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Chapter 24
Time to Heal
Chloe
“You look gorgeous,” Brodi murmurs against my skin before kissing my temple. He runs his hand down my bare back, then pulls my chair so I can sit.
I inhale deeply and regret it. His cologne fills my head and it’s like a punch to the gut. As if sensing I’m ready to fall apart right where I sit, he reaches for the back of my neck and massages it gently before he moves to take his seat across from me.
Goose bumps cover my skin. I try not to look at him until I can get my racing heart under control. I’m having a hard time keeping a lid on my emotions. This is our first date since moving into the house with little Chloe and his mom.
Old feelings have suffered as I see hints of the man I once fell in love with. I chide myself. That’s the man I can’t fall for again. I have zero ability to trust him.
“Did you enjoy the concert?”
I take a sip from my glass of water. It gives me a moment to compose myself, so I don’t gush over the concert he surprised me with.
“It was nice,” I say as calmly as I can. “I didn’t know she would be performing here.”
He took me to see one of my favorite artists. Ash has a sex sound that draws you into her music. I’m not going to lie, her sultry lyrics and sensual vibe didn’t help much as I sat next to Brodi with all that sexual energy he always gives off without even trying. I’m going to order a vibrator as soon as we get back to the house.
Maybe that will help me keep my head. My heart and my body have two different ideas of what should be going on here. He gives me a crooked grin, proving my point.
“She wasn’t. I pulled some strings. She’s a friend of a friend. I was able to get her to detour and come this way for one night.”
I force my mouth to remain closed, but I’m impressed. I only mentioned that I was a fan a few days ago. He’s pulling out the big guns.
I see you, Brodi.
Yet I’m not going to give in that easily. It’s going to take more than a concert for me to forgive this man. Still, slowly I’m starting to peek through the blinds to see who he has become.
“You seem different,” I blurt out.
“I am. That’s what I want you to see. I was a boy when we were together. I may have been older, but I lacked the wisdom to control my own life. I should have done a lot differently.”
“Um,” I say as the waiter arrives. “I want to try the saffron chicken in wine sauce. That looks good.”
“I’ll have the same,” he says and closes the menu.
I’m surprised. I expected him to go with the seafood. I tilt my head and watch him closer. I guess people can change, but can they change enough to make you forget such a painful past?
He narrows his eyes at me. “I’ll tell you something I learned,” he says, breaking into my thoughts.
“What’s that?”
“To get to the things you want most in life, you have to be willing to adapt.”
“But you have to want it to be willing to adapt, don’t you think?” I counter.
He licks his lips. “Tell me you don’t remember how good we are together. Remember that one time, you couldn’t even walk from my bedroom, nonetheless my apartment?”
I remember that day very well. So well, I fist my hands in the table linen. The way he made love to me made me believe in him, in us.
He paid attention to every nuance of the vibes I gave off. My breathing, the way my skin changed under his touch or lack of. All while explaining it in detail to me and why he responded in turn to each change.
I lick my own lips. “The way you made me feel back then isn’t the issue here. The results of days and hours like that one are.”
The sexy look in his eyes fades. He looks down at the table as if searching for his next words. When he looks back up, the determination in his gaze makes me want to stand and run.
