Page 48 of Our Little Cliche
Me:
Then why do you have girl’s shampoo in here? And there’s hair ties and hygiene products in here too. And you have Justin Bieber CD’s. And your house is very feminine.
Cyrus Stone aka Sexy Boss:
Is that what this is about? Holly, I have three sisters. This was our family home that we grew up in. I always have their products here for them for when they visit, and most of the stuff are things I’ve never brought myself to pack away since they left.
And as stupid as it sounds, I don’t want it to look like I live in an empty house. Because if it looks empty, I feel empty.
Oh.
The three dots appear again, so I wait, keeping my thumb away from the keys.
Cyrus Stone aka Sexy Boss:
Addressing the feminine thing, I don’t know what kind of men are in Australia but I look after myself, and my house. I clean, I cook, I collect books and wines. I decorate my house the way I like it. I didn’t think that my style would consolidate me being a married man.
Good one, Holly.
Asshole of the year award goes to… drum roll please.
Me.
Me:
Cyrus, I’m sorry I just thought… Well, I don’t know what I thought. I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m so confused about last night. I’m sorry. It was a mistake.
Wasn’t it?
Cyrus Stone aka Sexy Boss:
Was it?
No.
It wasn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Two
CYRUS
I paceback and forth by the fireplace that I’ve just stoked for the evening, reading Holly’s messages and wishing that I didn’t send mine. Why can’t I just learn to keep my mouth shut with this woman? Everything I say and do sends her running for the hills. I have completely messed this up.
Come on, Stone. Get a grip of yourself! One woman simply cannot possess such powers to make you lose it like this.
Oh, but shecan.
And she’s locked in her room right now, all alone and confused, and probably hungry again as it’s been a whole day since I delivered her breakfast. At least she’s showered, though. The only reason I knew she showered was because the pipes had screamed blue murder for water to run through them, but to no avail as hell was frozen over outside still. So what did any good man do? Boil six pots of water on my stove, and dip all of my hand towels in them to wrap around the pipes outside to defrost it enough for her.
It’s when she was in said shower that I wasn’tany good man. I’m not a sneaky man by nature, but I am a curious one. I didn’t intend on prying, but the meddling inside my head hadhit me hard. I wanted to know if she was okay. When I snuck in I saw Holly’s phone sprawled on the bed with one of my sister’s historical romance books.
When I saw her phone face side up, I tapped on the screen, not expecting to see what I saw. A message from a contact saved asCyrus Stone aka Sexy Boss.
Sexy Boss…
Oh, perfect. Now I get to look at her right in the eye, knowing what my name is in her phone. Which is going to beabsolutelyfucking impossible.
…And queue the dick pulses.
