AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You won’t be driving that death trap anymore,” I chided. I walked down the hallway with the suitcase and opened the door to the guestroom. It was across the hallway from mine and seldom used. There wasn’t much in there because I’d never had a single guest other than Keely. There was a dresser and a queen-sized bed and a few boxes and totes filled with our parents’ stuff, but that was it.
“This is your room,” I said as she walked up behind me. “There’s a bathroom in the hallway.”
“I know.”
“Oh, do you?” I teased, but the words came out sharper than I’d meant them to. “Snuck around for a bit after stealing off into the night in my shirt?”
She scowled and walked past me to examine the bed. That single flicker of emotion other than worry and guilt sent a rush of heat down my spine.
“You were the one who ripped my dress into pieces,” she argued as she sat on the edge of the bed and bounced a little, testing out the mattress. Her breasts trembled under the tee shirt she wore and I felt my mouth go dry.
I tried not to stare, but it was impossible.
“I’ll get you a new dress,” I said, then pursed my lips as her expression tightened. Talking to her had once been so easy. Being in her presence once felt natural. Now I didn’t even know how to speak to her, what to say, or what to do. Right now, watching her look around the room she’d be staying in for the near future… all I wanted to do was get into bed with her again.
If that didn’t make a bad guy, I wasn’t sure what else could.
“Do you have everything you need for the night?” I asked, making my way to the door.
“Yeah. I’ll probably take a shower—”
“There’s clean towels and what not in the bathroom.” I closed my mouth before I told her about the box of random things women had left at my house over the years. Shampoo, scrunchies, makeup, etc. I hissed out a breath as I walked into the hallway and shut her door behind me. She’d find that box on her own, and maybe seeing that was a good thing. As much as I’d dreamt about Sierra walking back into my life, this was not how it shouldhave gone. I couldn’t get mixed up with her, not when her life had tanked and she was barely keeping her head above water.
I’d help her. I would. If this baby was mine, I’d be a father to it in the best way I could. If she decided to move back home with her family, so be it.
But that baby… if that was my child. Well, I’d fight like hell for it.
I’d fight like hell for her, too.
But at arm’s length.
Getting too ahead of ourselves had gotten us into this situation and now there was hell to pay. I couldn’t show emotion. I couldn’t slip up. If she wanted me to playhousewith her to get her parents off her tail, I would, and I am a fiercely competitive man. Her parents would have no reason to believe that Sierra and I weren’t secret lovers who’d planned all of this. That I could take care of her and wanted nothing to do with them or their money. And Jonah, well, I’d cross that bridge if it came to it.
I walked into the living room just as a knock sounded on the door. Who the hell was knocking on my door at this hour?
A look through the peephole had my heart thundering for a moment as I opened the door, just a touch.
“What are you doing here?” I asked George, who was leaning on the railing of the metal deck connected to the stairs leading up to my apartment.
“Keely was a bit concerned you didn’t show up to dinner. She said you were going through something and that I needed to skip dinner and drive down here to check on you.”
“Damnit,” I hissed, then shoved my way out onto the snug balcony overlooking the alleyway. Downstairs the bar was hopping, and people milled about on the sidewalk smoking cigarettes. George gave me a strained look as I shut the door behind me and crossed my arms over my chest.
“I see,” he said with a short laugh. “Got company?”
“Yeah, but it’s not what you think.”
“I don’t care, Pete. Who you take to bed is none of my business. Sorry Keely is prying into—”
“Give me like twenty minutes,” I breathed, my blood rushing through my ears. “I’ll meet you downstairs. I could use a drink.”
George narrowed his eyes but nodded and tipped his cowboy hat at me before trudging down the stairs and disappearing into the bar. I was sure Keely would have a thing or two to say to him about it, but I didn’t care. It was a damn good thing George showed up before I lost all control and walked inside to tell Sierra exactly how I felt about her.
Now, I had something else to do.
I went back inside and acted busy. Eventually, I heard Sierra come out of the bathroom and her door shut.
I waited for twenty minutes until I was sure she was asleep and headed downstairs.
