Текст книги "Traded"
Автор книги: Rebecca Brooke
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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 19 страниц)
I let Ashton guide me through the doors and into the elevator. He still hadn’t said a word to me, but the tension poured off of him in waves. It only got worse when the elevator doors closed us in. The air grew static—like there was electricity dancing all around us. I kept my eyes on the doors, only chancing a look when I thought he wasn’t paying attention. The third time, our gazes locked. My body burned. All I wanted was for him to back me into the wall and kiss me like we were in some stupid romance novel.
But this was real life, not some fairytale. The man I wanted more than I should obviously didn’t see me the way I saw him.
The bell dinged and the doors opened, breaking the connection for only a second before he placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me out of the elevator, toward voices that came from the other side of what looked to be a front door. My stomach was buzzing with butterflies, which only got worse when Ashton bypassed knocking and pushed the door, revealing a group of people sitting around, drinking and enjoying each other’s company.
“Ashton.”
An older version of the man beside me stood from the couch, his eyes zeroing in on me as he moved around the furniture to join us in the entryway. “And you must be Elena.” He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips.
“That’s me.”
For the second time in an hour, a blush burned my face. So much for being self-assured. Not even a minute in and I was already tongue-tied. “It’s nice to meet you . . .” The blush on my face intensified. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t even thought to ask Ashton his father’s name.
He laughed. “Call me Malcolm. Come, let’s introduce you to everyone else.”
He kept hold of my hand and walked me into the room. Everyone’s eyes were on me. Even after all the years I’d spent on stage, center of attention, it still made me nervous to be in a roomful of people. It didn’t help that I hadn’t been on a stage in at least five years, if not more.
“Elena, this is my son, Miller.”
A very attractive man with dark hair reached out his hand to me and let out a low whistle as his fingers tightened around mine. “Holy shit, Ashton, you failed to mention she was fucking gorgeous.”
Malcolm smacked Miller upside the back of his head. “Language.”
“Sorry, Dad, but look at her.”
Miller gestured toward me and, unsure of what to say, I just stood there . . . mute. I was so caught up in what was going on around me that I missed Ashton step up behind me. “What did I tell you?” he whispered, his hot breath on my ear making me want to groan. I suppressed a shudder and focused on Malcolm, who was introducing me to a woman with long blonde hair.
“Elena, this is my sister, Veronica.”
The woman smiled and, dispensing with any kind of formality, she stepped forward to wrap me in a hug. “I’m so glad to meet you. I would love to get a chance to talk later.”
“Of course.” I couldn’t imagine what she might want to talk about, but she was Ashton’s aunt and as a guest in his family home it would be rude to question her.
She gestured toward the man next to her. “This is my husband, Samuel.”
I held my hand out and he clasped it in his own. “It’s nice to meet you. Ashton, good to see you again.”
Ashton gave his aunt a hug and shook Samuel’s hand before asking, “Mom’s in the kitchen?”
Malcolm laughed. “Where else did you think she would be?”
Ashton lightly touched my elbow. “Will you be okay here, if I go help Mom finish dinner?”
What was I supposed to say? I knew Ashton loved to cook and his food was fabulous. “Sure.”
“She’ll be fine,” Veronica spoke up. “We don’t bite.”
Ashton shook his head, his tongue darting out to swipe over his white teeth and flashbacks of that tongue on mine in the car nearly had my knees buckling. “I’ll be right through there if you need me.” He pointed toward a set of double white doors and waited for me to respond.
“I’ll be fine. You go.”
“Elena, come sit with me.” Veronica turned to Malcolm. “Can you get us each a glass of Chardonnay?”
“Anything for you ladies.” Malcolm immediately moved to fetch our drinks. It wasn’t hard to see where Ashton had learned his manners. It must be a family trait.
As he waited on us, I realized that Malcolm did not fit any of the molds I’d tried to place him in before we arrived, but while he had been extremely kind to me since we arrived, I had a feeling that under the surface was a man not to be tangled with. He bore the demeanor of a man used to getting what he wanted. He’d protect and defend what was his, no matter the cost.
Not wanting offend Veronica, I took the seat on her other side.
“Samuel, I need you to look over an account for me.” I turned at Miller’s voice, watching him turn to Malcolm. “Dad, can we use your office?”
“Sure,” he called over his shoulder. “Let me finish getting these ladies their drinks and I’ll meet you there.”
