Page 25 of Shameless Expectations

“Is that okay with you?” Monti asked, her voice gentle. “That’s always my intention when I’m with clients.”

Client.

Right. Athena was nothing more than a client. She knew that. But why did she seem to want more than that? Why did it feel like more than that? Rubbing her lips together, Athena stayed put, her chest rising and falling with her steady breathing.

“Yes, that’s okay,” she answered in a whisper.

“Good.” Monti scratched her scalp. “Good, I’m glad. I hope that we can continue on this trajectory.”

“Continue?” Athena posited, her brow wrinkling. “You’re not my therapist.”

“No, no, I’m not.” Monti winced and ran her fingers through her hair again. “You’ll have to forgive me. I’m quite exhausted, and my brain isn’t as sharp as it should be for this conversation.”

“What conversation?” Athena tightened her grasp on the edge of the mattress, waiting for whatever shoe was going to drop next. Because it always did.

“A reflection and a check-in. That’s all this is.” Monti pressed her full palm to the bed. “I wanted to make sure you had as much uninterrupted sleep time as possible. I wasn’t sure when your husband would be in.”

“My…” Athena stopped herself. Monti didn’t know. No one knew, not really. Not even Fallon. Athena had never allowed any one of her staff to get the full picture of her marriage, and that had been on purpose. Kevin had done the same. They were so well-practiced at it by that point that it was second nature. But for some reason, some unspeakable reason, Athena wanted Monti to know. Because maybe next time she wouldn’t hurt herself to stay awake the whole night just to protect Athena.

And that was what she’d done, wasn’t it?

Protect Athena from any interruptions so she could get exactly what she needed. And the cost had been Monti’s lack of sleep. Athena’s heart clenched at that thought. Too many times she’d allowed her own issues to hurt others, and she hated when that happened. She had to rectify it.

“My husband doesn’t sleep in this room,” Athena answered, her voice somber and dry. “He has his own room.”

“Okay.” Monti seemed curious, but she didn’t push for an answer either.

Who did that?

They fell into a silence, the awkwardness filling Athena’s chest with raw emotion she hadn’t expected. But she wasn’t quite ready to pick through it yet. Not when Monti was still in the room. “If you’re too tired to drive, Fallon can drive you home.”

Monti frowned. “I am too tired to drive. But my home is my van, Ms. Pruitt.”

“Your van?” Why hadn’t she realized that before? Surely Fallon had said something about that. Monti was a drifter, that much had been clear, but how had Athena missed that her entire life was in the vehicle that she drove?

“Yeah. So if you don’t mind me sleeping on your property, that’d be preferred. I can drive it off in a few hours after a good nap.”

Athena shook her head slowly before she realized that was what she was doing. She leaned in closer to Monti, the scent of her skin filling Athena’s nostrils. It was a mix of body odor, though not strong, and something else that she couldn’t place, something that made her head spin with delight. “Stay here.”

“What?” Monti stilled.

“I mean stay in a guest room. I’m sure the bed is more comfortable than what you have in the van.”

“My van is pretty comfortable. But anything is better than that chair.” Monti’s full cheeky smile was beautiful—stunning.

Athena was knocked back by it, her stomach twisting with odd sensations. She shook her head again. “Stay in a guest room. It’s not a bother at all. We have all these rooms that are never used. You might as well find one to sleep in for a few hours.”

“Hours?”

“Or all day if you need it.”

Monti canted her head to the side, raising her chin up and narrowing her eyes down at Athena. Monti was judging her, that much Athena knew, but it wasn’t one of those mean judgmental looks. It was as if Monti was just trying to figure out exactly what was going on through her brain, the ins and outs of what she meant.

“It’s the least I can do.”

“It’s not a requirement for a massage,” Monti answered. “I’ll be fine in my van.”

Once again, Athena shook her head and rejected Monti’s attempt. “Sometimes, Monti, you just have to accept the gift. Even if you don’t want it.”

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