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Not because I don’t want to feel his skin touch mine, but because I want his skin to touch mine too much.
“Look, you’re just coming off a huge breakup and you’re understandably confused and looking to push the pain away. I get it. But I shouldn’t have taken advantage of your situation by jumping into bed with you. It only complicates things.”
“I’m not some brokenhearted teenage boy. You hardly took advantage of me. I wanted you every bit as much as you did me. We’ve been circling around our sexual tension for weeks now. You’re lying to yourself if you think otherwise.”
I zip the suitcase and drag it off the bed. “We have a plane to catch.”
“You already booked a flight?” His eyes narrow.
“Yes, and it leaves in a few hours, so you should go say goodbye to Monica.”
He steps forward so that we’re only a few inches apart and I’m forced to tilt my head back to see him.
“I’ll book you a private flight. It will be a zoo if you go public.”
I nod, another tally to what I owe this man.
“When will I see you guys again?” he asks.
The "you guys" in that statement doesn’t escape my notice. “You can see Monica whenever you like. Just give me a heads-up.”
His lips press into a thin line and he takes the suitcase from me. “I’ll carry this down the stairs for you.”
“Thanks.” Tears well up in my eyes for some reason I can’t pinpoint. This is what’s best for all of us.
So why does him walking out the door feel so final?
* * *
“Areyou excited to see your dad tonight?”
It’s been a week since we left Mercer Island. Jimmy’s decided to visit. He’ll watch Monica while I’m at work tomorrow since it’s Saturday.
“He said that we can go to a movie tomorrow when you’re at work!”
“That’s great, kiddo. Keep eating your cereal. I’m going to go finish getting dressed."
I walk out of the kitchen, unable to keep from glancing out the front window before I head to my bedroom. Seth, the security guy Jimmy hired stands at the bottom of the stairs like he does every morning, making it known to the few lone reporters still hanging out at the end of my driveway that they’re not welcome.
Seth even drives us around and stands post outside my work. My boss wasn’t too happy about it, but overall, he’s been pretty understanding about the whole thing. At least business has picked up. Everyone wants to get their teeth cleaned by James Crawford’s baby mama. I’ve had more than a few awkward moments with patients in the chair since I returned. It’s like people think I’m going to divulge my darkest secrets to them while I’m scraping their teeth.
The girls at work have been great though. Once they figured out that I used to model, they pulled up a million pictures of some of my old work. I’ve tried to assure them that my life was anything but glamorous back then, but they don’t believe me.
I glance in the kitchen, and though Monica sits with her head propped on her hand, staring out the back window, she’s chewing.
After getting dressed, I'm putting toothpaste on Monica’s toothbrush for her when there’s a knock at the front door. I startle, thinking it must be someone from the press, but Seth is out there, so there’s no way.
“You brush your teeth, kiddo. I’m going to go see who that is.”
“Okay, Mommy,” she mumbles around the toothbrush she’s already shoved into her mouth.
I walk up the hallway then peek out the side window to see Jimmy standing on the front porch, looking sexier than ever in a pair of worn jeans and a grey Henley that shows off his strong physique.
“What is he doing here?” I murmur, caught off guard.
I look down at myself, wishing I wasn’t wearing scrubs and my hair thrown up in a ponytail. My cheeks heat instantly when I remember his mouth on my breasts only last week. Our entire night has been on repeat in my head like a teenager’s first kiss.
Inhaling a deep breath, I swing the door open and plaster on my best I’m-not-remembering-how-we-rocked-each-other’s-worlds-last-week smile. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
