I cleared my throat, forcing my thoughts on something less erotic in an effort to calm the beast in my trousers. I would have to take care of myself later. Against my better judgment, I plucked the Dangerous Heart book from the armrest, stuck it inside my waistband, and pulled my shirt over it. I would just borrow it for a short while, then I would return it when she wasn’t looking. Harmless. At least that was the intention.
It was an hour later when I heard Chelsea’s breathing change, and I stood up to check on her for the billionth time. She was sitting up in bed, her hair tossed about and her tank twisted enough that I caught some side boob before she righted it and squinted back at me.
“You’re still here.”
I couldn’t tell if it was surprise or relief that filled her tone, but I was happy it wasn’t disappointment. “How do you feel?”
She stretched, revealing her midriff as her shirt lifted with her arms. “A little foggy but better, I think.”
“You look better.” I caught my words and realized how she could interpret them the wrong way. “I mean, the hives are gone. You’re on the mend.”
She blew out a breath of relief. “Thank you for the rescue back there. If it weren’t for your heroic catch, I would have ended up with broken bones too.”
“It was nothing.” I took a step back, suddenly feeling like an intruder. I had no reason to linger, and I definitely shouldn’t have borrowed her book without permission. “I’ll be on my way. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
I’d already made it halfway to the front door when Chelsea called to me. “Wait, um.”
I turned to see her rush out from her room, eyes wide as they fixed on me.
“Let me repay you with lunch. You’ve got to be hungry.”
I hadn’t even thought about lunch until she mentioned it. My stomach answered her with a rumble I knew she couldn’t hear. Lunch with the nanny—while it sounded appealing, it also sounded like a terrible idea. When I didn’t answer right away, she continued.
“We could go somewhere, or I could make something here.” She looked toward her kitchen. “I think I have some bread and cold cuts in the fridge.”
I made a face I knew could be taken as rude, but I couldn’t help myself. “Sarnies are much better here in America, I suppose, but—” I was going to give her some lie about needing to run an errand instead of joining her for lunch when I caught the anxious look in her eyes. The look told me I would crush her feelings if I didn’t allow her to return whatever favor it was she thought she owed me. “We can go somewhere, if that’s all right with you. Perhaps I should get to know the area a little while we’re out.”
Chelsea let out a smile, and she almost looked relieved. “Okay, let me just get dressed.”
“Of course.”
She rushed back into her room then shut the door behind her.
While she was changing, I made a mad dash to her small shelf and pulled her book I’d borrowed from my trousers. Sweat would surely ruin her precious book if I didn’t put it back, and guilt still gnawed at me for taking it to begin with.
I’d just slipped the book back into its rightful position on the shelf when I heard a sound I should have detected sooner. I hadn’t noticed the door behind me open until it was too late.
“What are you doing?”
Shit. Chelsea’s voice was dangerously low and suspicious. I whipped my head around to face her, almost afraid to find what was staring back at me. How much had she seen? Maybe she hadn’t seen me pull the book of word porn from my trousers.
“Why were you pulling my book from your underwear?”
Double shit. I held up my hands in defense, like that could protect me from whatever wrath came with sticking my nose where it didn’t belong. “I’m fascinated by your—” I waved at the shelf behind me, not knowing what to call it. “Taste in books. Nice library.”
She stepped closer, getting a look at the book I’d just had in my hands. Her eyes lit up with amusement. “Did you read any of it, or did you just like the cover?”
I twisted my mouth and bent my brows together at her question. “You were asleep for quite some time, and these were on display.” I waved my hand toward her shelves. “Trust me, I had no idea I’d be entertaining myself with such titillating content.” Turning the tables had never felt so good.
Now it was Chelsea’s turn to look shocked. “I don’t know what’s worse, that you stole my book or that you actually wanted to read it.”
I chuckled, pleased to see this lighthearted side of her. It was good to know she wasn’t always so uptight. “I was curious, mostly.”
“Curious?” She studied my face like she could find more to my admission there. “About the book or me?”
“Both, I suppose.”
She stepped forward until she was right in front of me, and a spark of hope ignited in my chest, a spark that I knew better than to let burn. I imagined Chelsea leaning in and giving me a taste of those full pink lips. I imagined her chest brushing mine and the soft caress of her fingers running over my biceps. It was only a flash, but it was vivid enough I inhaled sharply.
I hadn’t seen her reach past me, but when she pulled back and smacked something against my chest, I didn’t have to look down to know what it was. “Books are meant to be shared. Just make sure to return it when you’re done.”
With a wink, she turned away, and that was the moment I knew Chelsea would test my limits, limits I couldn’t afford to exceed.
6
Chelsea
It was only a ten-minute ride from the Hogues’ manor to downtown Providence, and in that short time, I learned three interesting facts about Liam. The man didn’t appear to be addicted to electronics like the rest of mankind. Not once did he reach for his phone—he’d said he called Simon earlier, so I knew he had one on him. For an instant, I wondered if that was a British thing, then I had a flashback to my interview with the Hogues and how many times Simon had to ask me to repeat a response to a question because he was constantly staring down at his device.
We shared similar taste in music. Seconds after getting into my old red Honda Accord, Liam managed to find a Panic at the Disco CD and started playing it. Not only that but he mouthed the words, not messing up a single lyric as he went. I would be lying if I said the perfect synchronization of his lips to the words didn’t intrigue me.
He was a stranger, but he didn’t feel like one. I found something comforting about his presence when nothing had felt comfortable at all lately. Perhaps it was the calm that surrounded him, even in our most awkward meetings. Maybe it was that crooked hint of a smile that never seemed to leave his face. Maybe the fact that he was a stranger was what comforted me most of all.
In all my years living in Providence, I’d been surrounded by the same friends, family, and schoolmates. It was like a little bubble that had, in ways, sheltered me from the outside world, and it was only now that I was beginning to realize how isolated my life had been.
My parents had never taken me on any big vacations, mostly because they felt like I should be in school or they were taking an anniversary trip and wanted to be alone. While my parents loved me plenty, I knew that if I wanted adventure, I would have to make my own. One day I will, I kept telling myself.