We both groaned at the movement before I felt a large waterfall of wetness drench the front of my leg.
“Sorry,” she said.
“Don’t be sorry for something like that.”
I held her in my arms as her back expanded with her breaths. Her breaths were even and settled, reminiscent of the way she felt against me when she was sleeping last night. The room was a comfortable temperature, and the bathroom light was humming from its flowing electricity. In that moment, I no longer cared about the dingy motel room. I didn’t care about all the things that had happened yesterday, and I no longer cared about the fact that my stomach was growling incessantly with a need for food.
I didn’t want anything spoiling the moment we’d created.
“We should get going,” she said. “You’ve still got your meeting.”
“I won’t make it at this point,” I said. “I’ve already sent the stuff to Mac. I’ll still make the charity event, though.”
“Who’s Mac?” she asked.
She turned around in my arms and faced me, and I lost myself in the innocent beauty of her big eyes.
I started wondering again about the life she’d led. Her ex must’ve been an absolute idiot to have left her. The number one reason people cheated in relationships was because they felt sexually unfulfilled by their partner, and I knew that was bullshit. Abby pulled from me desires and filled sexual needs I didn’t even realize I was craving. She rocketed my body with electricity and set my bones flaming with her fire. Her scent was addicting, and her touch was intoxicating, and holy hell, the mouth she possessed was amazing.
There was no way in hell that man had been sexually unfulfilled by the woman currently staring at me.
“Mac’s my right-hand man. The first employee I ever brought on with my company. He was with me when I was still working out of a garage with nothing but a laptop and some ideas sketched out on sheets of paper.”
“So, you do have a friend?” she asked, grinning.
“When did you get the impression I didn’t have friends?” I asked.
“When I found out you were a workaholic that didn’t like the holidays. Who in the world wants to be around someone like that?”
I could see the playfulness in her eyes, but she did have a point. Her words cut a bit deeper than she’d probably intended, but not in a bad way. One of the only reasons why we were in the scenario we were in right now was because we’d practically been forced together.
It wasn’t like she would’ve voluntarily been with someone like me.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I only meant that as a playful joke.”
“Again, don’t apologize. Though we should start packing up and get going. I might be able to get by skipping the meeting, but this charity event’s important.”
I could hear myself talking while Abby’s face slowly fell. I could hear the growing coldness of my voice. I could feel that icy demeanor coming back over me. For the first time in my life, it was like I was looking at myself from a third-party point of view. It was like I was floating in a corner and listening to myself as if I was another person.
“I really didn’t mean to offend you,” she said.
“You didn’t.”
But my tone was flat, and my brow was furrowing again. It was almost like they were automatic reactions to her comment, and I was somehow helpless to stop them.
Why had it bothered me so much? Shit like that never did before. I was well aware of what people thought of me. The man with no family. The ice man coming to do business. The Grinch who never attempted to steal Christmas but always tried to make sure he spoiled it for everyone else. I spent more time in my office from October to January than I did at any other stretch of time over the course of the year. My actions practically shouted the fact that I hated this time of year.
But I could see how my reaction was affecting Abby, and it was as if I was helpless to stop it.
“I’ve got about a four-hour drive before I have you home,” I said. “If you want to get me your home address, I’ll just drop you off right there at your doorstep.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’ll just meet my parents somewhere for food. I’ll figure it out while we’re in the car.”
“It’s no trouble. I said I’d take you home.”
She didn’t answer. All I was met with was silence.
Chapter 14
Abby
He grew cold the moment the words flew from my mouth. I was trying to crack a joke. Take a stab at his personality and see if he could find the humor in it with us being so relaxed. We were supposed to be having a bit of fun and relaxing during this insane ride home, but the moment my statement was done, I watched him shut down. His eyes stopped sparkling, and his brow furrowed. His body tensed, and his shoulders rolled back.
And that was before he ventured out of bed.
I tried apologizing, but he wasn’t having it. His words told me it was fine, but his body language suggested otherwise. I’d gotten really good at reading my ex’s body language during the last couple months of our relationship.
I knew when someone was trying to pull away.
I
