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“Oh, I heard about your troubles.” My mom pats Paisley’s knee. “Do you know who threw the rock?”
“Trig is looking into it,” I say in a firm “let’s drop it” tone.
“You should stop in, Mrs. Ballentine.” Pais extends an invite to my mom.
“We could go together, Caroline,” Sloan suggests. “Paisley has such nice stuff…”
I lose track of the ladies’ animated conversation. The fact that my girlfriend’s business is female-oriented doesn’t mean I’m disinterested. It’s that Sloan and Caroline are monopolizing Paisley, and Carver and I are relegated to silence in the wing chairs opposite the spread on the coffee table. I offer to pour Carver a drink from the wet bar. Glasses in hand, we rove about the room rather than endure a sit/stay command.
“You know who did it?” He subtly revisits Trig’s investigation while the ladies are otherwise occupied—Now with chatter over the upcoming gala.
My jaw clenches. I move the sheers and look out the window at the fountain. My lack of acknowledgment to Carver’s question is an answer in itself, and we move on to another topic.
Paisley comes up from behind me, warming my back. “Caroline is going to give me a tour of the house. Want to come with in case there are any naked baby pictures you want to hide?” Her hand slips around my midsection, resting below my shirt pocket.
I chuckle, placing mine over hers. I don’t know when the simple touches stopped being for show. I don’t know why I crave all of Paisley and, when she can’t give me her full attention, I pout in the corner like a jealous fool.
“I’ll wait here,corazón. You go and enjoy.”
The corners of my mouth perk as she leaves the room.
“Never thought I’d see the day Jake Ballentine was bamboozled.”
I sigh as if I’m bored of their second-guessing my commitment to my girlfriend. “I told every last one of you it was for real.”
“Yeah, but, Jake. We know in the beginningyoudidn’t believe it. So, what is so beguiling about Paisley Cooper that she has the finesse to do what no other woman could; stand to be around you for more than five minutes?”
I haven’t the foggiest.Nor do I get why Pais doesn’t annoy the crap out of me the way my previous lady company has. I wouldn’t have let anyone before Paisley get away with what she does without getting my dick wet.
The rules are changing for her.
________________
It’s dusk when we say goodbye to my mom. Pais yawns in the passenger seat next to me. I should bring her home, but I pass the turnoff for her neighborhood and head to my place.
“Why are we here?” Paisley tosses her clutch on the couch.
She circles my living room, checking everything out. Her feet pause by the drum kit. When she lightly spins the crash cymbal, I don’t bark for her to get the hell away from it. Then two fingers stroke the counter hoop on the closer of the Tom Toms. I stop breathing and watch her trace the metal. I feel like she’s touching my bare skin. It also feels like having her here is the absolute best bad idea I’ve ever had.
I clear my throat. “You wanted to see more than the four walls of the club. This is another place I haven’t brought you.”
Her head bobs from right to left on her shoulders, agreeing with my logic. I give Paisley a mini-tour since she seemed to enjoy that at my mom’s. We end in the kitchen. Dinner is light since we’ve been picking at hors d’oeuvres all afternoon. I open the freezer and hold up two green boxes, giving Pais first choice before popping hers into the microwave. She jokes about my bachelor life.
“I tend to have more in the fridge. But somebody has wanted to eat out.” I lean my elbows on the counter so that it puts our faces at the same level and tease her back.
“Ah, I cook. I just haven’t been home to cook.”
“Oh, is that your excuse? Then our next outing should be to the grocery store.”
“I’d like that,” she whispers.
“Me too,” I reply.
A co-manager to take the pressure off of Kelsey keeps seeming like a better idea. It affords the opportunity for nights like this.
Finished eating, we retreat to the sofa. I sling an arm around Paisley. She plays with the fine hair on my forearm, commenting on how it’s sticking up like I’ve seen a ghost.
I’m beginning to wonder if I have. Whatever is going on between me and Paisley is reminiscent of my past. When she enters a room, the tunnel vision I had seeingherfor the first time returns.
