AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Even though he’s teasing me, the mirth in his usually gruff voice makes me feel like a cloud or a swirl of cotton candy, all light and fluffy. I hated going through my panic attack in front of him, but I feel as though that moment shifted something between us. Before it, our relationship was a rock, all rough around the edges, but now it’s been cracked open to reveal a sparkling geode.
“I do know self-defense, thank you very much,” I say and bask in the glow of the impressed look he gives me.
“Good. If anyone lays so much as a finger on you and you didn’t welcome that touch, I expect you to break something of theirs.”
I fall into giggles again. “That’s a bit extreme. Just a touch?” Maybe it’s the dim light of his cottage or the aftermath of all we’ve gone through, but boldness overcomes me and I reach out and brush a fingertip along his exposed forearm. Around thirty minutes ago he shed his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt. I’ve been dying to touch him since (okay, before that too, but no one needs to know that).
“Is that really so reprehensible?” I ask, my voice coming out soft when I notice his eyes darken.
“Anything you don’t want is worthy of punishment. You deserve respect.” His words come out gravelly and rough, those deep blue eyes boring into mine.
“That’s kind of you to say.”
“It’s not kindness, it’s basic human decency.” His words snap me out of the romantic haze I was enjoying. He’s right, but it brings back flashes of painful memories where I wasn’t treated with respect at all.
“Is there a nice way to shut a guy down before that happens? I can usually tell if they’re sleazy pretty fast.”
“Who cares about being nice? If they’re a jerk then just tell them you’re not interested and walk away.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t want to be rude,Sunshine,” I say with a pointed look. “Your not-caring-what-people-think attitude isn’t always the best. I’ll have to ask Caroline what she would do.”
“Yes, ask the woman who encouraged you to sign up for a dating app and attend a mixer onValentine’s Day, of all the awful days.” He shoots me an apologetic look. “Sorry, I’m breaking a friendship rule I guess.”
I bite my lip to hold in a smile, shaking my head. “You already broke it when you offered to help me with this. It’s okay, I know this is all kinds of pathetic. There’s just not a good way to meet people.” I sigh, resting my head on the back of his couch and watching him. He takes a sip of the chamomile tea he made for us to help soothe my nerves, his throat bobbing as he swallows. “I wish I lived in the Regency era. I could lock eyes with a gentleman across a real ballroom, not a carpeted hotel one.”
“I’m sure you’ll have a nice time. Maybe it’ll be more like an Austen novel than you think.”
Murphy makes a groaning noise as he stretches nearby. His movement is the excuse I need to leave. If I stay any longer I’ll end up confessing feelings that I don’t think Adrian is ready to hear, ruining the one friendship I’ve managed to forge since moving to Georgia.
“I hope you’re right. I should probably head home, can I bring Murphy by around seven tomorrow?”
“Sure, that sounds good.” His eyes rove over me as I stretch my arms above my head. Heat flushes my skin.
“Thanks for helping me, Adrian.”
“It was no big deal.”
Except it was, in more ways than one. I think I’m beginning to trust Adrian, which means this innocent little crush is blossoming quickly into something I’ve never had. The urge to guard my heart from any pain is fierce, but I also don’t want to regret never opening myself up. Maybe falling for Adrian is going to get me hurt, but at least the scar on my heart will be one I chose instead of one someone foisted upon me. If it all goes down in flames, I’ll know I walked into the fire willingly. That choice alone is more than I’ve ever been given in life.
Chapter eighteen
Adrian Carter
Grayson:When’syournextdate with Juliette? Are you taking her out for Valentine's Day tonight?
I glare at my phone. On today of all days, I can’t handle my siblings messing with me about Juliette.
Maverick: NEXT date? Does that mean there was a first?
Adrian: No.
Grayson: Yes
I rake a hand through my hair and sigh.
Adrian: Bingo night with a bunch of elderly people is not a date.
MJ: No, definitely not.
