Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Suddenly, the whole day set in on me, and I was tired of beating my head against this wall along with the knowledge that Alex had broken into my apartment. The reality of my situation seemed to settle in on me, and I felt heavy as a lodestone. Without saying another word to him, I turned away from the counter and headed down the hallway to my room, shutting the door behind me.
I didn’t say a word to him for the rest of the day. He came to get me when the soup was ready, and I silently filled a bowl and took it back to my room with me, refusing to acknowledge him beyond the bare minimum.
Despite my refusal to speak, though, my body was acutely aware of him and I silently scolded myself for the rest of the day.
9
DILLON
It had been a full day of Macy not talking to me.
I didn’t know if I’d just been on my own for too long, or whether I just had never spent enough time with a therapist, but I was starting to feel like the silence was getting to me.
I’d come out into the living room this morning, and she wasn’t out there yet, so I started the coffeepot, waiting for her to get up. It had been rough yesterday, trying to maneuver around her as she refused to speak to me.
To be honest, I hadn’t known how to react after she’d started asking me about my life and my history. I mean, it made sense to me, given that she hadn’t known anything about me when she first came to stay. And, on top of that, her whole job had been to find out about people’s trauma, so had it really been a shock that she’d started asking questions about why I’d done what I did or how I’d come to it?
It wasn’t so much that she was asking; it was more than being asked in and of itself was a problem. I couldn’t let people past the mile-high walls that I’d thrown up between my heart and everyone else.
It wasn’t her fault. I could only hope that she didn’t take it personally.
I’d just taken my coffee to my desk to start working when I heard the door close down the hall, and I looked up to see her come into the living room. I sucked in a breath as I saw her in the leggings and fitted shirt that showed off her luscious body. I had to swallow the lump that formed in my throat at the sight of her, and I had to look away just in case she saw my eyes dragging down her body to where they shouldn’t be.
“Good morning.”
My eyes snapped up to her as she walked into the kitchen to grab a mug, and I couldn’t help sneaking a look over at her. When she rose up on her toes and the edge of her shirt drifted up over her midriff, I felt my heartbeat against my rib cage like I was in the ring with a prizefighter.
“Morning,” I said, careful not to throw off the careful dynamic that we were apparently starting to rebuild. I snuck a look over at her as she turned back to look at me, leaning back against the counter and letting her shirt ride up over her waist a little more.
My mouth went fully dry at the sight of her navel. It was taking all of my self-control to keep from going over to her and sliding my hand along that perfect, flat stomach, holding her gaze as I snuck it up under her shirt and bra, finally fondling those beautiful breasts I’d seen only days before.
I looked away from her, focusing on my computer again. I needed to get my head out of my ass and focus on what was in front of me, but her presence seemed to fog everything up. All I could think of was what it would be like to have her in the kitchen, on the coffee table, and on the floor in front of the fireplace…
Suddenly, I thought of what I could do that would put some necessary space between us. Getting up, I walked over to the kitchen with my mug and reached for the coffeepot to top off my drink. She watched me as I did it, taking me in without a word.
“I was thinking…” I said, watching her carefully for a reaction. “I need to go check on some of my cameras and such. Do you think that you’re up for a hike?”
The edges of her mouth tugged up a little bit, and she nodded quickly. “I’d love that. Are we taking Bucky?”
“Of course we are,” I said, smiling at her. “When we get back, I’m going to head into town for a bit. I want to see if I can figure out what Alex is up to. I don’t like not knowing where he is.”