Page 55 of Playing with Trouble

I almost snapped at him then.Told him to stop being so damn nice and understanding.To yell or argue, to give me something solid to push back against so I had a valid reason to justify the distance I kept creating between us.But that wasn’t fair.I knew this was all on me and my inability to stop building walls every time something started to feel real between us.

So I said nothing.I retreated to the guest bedroom and got ready for bed.

Sleep didn’t come easy.I turned over, pressing my face into the pillow, already missing the warmth of his body, the steady rhythm of his breathing beside me.And for the first time, I wondered if my walls weren’t protecting me at all.If they were just keeping me from the one person who’d never asked me to tear them down, but only to trust him enough to let him in.

The thought stayed with me long after exhaustion finally won.

CHAPTER21

Ford

Iwent to bed alone, but didn’t really sleep.I hadn’t realized how used I’d gotten to having Violet in my arms until she wasn’t there.It wasn’t even the sex.I just slept better when she was close.When I could feel her beside me, knowing she was safe.

I must have dozed off at some point, because when I woke up, it was to my phone buzzing with texts from my family, expressing delight over Laney’s pregnancy and insisting we all go out to dinner together to celebrate.

Be sure to bring Violet, my mom had texted, complete with a heart emoji.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and groaned softly.Yeah, this was getting complicated.Somewhere between protecting Violet and pretending to date her, I’d let the lines blur too much—and I wasn’t sure I could unblur them, even if I tried.

I got up, ignoring my phone and texts for now, and went to find Violet.She was in the kitchen, rinsing some dishes and already dressed for the day in her casino uniform, which surprised me.She wasn’t due in for her shift for another few hours.

“You’re already dressed for work?”I asked, even though that was obvious.

She nodded without meeting my eyes.“Yeah.I want to run a few errands before my shift.”

“Okay.Let me grab a quick shower and—”

“I already called your firm,” she said, interrupting me.

That stopped me cold.“What?”

She shifted on her feet.“I asked for someone else to cover me today,” she said, setting a mug in the drying rack.“I talked to my boss, and he confirmed it with Sutton.They’re sending someone else.”

I stared at her, every instinct in me wanting to ask what the hell had changed overnight, to remind her that keeping her safe wasmyjob.But then I really looked at her.The faint shadows under her eyes.The tension in her jaw.The way her shoulders were drawn tight, like she was holding herself together through sheer force of will.She wasn’t being stubborn or defiant.She was a woman running on fumes who needed control over something, even if it was just deciding who watched over her for the day.

So, instead of arguing, I forced myself to nod.“All right.That’s fine.I just hope you’ll come back here tonight.Until we close this case.”

She nodded, still refusing to meet my gaze, and not really giving me the verbal reassurance I was hoping for.

I walked her downstairs.It was Chase who picked her up, and I was grateful to see him there.I was sure Chase had insisted on being the one to look after Violet for the day, for Andrea’s sake if nothing else.

Violet gave him a suspicious look as she got into his car, but she didn’t object.Violet liked Chase, and he was possibly the only guy in our firm, other than me, who could truly handle her and took no offense to her sarcasm and prickly attitude.

Now, with the condo quiet again, I had nothing but time to think about what the hell to do with her.

My phone buzzed again.More texts.More cheerful plans to celebrate with dinner that evening.More reminders of what I wanted in my life, and wasn’t sure I’d get with the one woman I wanted it with the most.

Sighing, I hitcalland lifted the phone to my ear.

“Ford!”My mom’s voice came through, bright and distracted, the sound of clattering in the background.“Did you get our texts?”

“I did,” I said, leaning against the kitchen counter.“Laney’s pregnancy is great news.I think dinner is a good idea.”

“You’ll bring Violet, right?”

I hesitated.“She’s working this afternoon and evening, Mom.She can’t make it.”

“Well, we can always do it another night,” Mom said without missing a beat.“We’d love to have her there.She seems good for you.”