Page 33 of Clean Slade
To be fair, I couldn’t believe it either, considering that had been the whole reason for my trip to town.
“Well, I was busy giving you a New Year’s Eve to remember.”
I expected him to bite back, but he didn’t. Instead, he hid a smile and stayed quiet.
Was that an admittance that my surprise was indeed one he’d remember for the rest of his life?
I knew it would be for me. And if for no other reason than simply because of how close he’d gotten to kissing me.
And he had been close. I knew that much. The signs were all there. The sudden move. The heart palpitations that were so loud I could almost hear them. The staring into my eyes that threatened to undo me. The slow parting of his lips looking so irresistibly inviting.
Yeah, he’d been so close to kissing me that it wasn’t even funny.
If it hadn’t been for Mac, I’d have finished the job he’d started, but I wasn’t going to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with. I might not have a kid, but even I knew you couldn’t mess with their heads like that.
Maybe that was what was stopping him from doing anything. It wasn’t as if last night was the only near-miss we’d had all week. It had been the only one he’d initiated, but there had been many. Mainly due to his clumsiness. And if Mac’s presence here was the only reason he hadn’t done it, I understood.
What I didn’t understand was why he was pretending he wasn’t Rex.
I’d tried to allude to it, the club, the name before, and he’d either change the subject or outright deny it.
King opened a cabinet, and a bug flew out.
“Agh,” he groaned and fell to the floor, covering his head with his hands as if trying to protect himself from an explosion.
“I can’t believe you’re afraid of bugs. They’re harmless.”
“I’m not afraid of them.” He uncovered his head and slowly stood back up. “I dislike them. And harmless? Try telling that to an Australian. Bugs can kill you down there.”
I spread my hands and looked around.
“But we’re not in Australia.”
“Why tempt fate?” he replied, and I choked back a laugh.
“Indeed.”
Maybe that was why he wouldn’t acknowledge me or kiss me.
He didn’t want to tempt fate.
“I guess I’m doing a grocery run for bread.”
Mac jumped out of bed. “Can I come? Can I?”
She had been my little shadow during the week, so it was no surprise she wanted to tag along.
But I’d never taken her into town before. We didn’t know who was around.
“I’m only going to be gone for fifteen, twenty minutes max. Besides, it’s such a boring ride.”
She pouted and turned to her dad.
“Please, Daddy, can I go with Slade?”
“You heard the man. It’s boring.”
“I don’t care. I want to go. Please, Daddy. Please!”
