Page 133 of Meet Me In The Dark
“A dog. Big. Lazy. Something that snores and sheds. Maybe when I slow down.”
I snort. “So, never?”
“Probably,” he agrees with a small grin.
“Do you sleep well?”
He exhales through his nose, like he’s summoning patience for this conversation. “Rarely.”
“When’s the last time you got a full eight hours?”
He thinks for a second. “When I was twelve.”
“Okay. Six hours?”
“Before I met you.”
My mouth goes dry.
All I can do is stare at him, feeling my heartbeat in places it shouldn’t be.
This man. This tightly wound, emotionally restrained, maddening man is starting to undo me, and I don’t know how to stop it.
“What’s with all the questions?”
I lift my shoulders and let my heels tap against thecabinet below me. “Nothing. Just curious.”
I tug at the sleeves of my sweater, twisting the cuff between my fingers as my gaze shifts toward the glass doors across the room.
The sun is long gone, but the last traces of it paint the sky in soft streaks of gold and indigo. The doors are cracked just enough to let in the sound of the waves.
“Would you like to go for a walk on the beach?”
The words just slip out.
I don’t even know why I say them. Maybe to fill the space. Maybe because I don’t want this moment to end.
Straightening, he takes one long stride, only to give me the briefest kiss. “You want to walk the beach?”
I nod.
“Then we’ll walk the beach.”
I slide off the counter and grab the throw blanket draped over the back of the couch.
Outside, we follow the winding path down to the sand, as the hush of the waves grows louder with each step.
Julian walks beside me, but he doesn’t try to fill the silence with talk.
I like that about him.
Most men get nervous in the quiet. Not Julian. He exists in it.
“You walk out here often?” I finally ask.
“Not really. I like the view and the peace, but I don’t make it out here as often as I should. Too much work. Too much shit to do, I guess.”
I nod, pushing my toes deeper into the sand. “That’s a shame. You live in a place like this and barely enjoy it?”