Making his apologies, Samuel stood and followed Miller down another hall, just as Malcolm returned and handed us each a glass. “Thank you,” I said, taking hold of the stem, grateful for something to do with my shaking hands. I might have told Ashton I was fine but that didn’t mean the nerves hadn’t returned in full force.
“If you need anything else, just yell.”
Malcolm turned and took the same path as his son and brother in law, leaving Veronica and me alone in the room. I took a sip of my wine, struggling to think of anything to say. Luckily, Veronica was not so awkward.
“So, Elena, tell me about yourself.”
“There’s not much to tell.” I took another sip. The dry flavor of the wine definitely appealed to me. I reminded myself to slow down. It wouldn’t look good if I got drunk.
“I think there’s plenty to tell.”
My shoulders hunched. How much did she know? “I guess you talked to Ashton.”
She laid her hand on my leg, giving a gentle squeeze as she said softly, “No. I spoke with my brother. He told me what happened at the baseball game when you ended up with Ashton, but I didn’t need to know that to read it all over you. It’s easy to spot when you’ve been there yourself.”
My gaze snapped to hers and my eyes widened.
“My husband verbally abused me for years.”
“Samuel?” My voice came out squeaky and I was aware my eyebrows had made their way up into my hairline.
She laughed. “Oh God, no. That man wouldn’t hurt a fly. Samuel is my second husband. My first husband was a raging asshole, but it took me a while to see that.”
I shook my head, feeling the need to leap to my husband’s defense. “Dominic doesn’t mean what he says.”
“He does.” I flinched at her direct tone, but she ignored it and continued. “He means every word of it because it helps him control you. Every time he puts you down, you believe more of the shit he says. You worry you’re not good enough, that he’s the best you’ll get. And bam! you’re his slave. Any of this sound familiar?”
She didn’t pull any punches. “A little. But I’m not his slave.”
“Oh, you’re not? Don’t feed me lines. You already know all of this is wrong—what’s stopping you from admitting it?”
There was no point trying to talk my way out of it. While Veronica may have been in my position at one point, it was clear that she was no longer that woman. I doubted she’d accept anything less than the truth. “He’s the only one who wants me.”
“Have you seen the way my nephews look at you? One in particular?”
“Ashton’s only stuck with me because my husband owes him money and can’t pay it.”
“That may be how you met, but trust me when I tell you that boy wants more.”
“No he doesn’t.”
Taking piece of hair in my hand, I began to twirl it around my fingers, her words running through my mind, confusing me, but I knew the truth. Ashton didn’t want me. He’d near enough said it in the car. I looked away, not crazy about admitting this to a complete stranger, but she needed to understand. “Ashton kissed me tonight, but only for a moment before he pulled away. He said he was sorry, and that he shouldn’t have done it.”
She groaned. “Please tell me that’s not what he said?”
“It is.”
“Hmm . . .” She tapped her forefinger on her chin. “Did you say he said shouldn’t have?”
“Yeah.”
“Doesn’t want to scare you,” she muttered into her glass, her eyes focused on something in the distance.
“But he said he shouldn’t—”
“Exactly, shouldn’t have not didn’t want to. There’s a huge difference, Elena. I know my nephew and there is very little he does without wanting to.”
It was an interesting theory, but I remained unconvinced. “Maybe.”
“Elena, Ashton called because he wants me to try and help you. He knows what I went through and set up this whole dinner so we could talk.”
“He told me he wanted me to learn something tonight.”
“Yes, he does. He wants you to understand you don’t need to put up with the bullshit—that you’re better than that, and deserve to be treated as such.”
“You really think I can do better?”
“Of course you can. I thought the same way with David, but he was wrong. Malcolm helped me see that. Now tell me about your husband so I can show you why everything he says is wrong. It’s what helped me overcome all of David’s garbage.”
It took another glass of wine and a good while, during which time I noted that none of the other family returned to the room, but I told Veronica everything about Dominic; including what led to me staying with Ashton. My throat burned as I tried to hold back my emotions, but the tears slipped from my eyes anyway, and the whole time Veronica held my hand, offering me a tissue when it got too much, never pressuring for more information but waiting for me to continue. The experience was cathartic to say the least. With each admission I began to see what I’d been living with; what I’d let myself live with. And in getting everything out in the open, talking about things that I’d pushed down for so long, some I’d forgotten until that moment, I began to realize that Ashton and Veronica were right. I didn’t deserve the life I was living with Dominic. I was a good person. He was not. And the biggest realization?
