Page 65 of Faking It

Ana releases a shuddering sigh beside me. “Asshole.”

I hear the trace of fear in that simple word. Looking down at her, it’s right there on her face.

“Has he ever been violent with you?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “No, never.”

“Yet, you’re scared.”

It’s not a question, but she nods. “Just something in his tone that puts me on edge.” She waves her hand. “It’s probably nothing. Can you walk me upstairs, anyway?”

“That goes without saying. Come on.” I take her hand in mine but allow her to lead me into the apartment building. My heart sinks when I step inside, seeing the chipped wall paint along the staircase with the broken railings and signs of leaking on the roof. Inside her apartment is no better. The furniture has seen better days. Worn down, torn in places, one of the dining chairs missing a foot. Yet, the entire space looks spick and span, smelling like freshly laundered clothes.

Ana rubs the back of her neck, her cheeks bright red. “I’ll be moving out in a few weeks. Just waiting for my new landlord to get things in place.”

I nod, then go to check the windows. To my dismay, none of them have a solid lock. It gives easy access to anyone who takes the fire escape, especially someone who knows about the faulty windows.

Someone like Logan.

There’s no way I’ll rest easy if I leave Ana alone tonight.

“Pack your bags,” I tell her as she sits down on the couch to take her heels off. “You’re coming with me.”

***

“Is the bed comfortable?”

From the edge of the bed in my guest bedroom, Ana glances up at me with a smile. “Way better than mine.” She runs her hand over the white cotton comforter. “Thanks again for inviting me to stay tonight.”

I’m still surprised she took the offer, actually. Leaving her alone wasn’t an option. I’d been prepared to bunk down in her living room if it came to that point. When she nodded without an argument, I wanted to punch the air. Instead, I calmly settled on the couch while she packed her things.

The ride to my apartment was a quiet one, with Ana’s gaze turned to the window, her chin resting on her palm. She was processing, I could tell because I was doing the same. The entire night has been weird. Good weird. Kind of. Unleashing that burden left me feeling light as a feather. It’s surreal how heavy those feelings were that I’d been carrying all along.

I step inside the bedroom, an extra pillow clutched in my hand. “You’re more than welcome to stay as long as you’d like. I told you that.”

“Yeah, I know,” she replies. “Tori will be home in the morning. I’ll stay with her until my new apartment’s ready.”

Disappointment courses through me, but I push it away. Did I really expect she’d want to stay for more than one night? We’ve just broken the ice in the situationship we’ve got going on here. It might take a long time before she looks at me with trust in her eyes.

For some reason, I want to earn her trust.

She takes the pillow from me and drops it behind her, a soft smile lighting up her face. “I don’t know why you keep rescuing me, but I’m grateful.” Her smile widens. “My knight in shining armor.”

I recognize the subtle teasing. The old Gideon, the one who existed a few weeks ago would lean into it and take things further, ending right in my bed. Or the carpet. Or the kitchen counter. Bottom line, I’d be fucking her brains out before the night was through.

Yes, that was the old Gideon. New Gideon was conceived when I saw my mom in that hospital hooked up to tubes, the doctors working around the clock to save her life. He started forming when Jeremy made off with my all my money and emerged from the womb when I discovered that fine print on my father’s contract. It’s time to get serious about life. There’s no time for fucking around, breaking hearts and having one-night stands for the heck of it.

Although, with Ana, I don’t think she’d be a one-night stand.

She’s not the kind of woman you forget, the kind you’re in a hurry to banish from your bed in the morning. I can’t imagine seeing her on the street and pretending we’ve never met. Ana Kent will stain my memory, of that, I’m sure.

“That was a joke,” her voice interrupts my thoughts. “I’m capable of making one, you know.”

“Something I wouldn’t have believed until tonight, honestly,” I joke back, and she rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “Honestly, it’s refreshing to see this playful side of you.” Her grumpiness was kind of hot, I must admit, though.

Ana’s smile fades, and she looks down on her hands resting on her lap. “I wasn’t always like this, you know.”

“Like what?”

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