Page 41 of Pulse
Suddenly, I’m aware we’re alone. Troy and I are in this beautiful house, away from everyone and everything. And it’s all for me.
My chest tightens. “Hey.”
He lifts a brow.
“Thank you,” I say. “I don’t know if I’ve said that in my rambles today. You didn’t have to do this, and I really appreciate it. I’m sure it’s very inconvenient.”
He stiffens again.
“But,” I say, “you should be thanking me, too. I basically saved you from Laina Kelley. Talk about being a hero.”
He tries not to show his amusement but fails.
“Come on,” I say. “Let’s see the upstairs.”
“You don’t find being in someone else’s house awkward?”
“Actually, yes, I do.” I grip the iron railing and lead him up the stairs. “But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stay in a home that I’ll never, ever be able to afford. So I might as well soak it up.” She pauses. “Hell, I might be dead by the end of the day.”
“There are a lot of possibilities over the next few days, but that’s not one of them.”
I blush, making sure I don’t look at him. He probably meant that literally—and that’s not how I took it.
We check out three emptied bedrooms to the right of the stairs. In one of them, a scaffold is set up as if a painting crew’s about to start work. We go to the other side of the staircase and into a cozy bedroom with a white and blue bed, light-colored wood furniture, and an en suite.
“Look at that tub,” I squeal. “I’ve dreamed of having one since I was a little girl. My mother and I watched a movie where the girl bathed in a tub like this. Mom thought it was the epitome of sophistication, and that idea has been implanted in my brain ever since.”
“Does this make you a bath lover?”
“Yes. Absolutely. What’s more luxurious than lying in a basin of hot, soapy, sweet-smelling water until it runs cold?”
His lips twitch.
“What?” I ask, curious. “What are you thinking?”
“Nothing.”
“Tell me, Troy.”
“Nothing,” he says, chuckling. “You’re right. A bath is the most luxurious thing in the world.”
I stick a finger into the middle of his solid chest—regretting it as soon as I make contact.
A blast of energy shoots up my finger and frazzles every nerve in my body. Troy’s eyes flash, but he recovers more quickly thanI do. Still, I try to play it off by walking around him and into the massive walk-in closet.
“I like you agreeing with me,” I say, hoping my voice doesn’t betray me. “But not if you’re making fun of me.”
“I’d never do such a thing.”
“Look at this,” I say, pointing at an island in the closet that’s bigger than most kitchen islands. “This is utterly ridiculous and the coolest freaking thing at the same time.”
Troy shakes his head. “These people have more money than they know what to do with.”
I hop onto the island and swing my feet back and forth. “What would you do if you had all this money?”
He shrugs.
“Come on,” I say, taunting him. “What would you do? Would you buy a house like this? Would you buy a fancy car? Would you just travel the world and not have a care in the world?”