I was worth more.
CHAPTER 9
Ashton
I left the room knowing that Elena had no idea what she was in for. Miller and Dad had been briefed and I was confident they would get the hint and leave the room, probably with Samuel in tow. Aunt Veronica did not pull any punches when it came to abusive men. Once she’d pushed David from her life and found herself again, she used her time and energy helping women in the same position she’d been in. If anyone could get through to Elena, it was Aunt Veronica.
I pushed through the double doors and found Mom at the stove, wooden spoon in her hand, glasses perched on top of her head. “Hey, sweetheart.” She smiled over her shoulder. “What are you doing in here?”
I shrugged off my jacket, tossing over one of the chairs. “Helping you while Aunt Veronica talks to Elena.” I lifted the lid on one of the pans, only to have my hand swatted away.
“What the hell?”
“Don’t use that language on me.” She waved the spoon and I ducked. “No touching. I’m almost done. Go hang out with your brother and father.”
“But I can’t go out there while they’re talking. Besides, I like helping.”
“I know, but tonight let me do this. Make sure you’re there for that poor girl. Veronica won’t go easy on her.”
I sighed. “She needs to hear it, Mom.”
She put her hand on my arm. “And she’ll need someone’s shoulder to cry on when she understands how wrong it all is.”
I rubbed at my hand and rested my hip against the cupboard, watching her work her magic. The woman really was a genius in the kitchen. The smells coming from whatever it was she was cooking made my mouth water but I kept my distance. I didn’t need another knock. We chatted back and forth for a while before I fell silent. My mom stopped what she was doing and stared at me, waiting for me to offload.
“You think Aunt Veronica can work miracles?
My mom was honest to a fault. “No. You’re probably going to have to help, but Veronica will make her see the truth. Overcoming it will take time.” She pointed to the door with the spoon. “Now go.”
Laughing, I placed a kiss on her cheek, moving quickly before she swatted me away, grabbing my coat and throwing it over my shoulder. For a brief second I thought about heading to the living room, then I realized I needed to let Aunt Veronica do what she could. Not wanting to interrupt the conversation, I turned away from the living room and walked toward my father’s office.
Miller’s voice drifted down the hall. When I opened the door, they were all sitting around, drinking. Dad passed a glass to me the minute the door closed behind me.
“Figure you could use it.”
Taking a seat on the couch next to Miller, I took a sip of the whiskey, letting it burn its way down. “Why do you say that?”
He scoffed. “After what Ronnie’s going to say and do, you’re going to have a crying woman on your hands.”
My eyes darted to the door and back. The urge to go out there and listen was almost overpowering, but I fought it back and changed the subject. “Dad, why in the hell did you want me to take Elena to the game with me last Thursday?”
He took a seat at his desk and leaned over the top. “For the same reason you want to run out of here and check on Elena.”
“I don’t want—”
“For fuck’s sake, Ashton, do not blow smoke up my ass. I could tell when you showed up that first day to tell me about her. You want her.”
“Hell, I want her. She’s fucking gorgeous.” The vein at my temple throbbed at Miller’s words, images of him taking advantage of Elena running through my head.
Oh hell no!
Dad pointed his finger at Miller. “You, knock it off. I know you wouldn’t do anything, but right now your brother’s thinking about beating your ass into the ground.”
Miller held his hands up in surrender. “Dude, can you blame me for noticing her. Holy hell, I’ve never seen her equal.”
I had enough of Miller’s mouth and threw a punch to his arm, making him spill his drink on his pants.
“Watch it, asshole.”
Dad shook his head. “I warned you, Miller. Now go dry yourself off in the bathroom.”
Grumbling, he stood and left the room. With his smart mouth gone, the tension finally flowed from my shoulders. “That still doesn’t answer my question. If you want me with her, then why send her with me to see what it is we do? I think she got enough of that when she ended up here with me, and Derrick Reynolds showing up the same night didn’t help.” I leaned forward, rolling the glass back and forth in my palms.
Dad leaned back in his chair. “No, she saw a small glimpse. If you want her to stay, she needs to know it all. I firmly believe your mother and I have been together for so long because she knew from day one what I did. I’ve never had to hide anything from her.”
“Trust me. She saw enough.”
“Did she see a payment that went smoothly?”
Knowing he had me, I chose to ignore his question. I groaned. “Why does everyone assume I want this woman? She’s got enough baggage to fill an airplane.”
