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Farris tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his thumb lingering to caress her cheek. His beautiful masculine lips tilted in a soft smile. The light in his eyes warmed her. “Last night was amazing, India.”
“Um...” What was she supposed to say? Clearly, she should have thought about a possible script for this awkward morning after. “It was nice.”
Farris chuckled. “Your pretty rosy lips are pursed so tightly it looks like you sucked a lemon.”
“I can’t do this, Farris.”
His smile faded. “Do what?”
“You know what,” she said, barely whispering for fear the housekeeper would appear around the corner. “You. Me.”
He took a step backward, immediately making her feel bereft.
Her throat was tight. She had no idea what to say or do. “We need to think this through, Farris. Before things go any further. Too many people could get hurt. Me. Dottie.”
His jaw jutted. The blue eyes were glacial now. “You don’t think I’m in any danger of getting hurt?”
Suddenly, all the trauma and shock of their divorce washed over her in a deluge of regret and remembered pain. “I have no idea, Farris. I don’t know you at all anymore. Maybe I never did. But I do know this. If I’m going to care for your mother, I sure as heck shouldn’t sleep with her son.”
He shook his head slowly. “The old India wasn’t so uptight about sex. She loved sex, as I recall. Remember that time we did it in Central Park? At midnight? You couldn’t stop laughing until I made you come.”
“Don’t do that.” It had been the most magical night. A full moon. Spring breezes. And her new husband’s hands on her body.
“Is it so easy for you?” he asked soberly, his gaze watchful. “Do you just shove everything behind a locked door and forget about it?”
Now she was angry. “I wouldn’t have to forget about it if my husband hadn’t ghosted me.”
He frowned. “When did I ghost you?”
“Oh, come on, Farris. You were suddenly traveling all over the country. And when you were home, you barely looked at me. I couldn’t understand what I had done wrong. But I suppose you were simply bored.”
“Don’t be absurd.” He was pale now, his lips closed in a grim line.
“Do you want to give me another explanation?”
The air vibrated around them. Seconds passed. Ten. Twenty. Finally, Farris dropped his head and sighed. “No. I don’t. What’s done is done.”
Her heart shriveled. For a moment, she’d thought he might finally come clean with her. That he might tell her the truth. She swallowed hard. What’s done is done. “That’s true. So why complicate things with sex?”
Now his head shot up, and his gaze trapped hers. “Because we’re both lonely. And sex is something we do really well.”
The ache in her chest spread, along with confusion. “Why don’t you have someone in your life, Farris?”
His expression was bleak. “I’m not very good with relationships. You might have noticed that.”
“Maybe not with me. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t somebody else out there who could give you what you need.”
“No such person exists. If it wasn’t you, it wasn’t anybody.”
“You’re not making sense.”
“I have to get to work. The guys are waiting on me.” He took two steps toward the door, stopped and came back to where she stood by the table. He kissed her lips softly, a butterfly caress. When he straightened, his gaze was inscrutable. “For the record, I want to be intimate with you while you’re here. The ball is in your court. If you’re willing for us to be together under those circumstances, let me know.”
And then he walked out...
India was in no mood to sort photos. Hopefully, Dottie didn’t notice her lack of enthusiasm. After two hours, India reached her limit. “I need to get some fresh air, Dottie. What if we take our lunch outside somewhere?”
“It’s too cold.”
