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“You just asked me a question!”
“I didn’t think it would require a meandering walk down memory fucking lane,” he grumbled.
He was jealous. It warmed my heart with the urge to soothe. “There haven’t been that many. None that you would ever have to worry about.” I paused. “I’ve never been a brat. But I’ve never wanted to be with anyone the way I want to be with you.”
“Consider my ego appeased. I’ll be home in ten minutes. Get ready for bed.”
Mid-answer, I realized he’d already ended the call. I stared, bemused, at the dark screen. What manner of man had I gotten myself not involved with?
Ares
I sat in my driveway.
Wondered at the selfishness in me that permitted me to pull a woman like Hope into my vortex.
She deserved a man who would love her. Love her with all his heart, as well as his body, his mind attuned always to her needs.
I was not that man. I’d looked after only myself for as long as I could remember and truthfully had no clue how to look after someone else.
Anastasia’s presence in my life was all I could handle.
My dry laugh interrupted the cocoon of silence.
And I wasn’t sure just how well I was handling that.
No matter that it exposed my darkness, I would not stay away from her.
I drummed my fingers on my thigh. Could I back away? Stay away?
My cell phone dinged, and I opened the notification to find a picture.
Hope lay back on her bed, spun gold spread across her pillow, her sweet lips tipped up in a smile, the light in her eyes in direct opposition to the angelic halo sticker over her head.
The blood in my body didn’t know which organ to fill but her picture warmed both.
Ares: Beautiful.
I slammed the car door behind me and jogged up the steps to my door. I watched Hope’s dots bounce as she tapped out her reply. Not watching where I was going, I slammed into Melissa.
“Fuck!” I exclaimed in surprise as I grasped her upper arms to stop her from falling. “Sorry, Melissa! Didn’t see you there.”
“Obviously,” she giggled, leaning closer and staring up into my face.
I released her immediately and stepped back. “What are you doing up?”
“I was waiting for you,” she replied softly.
I swallowed. “Please don’t,” I answered. “Especially now that I’m involved with someone, I may be spending more hours out at night when Sia sleeps.” I turned away to toss my keys onto the hall table and allow her a moment of privacy to digest my words before continuing. “I should keep you better apprised of my schedule. I apologize. I will let you know what time you can stop listening for Sia from here on out.”
Nervously, not wanting to lose the care she lavished on Sia, I met her eyes.
If she was disappointed, she hid it well. I smiled as I said goodnight and jogged up the stairs, the call already connected as my door snicked shut.
“You home safely?”
Her voice, soft and husky, soothed the discomfort from the encounter with Melissa.
I yanked my tie through my collar and unbuttoned the top button of my dress shirt. “Yes. Thank you for the picture, Angel.”