“But you want her anyway,” Samuel piped up. He’d been so quiet I’d almost forgotten he was there. “Just like I wanted Veronica.”
“Yeah, but Aunt Veronica had been away from David for years before you met her.”
He downed the rest of his drink and shook his head. “Didn’t mean my experience was any different. I had to work harder to earn her trust. I had to prove I wanted her just the way she is. Only then did I get my shot.”
My eyes wandered to the door again.
“Go check on her.” Dad pointed toward it. “We’ll talk more later.”
I was on my feet before he’d even finished his sentence. When I got to the end of the hall, I listened. I didn’t know what I was hoping to hear but the room was silent. I rounded the corner and saw the tears streaking down Elena’s face and my fists went tight at my sides, an unknown feeling overwhelming me to the point where I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. I stalked across the room, my eyes locked on Aunt Veronica. “What did you say to her?”
“Nothing she didn’t need to hear.”
Taking Elena’s hand I pulled her up from the couch, and without giving her the option to refuse, I led her down the hall to my old room. The décor wasn’t that different to when I’d lived there, Mom leaving it as it was in case I ever had reason to stay in the city. Gently, I sat her down on the bed, taking the seat next to her. I cupped her face in my hands, using the pads of my thumbs to wipe away the wet from under her eyes.
“Talk to me.”
She sniffed. “Everything I’ve ever known has been one giant, messed up lie.”
“A lie?”
“Yeah, he never loved me, just wanted to use me.”
Halle-fucking-lujah.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
“I know, but you already hated Dominic. It’s just worse now, because maybe Veronica’s right—maybe I do deserve better.”
“Hell fucking yes you do.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the right move, but it was the move that felt most right in that moment. Lifting her face, I captured her lips with mine and put everything I needed her to feel into the kiss. Her lips were salty from the tears, but unbelievably soft. Our kiss from earlier had been running through my mind and I’d managed to convince myself that I imagined just how great her lips felt against mine.
I was wrong.
She melted into the kiss and I lost all control, tilting her head with my hands, my tongue diving into her mouth, devouring her. A low moan tore through her throat and the sound was so unexpected that it shot heat straight through me and my dick hardened in seconds, my body screaming for hers. My hands began moving of their own volition, searching, seeking more. They ran up her thighs, feeling the muscles shudder beneath my touch, and just as my fingers hit the silky fabric of her dress, moving it up and out of the way, I caught myself.
This isn’t right. It’s too fast. Too soon.
Pulling my hand away, my head fell forward, my forehead leaning against hers, both of us breathing heavily.
“You’re absolutely fucking gorgeous. You deserve the world on a silver platter. And as much I want nothing more than to show you how good it can be, we can’t do this right now.”
She leaned back, looking around, scanning the room, returning from wherever she’d gone in her head. I knew how she felt because when I kissed her, everything else ceased to exist.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth and the panicked look that had so often marred her features when she first came to me returned to her eyes. I couldn’t have her going backward. Not when we’d made so much progress. Taking her hand away from her lips I stood up, taking her with me, pulling her body close so that it was flush with mine. I could feel the heat radiating from her. But my family was out there, likely worried about how Elena was doing. They’d give us privacy, yes, but before anything further happened between Elena and me, we needed to have a conversation. And that couldn’t happen with anyone else around.
“Let’s go have dinner. We can talk about this on the way home.”
I kept her hand in mine and led us from the room. The scent of Mom’s cooking permeated the house and it smelled delicious, my stomach growling as we made our way back toward the dining room. As soon as we walked in, all eyes were on us. While Dad and Miller pretended to be talking about something else and Samuel flicked through the newspaper, Aunt Veronica watched as I settled Elena into a chair and fetched her glass of wine before wrapping her arm around my bicep, bringing her mouth to my ear.
“Ashton, can I talk to you for one second?”
I pulled my lips between my teeth and bit down. I was afraid to leave Elena alone again. Space to think was dangerous. The more you gave her, the easier she found it to retreat. But I knew Aunt Veronica wouldn’t have asked unless it was important. I turned to Elena. “Will you be okay?”
She gave me an uneasy smile. “I’ll be fine.”
“I'll be back in a minute.” I felt bad. After all, this was the second time I’d left her alone since we’d arrived. I let Aunt Veronica lead me from the room. The second we made it to the living room she pointed to a chair.
“Sit.”
