“Maybe you should.”
He grew quiet.
“Because maybe you’re in just as bad shape as he is…” I was starting to worry, to grow concerned over his health.
He slowly turned his head back to me, still intimidating me. “When you’re the woman in my bed, you get to worry about all that shit. But until you are, my health isn’t your concern.” He turned back to the fire.
I wasn’t sure if that was his way of pressuring me. “Are you implying someone else is currently in your bed?” I hadn’t seen him much, so I really had no idea. Women could come and go down the hallway, and I’d have no idea. These walls were thick. I never heard him in his bedroom, and I doubt he heard me in mine.
He leaned forward slightly, his arms resting on his thighs so his fingertips could touch. “Is that answer not obvious to you?”
The longer I held his gaze, the warmer my cheeks felt. I could feel the blood rise to the surface, innately aroused by the possessive way he stared at me. He’d told me he loved me and it floored me, but I’d never imagined a life with his fidelity, his commitment, even when he got nothing from me. It was the kind of loyalty I’d never received from Liam. The moment things weren’t picture-perfect, he lost sight of his values. “You just said I had no right to have an opinion about your health.”
“No. You don’t have the right to nag. Men put up with that because they’re getting laid. When I’m getting laid, you can give me shit all you want.” He stared at me for several heartbeats before he turned away.
Sex and intimacy had been the last things on my mind for the past few weeks, but now that I was alone with him, watching his hard chest while he was shirtless, I craved those things more. Jumping into bed with someone else would seem too soon after a serious relationship, but since I was in love with this man…it was different.
“No.” He kept his eyes on the fire. “I’m not seeing anyone else.”
I was relieved I wouldn’t have to see that supermodel ever again…with her double-zero waist and her legs for days. I was like most women, with a stomach and an ass.
“That seems pointless to me when there’s only one woman I want.” He grabbed the glass off the table and took another drink, as if he hadn’t just said something deeply romantic.
I wanted to sit right next to him on that couch, to have my legs lying across his, my fingers in his hair. That had been one of our favorite places to make love in the heart of winter. It was hard not to think of those memories…especially when I could recreate them whenever I wanted.
Seven
Damien
I walked down the hallway and headed down the stairs to the main dining room. It was early morning, and I needed to be in the office in an hour. When I reached the bottom floor, I saw the sunlight flooding in from every window, bringing the heat of springtime, the images of blooming flowers and vibrancy bright in my mind.
My father was already at the table, reading the paper while he enjoyed his morning coffee.
Sometimes I joined him. Sometimes I didn’t have time. I took a seat and poured a steaming cup of coffee.
He finished the paragraph before he folded the paper and set it to the side. “’Bout time you showed your face.”
The corner of my mouth rose in a smile. “Good morning to you too.”
“It’s been over a week since I’ve seen you.”
“Well, I have a job. You don’t.”
He gave me an exasperated look before he drank from his coffee.
Patricia gave me a plate of egg whites with veggies and a piece of wheat toast. She gave my father a completely different meal—pancakes, bacon, and eggs.
He bathed everything in syrup before he started to eat.
I noticed my father had gained at least ten pounds since he’d moved in a few months ago. “Maybe you should have a light breakfast and have a bigger lunch.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He sliced into his pancakes and placed a large piece into his mouth, the syrup dripping.
“It means you’re getting fat, Dad. I had you move in here to have a better life. But if you keep eating like this, you’re gonna have a lot of other problems.”
Just to be ridiculous, he took another enormous bite. “I’m a grown man, and I can eat what I want.”
Even if I wanted to kick him out, he wouldn’t leave. He loved his new life in my house. He loved having Patricia to wait on him, to make meals he couldn’t get enough of. “Just giving you some friendly advice.”
“Well, it wasn’t very friendly.”
“Tough love never is.” I took a few bites and stared out the open windows.
“Catalina is fond of your lady friend.”
“Annabella told me the feeling is mutual.”
“Is this serious?”
I chewed the rest of my food as I considered my response. “You’ve never asked me stuff like that before, so don’t ask now. You’re living with me, so I can’t hide those things like I used to.”
His pancakes were devoured, so he picked up a slice of bacon and took a bite, the crunch audible. “I know you’ve had women come and go here, but I’ve never asked. The reason why I ask now is because she joined us for lunch. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen you acknowledge a woman in your life at all.”
That was a solid argument, and I couldn’t counter it.
“And she’s beautiful…lovely…interesting.” He took another bite and continued to chew. He was aggravated minutes ago, but now he seemed involved, like this conversation was interesting rather than frustrating. “You have to think about your legacy, Damien. You’re getting old.”
“I’m not a woman, Dad.”
“But you don’t want to be an old man when your kids are finally grown.”
I might not even live long enough to grow old. “You’re still here, aren’t you?”
“And you’ll be the first one to say I’m an old-ass man.”
I chuckled. “Dad, you’re fine.”
He shrugged. “You don’t want me to live alone, you think I’m fat…”
“That’s not what I said—”
“That’s what I heard, and that’s all that matters.”
I rolled my eyes because it wasn’t possible to argue with my old man.
“So, can I ask about this woman?”
I considered the request for a long time before I gave in. “I guess.”
“Is it serious?”
My dad and I had never had this kind of conversation before, and it was almost weird. His fatherly duties faded away once I became a man, and he respected me as an adult and didn’t pry into my life…unlike my mother. But he switched back into the role almost effortlessly. “Yes.”
There was a powerful look of joy in his eyes, but it was also incredibly subtle, as if he did his best to hide how happy that made him. It was a softer expression, a great contradiction to the hardness he usually wore. “Is it the first time this has happened to you?”
“Yes.”
“I wish I’d known that sooner…I would have made a better impression.”