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“You’re so kind, you know that? It’s a breath of fresh air. Back in New York, it’s everyone for themselves,” he said, chuckling.
I laughed at that and smoothed down my shorts. They were a little shorter than I typically would have worn to work, but I had been hoping Tristan would be here today. From the way he was stealing glances at my legs, I guessed it was a good decision.
“These two boxes are some of Shiloh’s clothes,” he said, pointing to two boxes next to the bed. “Would you mind unpacking them into these baskets? Then I can just sneak them into her room. I just know seeing boxes and suitcases will stress her out a bit. There’s been so much change for her, and I don’t want her to think we’re leaving so quickly.”
My heart clenched at the care and concern for his daughter.
But then my thighs clenched when I turned away from the boxes to look back at him. He had removed his shirt. For the second time since his return, I was graced with the gorgeous sight of Tristan’s broad chest. It took everything in my power not to reach over and softly run my fingers across the wide expanse of his back. My gaze drifted down and caught the two dimples just above the waistband of his shorts. They were slung low on his hips and my mouth watered with a sudden desire to run my tongue over that one spot.
My mind was racing into dangerous, lust-filled territory when the moment ended. Tristan sadly replaced the sweaty shirt he had been wearing, with fresh, clean white cotton. It wasn’t fair that he made the simple shirt look so good.
We worked next to each other in silence for a few minutes, as I tried to wrestle my thoughts. I could feel him looking at me when I bent over to get something else from the box on the floor. A few times our hips bumped or our shoulders made contact, each brush made the nerves in my body sparkle.
Tristan looked at me in a way that made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. I caught his gaze a few times, and his brown eyes seemed to glow with lust. It was almost like there was an electricity in the air that neither of us could put into words. How was I supposed to keep my hands to myself all summer with him looking at me that way?
“I was thinking about you a lot today,” he said, finally breaking the silence. Did he feel the heat and sexual tension in the room as much as I did?
He watched me carefully, attentively. I squeezed my thighs together, feeling the growing wetness under his intense gaze.
“Oh, yeah?” I managed to say. It came out a little more breathless than I intended. I turned back toward the boxes, trying to distract myself from thinking about the bed in front of us and his body moving on top of mine.
“I think you can do more with your skills than working here, for my grandparents,” he said.
Okay, not what I had been expecting to hear at all. The simmering desire dialed back a notch at the sudden professional conversation.
“What do you mean?” But I knew exactly what he meant. Grace had said basically the same thing to me several times before.
“You’re a registered nurse, playing house maid. This can’t be enough for you,” he said. He was watching me as he tried to gauge my reaction to his words. I kept my face neutral as he continued. “I’m sure there are things you want to do with your life, right? You shouldn’t be spending most of your time in this house.”
He was right. Grace was right. But what else was I going to do?
“I need this job, Tristan. I need the money. And, honestly, there isn't much else in this small town for me.”
I saw a look of pity flash across his face, and I hated it. He didn't need to feel sorry for me. I wasn’t struggling, just doing what I needed to do. And I was mostly happy doing it.
“How about we make a deal?” Tristan moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed next to the laundry basket. “I know someone comes in to clean occasionally, but I’ll pay someone to come every day for the cooking, daily cleaning, and housekeeping. You focus on your actual job. Which is to be a nurse. You take care of Gram and Pop’s medical needs and nothing else. Don't worry about the money. You should be paid for your expertise.”
I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t interested in Tristan’s idea. It would take a lot of the daily responsibilities off my plate. But if his mom found out she was paying me to do minimal work, she wouldn’t be happy.
“It’s a tempting offer. It would give me some time to help my mom at the bakery. But I can’t take advantage of your family like that. Your mom is paying me to do a job,” I said.
“She doesn't appreciate your nursing knowledge. And besides, she's not going to know,” he said. “I’m not going to tell her. And I know Gram and Pop won’t tell her. They would genuinely enjoy keeping this secret. So you don’t need to worry about that. Just use the extra time to figure out what you actually want to do. This job isn't going to be forever so you need to think of what's next, Arya. Even if you do want to do home healthcare, there are ways to do it that would use your skills and talent far more efficiently. What do you say? We can call it a trial run, maybe just try it out for the summer and see how things go?”
I didn’t know what to say. It bothered me a bit that he thought I was just waiting around for a white knight to come save me. I wasn’t. I wanted me to save me. It was just that "me" didn't know what the hell she was doing.
Tristan stood up from the bed and was suddenly surrounding me. He was at least six inches taller than me, and his height was a little intimidating when he was this close. When he was looking this intense.
He lightly touched his fingers below my chin and coaxed it up, tilting my face toward him. His brown eyes looked like they were trying to search my soul.
“And if there’s anyone who deserves a break, it’s you,” he said.
He slowly lowered his lips toward mine. Just before they touched, he hesitated, looking at me for consent. I felt his breath on me and wanted nothing more than to close the distance and feel his mouth on mine. But something made me pull away.
He immediately backed away and put his hands up.
“Sorry, I got carried away,” he said with a half-smile that seemed full of apology and regret.
But I was the one full of regret.