Suddenly, I felt like one of my dad’s customers. My aunt was glaring at me, eyes hard. There was a right and a wrong way to approach her. If I got caught yelling, there was no doubt I’d get my ass kicked. On the other hand, I didn’t feel like dealing with her bullshit. It was completely irrational for me to be mad at her. She’d done exactly what I’d asked. But seeing just how upset Elena was, I had a hard time controlling myself. Crossing my arms over my chest I stayed rooted to the spot, watching her, waiting for her to explain what was so important. A brief moment passed in silence.
“What do you want?” My tone was clipped, and although I knew somewhere in the back of my head she didn’t deserve it, my mind was on Elena. I wanted this done with, and fast.
“Don’t start with me, Ashton. You and I are going to have a little talk about Elena. So sit.” She pointed at the couch and then at me and I raised a brow. When, again, she didn’t elaborate, I grew frustrated.
“You’re being ridiculous. I’m going back in there.”
“You’ll never get her if you don’t listen to me,” she called to my back and I stopped in my tracks.
She had me by the balls. If I wanted Elena in my bed, I needed to understand what kept her tied to Tolley, and to do that I had two options: the long way, where I did all the groundwork myself; or the shortcut, where I listened to whatever knowledge Aunt Veronica had to impart and used it to my advantage. I paused for a beat. My dad was right: three months was not a lot of time. Perhaps there was mileage in listening to my aunt. I turned back toward her and lifted my chin.
“You have my attention.”
Her eyes darted to the couch and back to me. She was a stubborn character. If I wanted to know, I had to play by her rules. I took a seat on the couch and she sat across from me, wine glass clutched in her hand.
“What have you done with Elena since she came to stay with you?”
Weird question. “Sent her to the spa, took her to dinner—”
“When you took her to dinner, did you mention anything about the way she looked?”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “Yes, I told her she looked gorgeous.”
“That’s it?”
“Jesus Christ.” I started to stand up. “What else am I supposed to say? She looked great, I told her.”
“You told her you want her?” she countered, and my head snapped to hers.
“That I what?”
She chuckled and pressed a hand to my leg, pushing my back down onto the couch. She took her time, taking a sip of her wine, and giving my leg a squeeze.
“Well?”
“You’re so clueless. Everyone in the house figured it out the moment you walked through the door. You want her, and if you want my help getting her, you’d better keep your ass in that seat and listen.”
“You do realize there aren’t many people who’d have the balls to talk to me this way, right?”
“Cut the crap, Ashton. I learned from the best. Your think your father is good at the big, bad boss routine? Hah! I learned from your grandfather. Now there was a man who took shit from no one. David was lucky Dad passed away before we married. Now stay where you are and don’t get up until I tell you to.”
I leaned back in my seat and waited, my silence speaking volumes, and when she was satisfied that I was staying, she began again.
“Now, you haven’t answered my question. Have you told her you want her?”
I sighed and lifted my eyes to the ceiling. “No. If she wants to be in my bed she’s got to be there because she wants to—not because it’s something to do with her husband’s debt.”
“For a smart guy, you can be an absolute idiot.”
“What?” I growled.
“Earlier tonight, you told her that kissing her was a mistake.”
“I did not,” I answered quickly.
Her eyebrows rose. “Oh really? That’s not what Elena told me.”
I shook my head, racking my brain for my exact words. “I think I said . . . shit.” My eyes focused on hers. “I said, ‘I shouldn’t have done that.’ That’s not what I meant though.”
“That doesn’t matter, Ashton. You have to remember that for the last five years, she’s heard she’s unattractive, that no man besides him would ever want her. You pulling away and saying you shouldn’t have done that only confirmed to her that her husband spoke the truth.”
“Shit. Fuck!”
My head throbbed from the discussion. There were so many things I couldn’t do, or that I should be doing. It was like a minefield. One thing was for certain: that fucker was going to pay for all he’d done to Elena. “That wasn’t my goal.”
“I know.” She smiled. “You can help her more than you know. I understand your reasoning.”
Aunt Veronica didn’t understand as much as she thought. If she knew my tastes didn’t exactly run in the mainstream, she might understand my caution. Elena had been through so much already, Could I really subject her to the possibility of more damage? Could she handle the things I enjoyed?
“You need to show her she’s desirable. I don’t know about Elena’s husband, but David frequently withdrew affection. Take her places, put your hands on her. Don’t just tell her she’s beautiful—show her. You want to her to be strong enough to choose to be in your bed, then make her feel like she can stand on her own two feet. She sits around your house all day doing nothing, right?”
