Page 67 of Love In Translation

“Did he text you?” Carrie asked.

Rheo shook her head.

“I don’t know why he’s acting like this,” Carrie told her, looking genuinely confused. “He’s normally so upfront.”

Rheo didn’t understand either, but she wasn’t going to wait around for him. She was going to take a shower, go to bed, and in the morning, she’d deal with Fletch.

She looked at Carrie. “He’s got a key. You don’t have to wait up for him.”

“I know, but I will. Do you want me to pass on a message?” she asked.

Rheo shook her head. By saying nothing, he’d told her a lot.

Thirteen

Rheo heard heavy footsteps in the hallway and recognized them as Fletch’s. His bulk filled the doorway to her room. He quietly closed the door, and walked over to the bed, sitting on the strip of mattress next to her. His hand brushed over her hair, and she shivered as his fingers trailed down the bare skin of her arm.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Rheo rolled over to face him, and in the semidarkness, saw the deep frown lines between his eyes. He looked tired but smelled great. God, she’d missed him. It was hard to keep her hands off him, so she scooted over to put some space between them. Her plan backfired because he lay down next to her, heat rolling off him. She held herself rigid, resisting the temptation to scoot over to him, to put her bare leg over his, to fling her arm across his T-shirt-covered chest. To kiss her way down his throat, to pull down his boxer shorts and take him in her hand to remind him of what he’d missed.

But she wouldn’t. He couldn’t ignore her for days and then slip back into her bed and pretend nothing happened.

Fletch rested his forehead against hers, his toothpaste-fresh breath hitting her lips. His stubble was a little longer than usual, and his hair was damp.

“I know I was a jerk, Rhee. We don’t even have to make love, I just want to hold you.”

Big of him. She bunched her fists. “Did you sleep with anyone else while you were away?” she demanded. She needed to know—she couldn’t think until he told her.

Shocked silence hovered between them. “What thefuck? No, of course I didn’t!”

A little tension dissolved, but she wasn’t about to let him off the hook. “It’s a fair question, Fletcher.”

He raked his hand through his hair, rolled over to face her, and laid a gentle hand on her hip. “Rhee, I was busy doing shit.”

“Too busy to send me a message? Just a ‘hey’ or an ‘I’ll be back soon’?”

“I’m not used to checking in, Rheo, it’s not something I think to do.”

Maybe, or he could be bullshitting her big-time. Maybe a little of the first, a lot of the second?

God, she hated feeling confused. Fletch’s thumb found a strip of bare skin between the band of her sleeping shorts and her vest, and he painted fire on that square inch of flesh.

She wanted topunchhim for ghosting her and then crawling back into her bed, his roving hand hinting that he wanted sex. How dare he!

She was about to kick him out when she realized that, shit, nothinghadhappened between thembutsex. He’d told her he wasn’t into commitment or settling down, wasn’t the type to fall in love, but here she was, annoyed because she wanted more and he didn’t. That wasn’t fair; he didn’t owe her anything.

He’d made her no promises...

And why should she deprive herself of awesome sex? If that was all she could get from him, she’d take it.

She was desperate to bury her nose in his neck and slide her leg over him, but because she didn’t want to cave so soon, she told him her parents’ van was in his parking space.

“I noticed,” he replied, sounding amused. “Carrie said you had quite a conversation over dinner.”

Rheo lifted her shoulder. Moonlight streamed into the room, but she noticed the concern on his face. “It wasn’t as bad as I expected. I got a few things off my chest. They did too. They explained I don’t need to be as concerned about them as I’ve been. It was...” she looked for the word “...cathartic.”

“I’m glad.” He shuffled closer, and his bare hand slipped under the band of her shorts to cup her ass. “You smell so good,” he murmured. “Carrie told me she’s going to do the mud race with you.”

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