Page 38 of Avoiding Temptation
His hand lifts to rub the back of his neck, and I instantly feel awful for assuming he meant more than he did with his comment.
“Fuck, I didn’t mean—”
“I’m sorry, it was my fault. Old habits die hard, I guess.”
His brows draw together. I know he’s desperate to discover more about my past, but I’m barely able to think about it right now without falling into a panic attack, let alone talk about it.
“Can I…?” he trails off and nods over my shoulder into my flat. My eyes follow, and I hesitate. “I promise I’m not going to jump you or anything. I just have a proposition that might interest you.”
I narrow my eyes at him, already interested in his cryptic statement, and stand aside to allow him over the threshold.
“Coffee?” I ask, walking past where he’s dropped to the sofa and over to the kitchen.
“Sure.”
I put the kettle on and get the mugs out, anything that will attempt to distract me from the pull that’s always there when he’s close.
Chancing a glance over my shoulder, I find him sitting back, relaxing on my sofa with his eyes locked on me. My need to find a seat on his lap is strong, but I fight to keep even a scrap of my self-control and continue with what I’m doing…but that’s not before he graces me with a heart-stopping smile. That alongside the cheeky glint in his eyes makes me wonder what kind of proposition he’s turned up here with.
“So?” I ask, placing his coffee down on the table and sitting as far away from him as possible on my small two-seater sofa.
“So…” He leans forward and places his elbows on his knees. His eyes never leave mine. “I get that you don’t want to talk about it. Honestly, I do. But I can see you’re scared and from the look of your eyes right now, I can tell that whatever it is is keeping you up at night. I want to help.”
“How?” I ask, confused as to how he can help when he has no idea what haunts both my waking and sleeping hours.
“Spend the weekend with me?” My eyes widen in shock. “Let me take you away from here and everything you’re worrying about.”
“Joe, we can’t—” All the reasons why he shouldn’t even be here right now circle through my head, let alone the million and one reasons why we shouldn’t spend an entire weekend together. The knowledge that I feel too connected to him already after the small amount of time we’ve spent together up until now is only a part of the problem.
“Forget it all. Whatever’s in your head right now, forget it. I’m not a student. You’re not a teacher. We’re just two people enjoying their time off and each other. Let’s leave all the stress behind. Just for a few days.”
I can't deny that what he’s proposing sounds incredible. I’m desperate to scream yes, pack a bag and drag him from the building, but I’ve got to think of the bigger picture here.
I sit forward on the sofa, my body willing me to get up and get ready to go, but my mind holds me back.
“What did you say to me before our night out? That you wanted to live, you wanted to experience new things. This is just like that night but longer. Let’s tick a few more experiences off your list.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I’ve booked us a hotel in a place I think you’ll love.”
“You’ve booked it? A little presumptuous, wasn’t it?”
“You’re worth the risk.”
My chin drops, my heart damn near stopping dead in my chest at his words. My eyes hold his as I look for any hint that he’s joking, but I find nothing.
It’s those four little words and the meaning behind them that has me jumping up and pulling clothes from the small wardrobe at the other side of the room and quickly stuffing everything into a holdall.
“Is that a yes?” Joe asks with a laugh as his eyes follow my every move.
“Just because you asked so politely.”
“Not sure I’ve ever been described as polite before. Next you’ll be telling me that I’m chivalrous and thoughtful.” His words are quiet, like I’m not really meant to hear them. But I do.
I pause and look up. “You are.”
“That’s because I’ve only shown you that side of me.”
