“Hey. Come on in,” I say, stepping aside and opening the door wider for him.
He tips his head and steps inside. “So, this is…”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding.
“Well, did you want to stay here? Or go someplace a little less…”
“Nah,” I say, swiping my hand in the air and hoping I pull off a bit of nonchalance. “It’s all good. Wanna go to the dining room? Or the study?”
“Which place would make you feel more comfortable?” he asks, shifting his gaze to the dining area.
“Let’s go down to the study. The Wi-Fi is better,” I say, tipping my head toward the staircase and nodding for him to follow me.
I walk up the grand staircase and push open the double doors directly in front of the landing. A large table with cushy red leather chairs rest directly opposite us. Beyond, the wall of windows overlooks the courtyard and pond, with a view of the glittering water that’s only rivaled by sitting on the dock. The trees haven’t quite begun their descent into fall, but you can tell by the hint of fog lingering on the water’s surface that it’s just around the corner.
Entering the study, I flip on the switch and all around the room small lamps ignite, casting a warm glow. The dark-red mahogany built-ins, along with the desk to the left, look very impressive, even to me.
Wade enters the room, his eyes wide as he takes in the space. He walks over to the right wall, letting his fingertips grace the spines of many books adorning the dark mahogany shelves. He stops at a framed picture of me as a small child. I’m outside the house in the courtyard and my mom is just off to the side, smiling like she doesn’t have a care in the world.
“This room is…something else,” he says, turning his chilling gaze to me.
Everything about him screams unbearably sexy and I breathe in deeply, trying to focus on staying centered. I nod, placing my laptop on the table. “Yeah, I don’t usually come up here, but since Dad’s not home, I figured it was a good place to study. I mean, it’s even in the name of the room, you know?”
Wade chuckles, his gaze falling to the floor as a hint of a smile graces his lips.
“So, fate, huh?” I say, trying to bring us around to why we’re here.
Wade’s silver eyes flit upward to me and his lips press in tight. “Fates, actually.” He walks over, standing behind one of the leather chairs and looking out over the water. After a moment, he takes a seat and turns to face me.
I quirk an eyebrow. “Have you been researching without me, Mr. Hoffman?”
His dark eyebrows tug inward. “Well, I…” he stammers.
I chuckle. “I’m teasing. It’s fine. Okay, so what do you know?” I pull out my pen from the notebook ring and poise it, ready to take notes.
Inhaling deeply through his nose, he shrugs. “Not much. Just that the idea of fate isn’t as simple as it seems. Like we didn’t know that already…”
I look up, feeling the weight of his stare. “Wade,” I say, tilting my head to the side.
“Nevermind.” He lifts his left shoulder and tips his head. “All right, so fate isn’t a single entity. There are actually three sisters who manage the destinies of everyone.”
My eyebrows fly upward and I lean back in my chair. “Oh?”
“Right?” Wade nods. “Well, if you believe in this sorta thing, anyway. I mean, who knows if it’s true…but since we’re researching entities, I figured there must be a kernel in there somewhere.”
“Fair point,” I say, nodding, and scrawling the information down. “Okay, so, anything else?”
“Not really. That was as far as I got before I realized you’d probably want to do the research together.” Wade’s eyebrows intertwine, and he shakes his head. “I mean, not that you wanted to actually do the research with me in the first place, but…”
I sigh. “Wade…”
As if I didn’t feel like absolute crap as it is, his persistent jabs aren’t helping.
“Forget it. Anyway, the point is, I’m here to work on things as a team. You know, because that’s what partners do. Work on things. Together.” He lifts his gaze, again locking eyes with me.
His words are pointed and they do exactly what he intended they do—cut deep.
Yes, as it turns out, I’m horrible at relationships. Not just romantic ones, either. I haven’t called my mom in ages. I barely see my dad. Hell, lately, I’ve talked more with James, the housekeeper, than anyone else. Living or dead.
“Yeah, well…we better get a move on, then. I don’t have all night,” I say more tersely than I intended. Trying to ignore his digs are difficult, but if it’s part of what I have to endure to protect him, then so be it.
“Autumn, I didn’t mean…” Wade says, remorse splashing across his features.
I raise a hand between us, cutting him off. “Look, it doesn’t matter. It is what it is.”
“Yeah, but I don’t even get what this is. It’s like you’ve taken the one good thing we both had going for us and decided to bin the whole thing. I don’t get why…” Wade says, ditching any pretense of learning more about our assignment.
I look back at my laptop longingly, wishing we could just focus on that instead of the emotionally charged conversation he seems hell-bent on pulling me into.
Leaning back in the chair, I pull my feet up and use my legs as a barrier between us. “Maybe you don’t have to understand everything. Have you ever thought of that?”
His eyebrows lower and he leans in. “I beg to differ. You owe me. At least with this and after everything we’ve been through. Dru—”
My heart skips a beat and before I can think things through, I hear myself say, “Don’t call me that.”
The reaction is instantaneous. Wade’s wounded expression resurfaces and shreds any
