Page 6 of Cold Hearted Baren

“I asked if I could have a towel… please?” She adds, a soft blush creeping up her cheeks.

“Oh, yeah, I’ll get you one right away,” I mutter before turning on my heels and walking away as fast as my legs can carry me. Outside the room, I lean against the door, muttering a soft curse under my breath as I glance down at the bulge in my pants. I try to calm down as I head into my room to grab her a towel, I need to have some control before seeing her, wet and glistening again.

Once I have a handle on myself, I head back to her bathroom, three towels in hand so she’s stocked up, and so I don’t have to torture myself by seeing her half naked again. I hand her the towels through the cracked door, and she thanks me with a “You’re the best!”

If only she knew…

Chapter Five

Tara

The next night, I’m curled up in the living room on David’s massive brown leather sectional, wrapped in a green plaid blanket—everything in David’s house is homey, yet so perfectly masculine, I kind of love it.

Honestly, coming here was the best decision I could have made, even just one night away from my apartment, away from Emily’s chaos, has helped me feel more relaxed and ready to focus than I have in years. It’s blissful.

As I’m starting a third episode of my favorite reality show, he appears in the room, running a hand through his salt and pepper waves. He’s removed the tie and jacket he was wearing this morning and now remains only in his navy-blue trousers and white button down. He has his shirtsleeves rolled up once again, and as he gets closer, I cannot take my eyes away from his delicious forearms. God, what I would do to have those arms wrapped around me. The taste of his grasp I got when I bumped into him in the closet was nowhere near enough.

I should probably stop staring and say something…

Pausing my show, I let out a somewhat mangled, “Hey! How was your day?”

He gives me a soft smile, “It was chaotic… but fine,” he says. It seems like he’s holding something back, but I honestly don’t want to push him in his own home, especially after he has been so generous with letting me stay here, so I respond with a simple nod.

“Anyways,” he continues, still standing before me as I am lounged on the couch, looking powerful in a way that only makes me want him more. “I have some time right now, and I was wondering if you still wanted some help studying?”

“Oh my God, yes! That would be fantastic. Let me just run and grab my tablet and textbooks,” I say, before rushing out of the room to get my things upstairs.

When I return, David is still standing in the living room, but suggests we head to the kitchen for a better studying atmosphere. Once I have everything set up on the island and we’ve both taken seats on oak stools next to each other, we begin.

David is brilliant, everything he goes over about biochemical processes seems to be stored in his brain. He doesn’t reference my professor’s materials once, instead giving me a lecture of his own. I take meticulous notes on my tablet, feeling everything click. It’s like I just needed the information to be in his voice to understand it.

As he answers the last of my questions, I feel relief like I haven’t felt in months. This man is changing my life. He finishes speaking, and our eyes meet. The depths of his blue eyes appear to darken, and I see his glance drop to my mouth. My cheeks heat, and just as it looks like he’s going to lean into me, he announces, “Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better about your exams. I have some work to wrap up,” and scurries, yes scurries, out of the kitchen and back to his office.

What just happened?

***

Ever since the odd end to our study session a few days ago, it would seem that David has become… distant. I might be overthinking, but I’ve barely seen him even though we live under the same roof. He's usually out before I wake up in the morning and comes back late at night after I've retired to my room. Even when we run into each other by chance, he responds coldly to my greetings, barely sparing me a glance. I try to tell myself he's a busy man with a company to run and the world to save, but it's starting to feel like he's intentionally avoiding me. I mean what's a quick hello and a nice chat over breakfast?

I glance at the time on my phone. It's almost 8 p.m. and he's not home yet. It's been like this every day since he helped me study and I'm beginning to wonder if he doesn't want me here anymore. I’ve spent the last few nights studying only in my room, but I intentionally came down to the living room today just so I can catch him when he arrives. I need to confirm if he's really avoiding me or if I'm just overthinking things.

Just then, I hear the sound of the garage door opening, a car door being shut. He must be home.

Soon, he walks in, his tall frame filling the doorway. He looks irresistibly handsome in a dark tailored suit that looks like it was custom-made for his broad shoulders. He's loosened his tie so that it hangs loosely around his neck, giving him a rugged charm. His usually well-groomed waves are a little disheveled, like he ran his hands through it a few times during the day, and it's so hot. His gaze meets mine and my breath hitches as his eyes lock onto mine, sending a jolt of electricity through me. For a moment, time seems to stand still and everything else seems to disappear, even the distance that separates us.

A slow heat suddenly starts in the pit of my stomach, spreading rapidly across my body, causing my veins to thrum with an indescribable urgency. I can't seem to breathe. Or look away from the smoldering heat in his piercing blue eyes.

“Hi…” I mutter, slowly rising to my feet. My mouth suddenly feels dry, and my words come out in an almost-chocked whisper.

He crosses the room and stops a few feet away from where I'm sitting, his expression unreadable as he gestures to the textbooks on the table, the tablet in my hands.

“Studying again?”

“Yeah, just want to have everything nailed down before my exams start tomorrow.”

“I see. Well, I don’t want to disturb you. Best of luck with your exams,” he says, his voice gentle yet distant. “I know you'll do great.”

I nod, trying to hide the turmoil swirling inside me. “Thanks,” I mutter, barely pushing the word out. His only response is a curt nod before he turns around and starts to walk away from me.

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