“She’s worked hard enough.”
“And when her three months with you are up, where is she going to go? What will she do?”
“I hadn’t thought about that.”
In truth, I didn’t want to. The time with Elena had been refreshing, not anything like I was used to. She was smart and witty. That wasn’t all, I was different around her. The man I always wanted to be. She might be sexy as hell, but she wasn’t an empty shell, like so many of the women I met over the years. Our time together already seemed so short. I didn’t want to wish it away.
Aunt Veronica watched me, and it would seem that without me even voicing my thoughts, she understood where my mind was going. “Elena will never give Dominic up if she feels she can’t stand on her own two feet. She said she met her husband in high school. Do you know what she was studying?”
“She said it was theater.”
Aunt Veronica’s eyes lit up. “Ah, so you do pay attention to people when you want to. You have to know someone in the theater district. That, or I’d be willing to bet someone owes your dad a favor.”
“I know exactly who to call.” Alan owed me a few favors. After everything I’d done for him over the years, an audition for Elena wouldn’t be a big deal.
She stood up, empty glass in hand, and made her way to the door, holding it open for me but saying in a low voice, “Make the call. I think after that you’ll find things fall into place.”
I leaned in to kiss her cheek and she wrapped her arms around my waist. For such a tiny woman, she had one hell of a body lock. “Oh, and the next time you kiss that poor girl, please don’t tell her it was a mistake.”
I smiled against her hair, knowing I’d at least done something right. “One step ahead of you.”
“Oh I know. Don’t think us women can’t tell the difference between blushes.” She winked. “Now get your ass in gear. It’s time to eat.”
“Thank you.”
She smiled and walked through the door, toward the dining room.
Fuck. What a night? I hung back, taking a moment to process everything I’d just heard and get my head around where I was going to go from here. I went to the side bar and poured a glass of Glen Livet, needing something to settle all of the shit firing around in my brain. The first drops always burned going down. The second sip settled me and helped me to start formulating a plan. Even if I never ended up fucking Elena, at least I could help her get away from that asshole.
“Ashton!”
The call came from the dining room. Knowing my mother, she already had the perfect wine for the meal sitting on the table. I jogged down the hall and found everyone already seated, wine glasses full, eyes on me. Composing my features, I took my seat next to Elena, who looked to be doing a lot better. She took her glass from in front of her and took a sip. I hoped my family hadn’t driven her to that, and resolved to find out what they’d discussed in my absence when we were on our way home.
Home. How quickly I’d become to refer to my house as hers too. It wasn’t the first time I’d reflected on the speed at which we’d settled into a routine, and I had to admit that it was nice to come home to someone at the end of a long day.
“Is everything okay?” she whispered.
Molten chocolate eyes stared up at me through long, black lashes and her nose crinkled at the top. Even concern was a sexy look on her. I took hold of her hand under the table, threading my fingers through hers and feeling the warmth spreading from where our bodies connected, up through my arm until it came to settle somewhere in my chest.
“Everything is fine. Let’s enjoy dinner.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Aunt Veronica watching. She didn’t look as content as I thought she should have been. Something else was on her mind. Whatever it might be, she kept it to herself and conversation around us began to pick up, most of it centering around Elena.
Mom led the charge; the woman could get a clam to open with a few simple questions. She skipped questions about Elena’s husband or the arrangement we were currently in, choosing to ask about her childhood, the things she liked, her favorite memories. I thought for a moment that Elena would be too shy to answer, but she was radiant as she regaled a story about her first audition. She didn’t talk much about her parents, but that didn’t surprise me. If Dominic was anything like David had been, he likely went out of his way to isolate her from her family. Much easier to bring her to heel without outside interference.
Eventually it was time to say good-night. Aunt Veronica gave Elena a huge hug and made her promise to call if she ever wanted to talk. Elena seemed pleased at this prospect and they traded numbers. Finally, after a few attempts, we were back in the car, on the way home.
“Did you enjoy dinner?” I went for small talk, which I normally sucked at but my options were limited. While I had a plan, I’d yet to implement it and after the kiss in the bedroom, I didn’t know what to say without giving her the wrong impression. It wasn’t easy to focus. Just the thought of her mouth against mine had me discreetly adjusting my pants, which is harder to do than one might think when you’re driving.
