he’d left— months ago—unless she counted the boxes. Nothing. Nada. Squat.
She walked back to her living room and threw herself down on
to the sofa. She’d read and re-read the message. God, it wasn’t even a
sentence. The bottom line was she couldn’t read a damn thing into it.
What? He was flying back in and wanted to give her an FYI?
He wanted her to meet him? Or not? He was leaving it up to her? But why ?
And did she really want to open up those raw wounds again because sure as hell
he’d be headed off again to God knew where? She rubbed her forehead, at the
dull ache behind her eyes. Jeez, who was she kidding? None of those wounds had
ever healed, they hadn’t even scabbed over.
She was hot and tired and in a foul mood. Her latest work wasn’t
going the way she expected, the way she wanted. Actually it was a piece of shit
if she was honest with herself. For the longest time her studio had been her
sanctuary, her art her escape, but lately? She’d lost the feel of it, lost the
feel for it and it was a bummer because she craved that oblivion she used
to take for granted, so bad.
Lexi tossed the phone on to the coffee table, put her feet
in her heavy boots up on the dark surface and crossed her arms. Fuck it. If he
thought she was going to get dressed up and high-tail it to the airport to pick
him up just because he’d summoned her, he had another think coming.
*****
Nash cleared his throat and dumped his duffel in the middle
of Lexi’s living room with a dull thud. God, he needed a shower. Bad. It might
help to make him feel halfway human again. Maybe. The flight had been beyond
grueling—correction, flights . He’d hopped flight after fucking flight to
get back here as soon as he could and he— He thought the tension would have
eased from him once he finally got here, saw her again, touched her, yet his
skin still felt as if it were stretched too tight over his bones. Yeah, he should
have called first but he hadn’t had the guts to, plain and simple. And he’d
never run from anything or anyone in his life before.
“Thanks for the ride,” he managed to force out. “I—I need a
shower. I need to shave. I…”
I need you, just you, right now, right fucking now, naked
and spread out under me.
The words reverberated in his head until he thought it would
explode from the effort it cost him to stop from roaring them at her. She’d
barely said a word to him from the moment he’d seen her and it made him as
uneasy as hell.
Maybe there was someone else. Maybe she’d moved on and had
picked him up out of the goodness of her heart. Maybe he didn’t do a Goddamn
thing for her anymore. And maybe, just maybe he’d made the biggest fucking
mistake of his life when he’d left.
She’d met him at the airport, had been waiting for him when
he cleared security. If he hadn’t been so nervous he might have laughed at her dirty
work overalls, heavy boots and messy, sticking out hair. As it was, she’d
walked into his arms and he’d felt as if he’d come home for the first time in
his life. He hadn’t wanted to let her go, had forced himself to ease away from
her and then…nothing but ice, cold and biting.
They’d ridden in the car to her place as if they were
strangers and he hadn’t been able to think of a single fucking thing to say to
her, nothing that mattered anyway. Perhaps he should start with why he was
here. Better late than never, right?
“Lexi—”
“Strip.”
Say…
“What?” Nash frowned. He would have been more than happy to
oblige, except she didn’t have the look of lust on her face, she wasn’t looking
at him with passion, need. It was hard-nosed determination and yeah, maybe some
anger.
“I said strip.”
Or else.
It was unspoken, but he got the message loud and clear. God,
he wanted her so bad, needed inside her so much, but he could be determined
too. And patient. Taking his clothes off got him one step closer to what he
wanted, so what the hell?
He heard
She walked back to her living room and threw herself down on
to the sofa. She’d read and re-read the message. God, it wasn’t even a
sentence. The bottom line was she couldn’t read a damn thing into it.
What? He was flying back in and wanted to give her an FYI?
He wanted her to meet him? Or not? He was leaving it up to her? But why ?
And did she really want to open up those raw wounds again because sure as hell
he’d be headed off again to God knew where? She rubbed her forehead, at the
dull ache behind her eyes. Jeez, who was she kidding? None of those wounds had
ever healed, they hadn’t even scabbed over.
She was hot and tired and in a foul mood. Her latest work wasn’t
going the way she expected, the way she wanted. Actually it was a piece of shit
if she was honest with herself. For the longest time her studio had been her
sanctuary, her art her escape, but lately? She’d lost the feel of it, lost the
feel for it and it was a bummer because she craved that oblivion she used
to take for granted, so bad.
Lexi tossed the phone on to the coffee table, put her feet
in her heavy boots up on the dark surface and crossed her arms. Fuck it. If he
thought she was going to get dressed up and high-tail it to the airport to pick
him up just because he’d summoned her, he had another think coming.
*****
Nash cleared his throat and dumped his duffel in the middle
of Lexi’s living room with a dull thud. God, he needed a shower. Bad. It might
help to make him feel halfway human again. Maybe. The flight had been beyond
grueling—correction, flights . He’d hopped flight after fucking flight to
get back here as soon as he could and he— He thought the tension would have
eased from him once he finally got here, saw her again, touched her, yet his
skin still felt as if it were stretched too tight over his bones. Yeah, he should
have called first but he hadn’t had the guts to, plain and simple. And he’d
never run from anything or anyone in his life before.
“Thanks for the ride,” he managed to force out. “I—I need a
shower. I need to shave. I…”
I need you, just you, right now, right fucking now, naked
and spread out under me.
The words reverberated in his head until he thought it would
explode from the effort it cost him to stop from roaring them at her. She’d
barely said a word to him from the moment he’d seen her and it made him as
uneasy as hell.
Maybe there was someone else. Maybe she’d moved on and had
picked him up out of the goodness of her heart. Maybe he didn’t do a Goddamn
thing for her anymore. And maybe, just maybe he’d made the biggest fucking
mistake of his life when he’d left.
She’d met him at the airport, had been waiting for him when
he cleared security. If he hadn’t been so nervous he might have laughed at her dirty
work overalls, heavy boots and messy, sticking out hair. As it was, she’d
walked into his arms and he’d felt as if he’d come home for the first time in
his life. He hadn’t wanted to let her go, had forced himself to ease away from
her and then…nothing but ice, cold and biting.
They’d ridden in the car to her place as if they were
strangers and he hadn’t been able to think of a single fucking thing to say to
her, nothing that mattered anyway. Perhaps he should start with why he was
here. Better late than never, right?
“Lexi—”
“Strip.”
Say…
“What?” Nash frowned. He would have been more than happy to
oblige, except she didn’t have the look of lust on her face, she wasn’t looking
at him with passion, need. It was hard-nosed determination and yeah, maybe some
anger.
“I said strip.”
Or else.
It was unspoken, but he got the message loud and clear. God,
he wanted her so bad, needed inside her so much, but he could be determined
too. And patient. Taking his clothes off got him one step closer to what he
wanted, so what the hell?
He heard
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