What I’dwantedto do was wrap my arms around Dylan’s still-trembling neck and ask him to take me into his bedroom so we could do it all over again. I’d wanted to fall asleep against his chest and wake up running my fingers over every swirl of ink on his body. I’d wanted to make pancakes that morning and smear maple syrup across his thoroughly kissed lips with the back of my spoon before licking it off.
But instead of doing any of that, I’d stamped a kiss to Dylan’s cheek and mumbled a useless excuse about having to go do stuff at the store.
“You’re kidding, right?” Dylan says, looking deliciously disheveled and definitely confused.
“Afraid not. I have things to do before opening tomorrow. We’ve got the website running now, so we might have some orders.”
“Jade.” He reaches for my hand, still shirtless but back in his jeans.
I step backward. “It’s all good. I probably should’ve mentioned earlier that I still had to drop into the store tonight.”
“Can I help with whatever you’ve gotta do that’s so urgent?”
“No, don’t worry, it’s late.”
He looks at me for a long moment before saying, “If you shoot me a text when you’re done, I’ll give you a ride home.”
“Okay. Thanks. I’ll see you a bit later.”
I hadn’t texted Dylan.
I hadn’t even gone into the store.
Instead, I’d done something that I hadn’t done since I was eighteen.
I’d walked home. All three miles. Because the moment Dylan had tugged up his jeans and the hot lust burning through my body had cooled a touch, reality had slapped me hard in the face.
Hayley’s warnings.
Nate’s warnings.
Dylan’s announcement that he’s moving back to Austin after Christmas.
I’d escaped down the stairs of his apartment and hurried right past the store in the direction of home, unable to stop shivering. I’d gone and done the one thing I’d sworn I wouldn’t. I’d let Dylan inside my body, inside my heart. I’m not a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am kind of person. I don’t do casual sex and darkroom hook-ups. When it comes to relationships, I dream about a long-term partner, and a couple of adorably messy kids, and a house in Still Springs with a white picket fence. But Dylan’s made more than clear that he’s not into girlfriends or long-term commitments. He looks for a different kind of happy ending to me.
I’d remembered all this the second he buttoned up his jeans, so fleeing his apartment was a defensive move. A preemptive strike. Because I couldn’t have handled him asking if he could drop me home right after getting what he wanted. Or worse—inviting me to stay the night out of obligation so my feelings didn’t get hurt.No thanks.
That’s why I left, and now I feel like total shit. I can’t even enjoy this small spike in business from our online orders, which I know we’re lucky to have. Even with the new homewares and artworks I’ve been bringing in and the extra takings during Fall Fest, our sales are still at dismal levels.
With cement in my chest, I click on the first online order before my phone chimes from my purse. My mind shoots straight to Dylan, and I nearly spill the contents of my bag while trying to dig out the handset, but it’s Ruby’s name blinking on the screen.
“Hey,” I say.
“Are you okay?” she asks right away. “You sound flat.”
“I’m all right.”
“No, you’re not.”
A deep breath drags between my lips. “Something happened last night.”
“What something?”
I stare at the order on my screen, still seeing glimpses of that darkroom…of a tattooed chest leaning over me, imprisoning me with mind-bending pleasure. Holding all of this in is starting to feel unbearable. “I went out for dinner with Hayley’s brother. And then…”
“Oh, god.”
“Not helping, Ruby.”
