drink.” She pointed a finger at his face. “If I want to walk with Joseph, I will.” She brushed her hair out of her face. Either from the alcohol or the situation, she was already starting to feel dizzy. “And if he wants to kiss me again, I just might let him.” A slow, devious thought wormed into her mind. “I might let him do a lot more. Remember, I’m a whore.” She tried to brush past him, but stumbled.
He grabbed onto her arms to keep her from toppling over. She pulled away from his grasp. “I don’t want you to touch me.” She finished the rest of the contents in her glass and then reached for the decanter again. This time TJ took it away and placed it out of her reach.
“You’ve had enough,” he said through clenched teeth. “You’ll be drunk.”
“Why do you care?” she said, trying to pull the broach from her dress.
“Because I like when you smell like rosewater.” The fabric tore. “Stop!” He pushed her hands away and carefully unhooked the broach.
Allison looked at his hand against the creamy skin of her décolletage. Suddenly, she could hold very still.
TJ couldn’t seem to move his eyes off of her either. “Train kissed you.” His fingers traced the shadow of her collarbone.
Allison looked into his face and nodded. “He kissed me on our walk. He expressed his interest in me.”
TJ pulled his hand away as if her skin had become to hot to touch. “If you want to continue to work here, you’ll discourage him.”
Annoyed for letting him once again get to her, she clenched her fists at her side. “You infuriate me,” she screamed. “One minute you look as though you find me…” She searched for the right words, unable to find them. “I don’t know. You look at me the way a man looks at something he must have or die. And then you turn into a jackass.”
“Train is a little brother to me.”
“Then I think you would want to see him happy.” She sat on the couch before she fell over. The room spun.
“I do. Not with you.”
As he walked past her, she stuck out her leg stopping him.
“Alcohol makes you brave,” he said, looking down on her.
“I’m not a whore.” She pulled herself up using his shirt as leverage. She swayed, and he put his hand under her arm, helping her to her feet. “I want more from life than being your servant. Just because I find you attractive, doesn’t mean I’m going to sit around and wait for you to notice me.” She poked him in the chest. “I don’t care what you want. I don’t care who you want. Go to Sandy. If you don’t want me, stay out of the way for someone who might.” She pushed him away and wobbled to the stairs. Take that TJ, whatever your name stands for, Bester.
Chapter Seven
A wave of panic washed over Allison when she looked to the clock. TJ would be down for breakfast soon. She remembered the things she’d said last night with startling clarity. What in the world possessed her to declare her feelings for TJ? Alcohol. Sandy warned her that she couldn’t handle much. Did she listen? No, she set out to prove to TJ she lived by her own rules and managed to make a complete idiot out of herself.
“Morning,” TJ said coming into the kitchen giving Sissy a kiss on the top of her head.
Allison dropped the bowl of oatmeal she was going to feed Michael. The dish broke into three large pieces. “I’m sorry, Mr. Bester. I don’t know why I’m so clumsy this morning.” She bent down and picked up the pieces.
“Just because we had a difference of opinion last night, doesn’t mean you need to formally address me. I think we’ve moved beyond that, don’t you?” He sat at the table. “We’ve broken a few dishes, haven’t we, Sissy?”
She vigorously nodded her head. “I’m clumsy, too.”
“Mama.” Michael reached for Allison when she placed another bowl in front of him. Her hand stilled before handing him the spoon.
“I’m sorry,” she said to TJ. “He doesn’t understand.”
“She
He grabbed onto her arms to keep her from toppling over. She pulled away from his grasp. “I don’t want you to touch me.” She finished the rest of the contents in her glass and then reached for the decanter again. This time TJ took it away and placed it out of her reach.
“You’ve had enough,” he said through clenched teeth. “You’ll be drunk.”
“Why do you care?” she said, trying to pull the broach from her dress.
“Because I like when you smell like rosewater.” The fabric tore. “Stop!” He pushed her hands away and carefully unhooked the broach.
Allison looked at his hand against the creamy skin of her décolletage. Suddenly, she could hold very still.
TJ couldn’t seem to move his eyes off of her either. “Train kissed you.” His fingers traced the shadow of her collarbone.
Allison looked into his face and nodded. “He kissed me on our walk. He expressed his interest in me.”
TJ pulled his hand away as if her skin had become to hot to touch. “If you want to continue to work here, you’ll discourage him.”
Annoyed for letting him once again get to her, she clenched her fists at her side. “You infuriate me,” she screamed. “One minute you look as though you find me…” She searched for the right words, unable to find them. “I don’t know. You look at me the way a man looks at something he must have or die. And then you turn into a jackass.”
“Train is a little brother to me.”
“Then I think you would want to see him happy.” She sat on the couch before she fell over. The room spun.
“I do. Not with you.”
As he walked past her, she stuck out her leg stopping him.
“Alcohol makes you brave,” he said, looking down on her.
“I’m not a whore.” She pulled herself up using his shirt as leverage. She swayed, and he put his hand under her arm, helping her to her feet. “I want more from life than being your servant. Just because I find you attractive, doesn’t mean I’m going to sit around and wait for you to notice me.” She poked him in the chest. “I don’t care what you want. I don’t care who you want. Go to Sandy. If you don’t want me, stay out of the way for someone who might.” She pushed him away and wobbled to the stairs. Take that TJ, whatever your name stands for, Bester.
Chapter Seven
A wave of panic washed over Allison when she looked to the clock. TJ would be down for breakfast soon. She remembered the things she’d said last night with startling clarity. What in the world possessed her to declare her feelings for TJ? Alcohol. Sandy warned her that she couldn’t handle much. Did she listen? No, she set out to prove to TJ she lived by her own rules and managed to make a complete idiot out of herself.
“Morning,” TJ said coming into the kitchen giving Sissy a kiss on the top of her head.
Allison dropped the bowl of oatmeal she was going to feed Michael. The dish broke into three large pieces. “I’m sorry, Mr. Bester. I don’t know why I’m so clumsy this morning.” She bent down and picked up the pieces.
“Just because we had a difference of opinion last night, doesn’t mean you need to formally address me. I think we’ve moved beyond that, don’t you?” He sat at the table. “We’ve broken a few dishes, haven’t we, Sissy?”
She vigorously nodded her head. “I’m clumsy, too.”
“Mama.” Michael reached for Allison when she placed another bowl in front of him. Her hand stilled before handing him the spoon.
“I’m sorry,” she said to TJ. “He doesn’t understand.”
“She
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