Page 57 of Cavern of Silence
She closes her eyes and avoids me.
"Can I tell you what I see?" I turn her back to me.
She waits.
"I see a smart, generous, sexy as hell woman who married a selfish man. You're stunning—every part of you. Your ex-husband is the one who lost. He didn't honor and respect you how he should have. And that's on him. Not you. His actions and Jonas Torres's don't change what I see when I look at you. If anything, their actions show how resilient you are, which in my eyes, only makes you more incredible."
A tear drips down her cheek.
I wipe it away and lightly kiss her. "When this is over and we're safe to do what we want, can I take you somewhere?"
She freezes.
"Can I?"
"Where?"
"Have you ever been to New Zealand?"
"No."
"It's on my bucket list. You want to go with me?"
"You want to take me on vacation with you?"
"Yeah. What do you think? Want to experience New Zealand with me?"
She bites on her lip.
"Sorry, you don't have to decide now if—"
"Do you think you're still going to be interested in me after this is all over? Won't you want to date some other women?" she blurts out, and her face grows the hottest I've seen it since meeting her.
"Why would I want to do that?"
Panic crosses her face. "They won't have my issues and... I don't have anything to even contribute. I just signed everything over to Miguel. I've been a flight attendant all my life and don't have any other skills. I'm not sure what I'll do for a career. I—"
I put my finger over her lips. "I'm a one-woman guy, so no, I'm not going to want to date other women. And you don't need any money. I have plenty."
She scrunches her forehead.
My stomach flips.
She's just gotten divorced. You're the rebound.
"I'm sorry if I just put a bunch of pressure on you. You're probably going to want to date other men since your divorce is fresh."
"No."
"It's okay. We aren't married, and you don't have to feel obligated—"
"That's not what I want."
My heart thumps harder. "Then why do you look stressed?"
She rubs her thumb on my cheek. "You make this sound real between us."
My chest tightens. "You don't think it's real?"
