late,” I said, though I didn’t want to move. It was so warm, and it smelled so good in here. “I should let you rest.”
“Don’t go,” she said, echoing her plea from before. “I mean, unless you have somewhere you need to be. Someone waiting for you.”
“The only person who might miss me is Max, and she’ll be okay. I checked on her earlier.”
She nodded, sliding farther beneath the covers but making no effort to withdraw her hand from mine. “There’s no one else?”
I shook my head before realizing her eyes were already closed. Most women weren’t interested in a reformed ex-con. At least not for anything more than a night of hot sex to check off their bucket list. And I hadn’t been interested in anything more either—hadn’t had time for more. Fighting fires as a hotshot from March to November for the past ten years wasn’t really conducive to having a relationship.
“I’d hate to keep you from your Meghan Hart,” I teased.
I noticed the slight twitch of her mouth. “She’s a talented writer.”
“Mm-hmm. So you wereappreciatingthe literary value of her work earlier?”
“Among…other things.” Was her voice husky, or was it my imagination?
“Like his hard cock,” I rasped. “Sliding inside her tight, wet—”
“Meh.” She cut me off, and the slight upward tilt of her lips told me she was teasing. “I can take it or leave it when it comes to the sex scenes.”
“Really?” I figured that was why most women read romance.
“Yeah. For me, it’s more about the tension, the build-up. The connection.”
I nodded, able to relate to that. I was so sick of meaningless sex. Of one-night stands. Of the hollow feeling after. I shifted on the bed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.
“You know she’s from here, right? Well, from Fall Creek.” I knew I should stop talking and let Audrey rest, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to listen to her voice. I wanted to uncover more of her thoughts. Because now that she’d opened up, now that she’d shared some of her flaws and facets, I had a feeling she was going to sparkle.
“Yes. The reclusive local celebrity. Have you ever seen her?”
I chuckled. “No.”
I waited until her breathing evened out to look over at her again. She was beautiful—her dark lashes against pale skin. Her curls fanned out around her. Her Cupid’s bow lips. She looked like a princess waiting to be kissed by her one true love. But if life had taught me anything, it was that fairy tales didn’t exist. And though Audrey had let down her guard tonight, I didn’t think she’d give up the castle without a fight.
Chapter Nine
