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Chapter Eighteen
There had been times since leaving Florida that Skye thought she should have stayed and stood up to Danny. That she shouldn’t have let a man ruin her reputation because of his ego and run her off a job she loved, but she’d grown tired of fighting his lies. She’d also been disappointed in the men who knew her, knew Danny’s lies for what they were, but hadn’t stood up for her. Maybe it was her sloshed mind talking, but Tristan would have stood by her.
She peered at him through blurry eyes. More than one glass of wine always did that to her, make her vision go fuzzy. One reason she limited herself. But tonight, the limits were gone. Like magic. Poof. Now you see them, now you don’t.
It was Tristan’s fault for making her feel safe to let down her hair, so to speak. Speaking of hair...the bun riding low on her neck was uncomfortable. She straightened her leg, letting him have her other foot, then leaned over and handed him her empty glass. With an amused smile on his face, he took it from her, then set it on his coffee table.
She frowned. “I coulda done that.”
The amusement lighting up his eyes grew brighter. “Why, when you have me to do it for you?”
“Good answer.” It really was. She was about to do something. What was it? Oh, right. Get rid of the stupid bun that was crinking her neck as she tried to get her head comfortable on his marshmallowy soft couch. Maybe he’d let her borrow his couch whenever she wanted to take a nap. And maybe he’d be on hand to give amazing foot massages. She sighed her pleasure as she pulled out the first bobby pin, then a second one.
“You keep making those sounds, Sheriff, and I’m not going to be responsible for what happens next.” Heat simmered in his dark brown eyes.
“Yeah?” She hadn’t wanted a man this much since...well, the last time she’d spent the night with him.
“Oh, yeah,” he said.
She pulled the rest of the pins out of her hair, then combed her fingers through it, letting it fall over her shoulders. She knew from their night together that he loved her hair, and from the way his eyes followed her movements, that hadn’t changed.
“I have conditions.” Had she blurted that out? By the puzzled look on his face, apparently so. She blamed that smolder in his eyes and the wine. Well, she’d opened the door, so she might as well walk through it. She waved a hand between them. “You and me. For...you know.”
The hands that had been massaging her feet stilled. “No, I don’t know. Why don’t you spell it out for me?”
“We could see each other. If you want to.”
“You mean date?”
“No!” She pulled her feet back and sat up. “Not date, just spend time together. Privately.”
“Are we talking about sex?”
She nodded. “No one needs to know.” He was a man. He didn’t have to worry about being gossiped about. People found out he was having an affair, no biggie. She was a woman. Eyebrows would be raised; the whispers would start. She knew what it was like to be talked about, had lived through it once, never planned to allow herself to be put in that position again.
“I see.” Something like disappointment flashed in his eyes. “So that’s your condition?”
“One of them. We don’t see each other more than twice a week. More than that increases the risk of someone finding out. And no feelings for each other. Just sex.”
“Just wham, bam, thank you, ma’am?”
She frowned. “Why would you have a problem with that? Isn’t that every man’s dream? Free sex with no strings?”
“Conditions accepted.” He stood. “Time for bed.”
“Uh...now?”
“Yes, now.”
“But we haven’t talked about museum stuff.” She thought they’d discuss how their affair would work and decide on a schedule. She would have time to mentally prepare.
“We’ll do that tomorrow. I’ll come to your office.” He held out his hand. “Come with me.”
She stared at his hand. If she asked him to drive her home, she knew he would. But if she did, he might change his mind. She wanted this, so she put her hand in his. He led her past an alcove that was under construction.
“That’s going to be my new mini kitchen,” he said as they passed it.
“Oh, cool.” When they entered his bedroom, her gaze went straight to his bed. In a few minutes, they would be in that bed together. That both excited her and freaked her out a little. Was she really ready for this, for him?
