Page 14 of Seduced By You

“The face that tells me you’ve got an asshole on your mind.”

“That sounds… weird. And am I really so transparent?”

“Yes.”

“You’re supposed to have your eyes on the road.”

“They are.”

“Then how did you see my face?”

“What can I say? I’m a multitasker.”

“With an answer for everything.”

“That, too.”

I blew out a slow breath. “I was thinking about Benedict; you’re right. I’m half dreading, half itching for this wedding to get here already.”

“It’ll be fine, you know. Think of it as closure.”

“Yeah. That’s a good point.”

“I have my uses.”

I smiled at him and briefly rested my head on his shoulder. “I often thank my lucky stars you were out running that day. I honestly don’t know what I’d have done without you these last nine months.”

“You’d have been fine.” He cleared his throat. “You’re a survivor.”

“I don’t feel like a survivor. I feel like a victim.”

“Well, you’re not. You turned your back on the only career you’d ever known and picked up a new one as if you’d been doing it your whole life. You drew a line in the sand with your parents, even though it cost you more than you’re willing to admit to yourself, let alone to them. You have enriched not only my life but also the lives of everyone at the beach club. You have to look at things through a different lens. That’s all.”

I gazed at him fondly. “You always seem to say the right thing to bolster my flagging self-esteem. You know that?”

“One of my many qualities.” He chuckled.

“I’ve been thinking.” I tugged on my lip.

“Uh-oh. This sounds ominous.”

“About my future.”

“Oh yeah?” His voice was soft, tentative, almost as if he guessed what was coming.

“I need to figure out what to do with the rest of my life, and right now, I haven’t a clue.”

He sighed, nodding. “I guessed this was coming, but I’ve pushed it to the back of my mind. For selfish reasons, I don’t want you to leave the beach club. Or me.”

“I’d never leave you. You’re my ride-or-die.”

“Yeah, until you find The One and he steals you away from me.”

“Never gonna happen. Whomever I end up with will have to accept that you’re part of the package. Like Dash.”

“You’re comparing me to a cat?”

I clapped a hand to my forehead. “How silly of me. Of course Dash is more important.” I laughed.

---