Page 119 of Golden Ruin

I kiss her hair again, then let my head fall back to the mattress, but the feel of her shifting off me has me lifting it again.

“Where are you going?”

The question leaves my mouth too fast, gives away that I’m feeling more than what my mouth is saying, but when she smiles, I’m at ease again.

“The question is, where are we going. And the answer is… to shower.”

She stands beside my bed, and it’s almost embarrassing how my heart relaxes when she reaches for my hand.

“Come on,” she says, and I don’t hesitate to stand, staring as she gets naked in front of me.

I step out of my boxers next, then my hand is in hers again. And as I trail her to my bathroom, staring at her perfect, beautiful ass as she leads the way. I’m convinced I died at some point tonight and went to heaven.

Because that’s what this girl is to me.

Heaven.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Sterling

My hand slides across the sheet, expecting to feel soft skin, curls. But not only is her side empty, it’s cold, which means she’s been gone a while. My head raises off the pillow, and I squint through groggy vision to scan my room.

Shit, she really is gone.

The last thing any guy wants after falling asleep with a naked woman in his bed is to wake up alone the next morning. I run through last night again, wondering if things didn’t go as well as I remember. She was lighthearted and smiling as she dozed in my arms. Then, I woke up in the middle of the night to the feel of her leg slipping over my waist as she inched closer.

So, yeah, it was a good fucking night.

I sit up, confused, running a hand through my hair as I get my bearings. The house is completely silent, and as weird as it is to say this, I can feel that she’s gone. My heart sinks when I consider she might be out finalizing things with her apartment. She did say she’s only waiting on a move-in date. And as badly as I want her to change her mind, as badly as I want her to stay, I have to respect that leaving might feel like her safest option.

We showered last night, so after brushing my teeth, I slip into a t-shirt and basketball shorts for the day. The whole time, I’m talking myself out of believing that her absence is a sign that she’s running. Especially because I’m positive she doesn’t regret what happened. If she did, she would’ve retreated right away. Us showering together, her sleeping in my bed, the closeness, none of that would’ve happened. Because when Lexi wants space, she takes it, and this doesn’t feel like that.

I’m slow as I take the stairs to the first floor, heading toward the kitchen to make a shake. But when I get there, a piece of paper on the counter is all I’m focused on now.

Morning, Sleeping Beauty.

I pause and smile at that part.

You were knocked out, so I’m leaving to grab Jax from Mom and Benny’s. If paparazzi aren’t up my ass, I’m taking him to the park for a bit. If you see this before I get back and want to hang with us, I’ll be at the one a few blocks away from his school–Lex.

My eyes immediately snap toward my keys hanging on the rack, and I don’t even think about a shake or breakfast. The idea of getting to spend the morning at the park with my family suddenly takes priority over everything.

It starts misting a little as I drive, but if I know Jax, there would have to be a monsoon for him to stop playing. So, I’m smiling when I pull into the parking lot and spot him running with his arms out, face tilted toward the sky, catching rain on his tongue.

I reach in the backseat for my hoodie and slide it on as I climb out of the truck. I see Lexi on a bench, sporting one of my baseball caps over her ponytail. For some reason, that makes me smile harder, maybe knowing she’s already comfortable enough to start stealing my shit again.

“He gets that from you, you know.” I drop down on the bench beside Lexi, and she grins a little.

“Gets what from me?”

I nod toward Jax who’s now pretending the rain is lava falling from the sky. “Being weird.”

She laughs, already shaking her head. “He’s not weird. He’s creative.”

“And I wouldn’t change a single thing about him.”

A silent moment passes between us, and while I can’t speak for her, I’m staring at our son. A visual reminder that even though we were flawed in the past, something absolutely perfect came out of it.