Page 10 of Touch Me

Either way, the smile is gone, and he releases a sigh. “Let’s get this tour over with, so I can get back to work.”

Well, shit. I’ll just close the file on the little fantasy that was starting to play out in my head. The one where he picks me up and slams me against the window while I climb him like a tree.

Delete.

“Okay.” He turns his back on me to close his laptop, and I use my fingers to mime shooting myself in the head.

He walks past me, and I smell him in his wake.Jesus.You ever had a smell that just hit you right in the vagina?

Is that a thing? I feel like that should be a thing.

It was a combination of spice and soap and just... Jace. My core clenches, and all the air leaves my lungs.

He stops without turning when I don’t follow. “You coming?”

I shiver and shake off the effects having Jace in close proximity has on my body. “Yeah, right behind you.”

“This is the kitchen, obviously. I don’t cook much, but it’s fully equipped, so you’re welcome to use anything you need.” All-white cabinets with marble counters and stainless steel appliances. It’s gorgeous. It even has a huge island in the middle with a fully loaded fruit bowl.How rich.He points out where all the dishes, pots and pans, and utensils are. Next, is the pantry, which is pretty bare, as is the fridge. “Like I said, I don’t really cook, so I order out a lot. You might want to go to the store if you need food readily available.”

I nod, no words coming to mind.

“Here’s the dining room.” He gestures, heading back the way we came. “I usually set up my laptop and work here, so...”Stay outis the unspoken insinuation. I nod again. Not that he can see, he isn’t even looking at me.

Cue recurring nightmares.

The kitchen and dining room are sunken, so we take a couple steps up to the living room. It looks cozy with oversized cream-colored furniture and emerald green accent pillows. A flat-screen TV is mounted above what looks like a gas fireplace with white brick all the way up to the ceiling. There’s a staircase in wood and wire that leads up to a balcony with a few doors, but he leads me back toward the foyer down a hallway. It’s lined with black and white photos that have been blown up and framed. Some of them are landscapes of the beach, the pier, and some of the rides lit up at night. They’re all amazing.

“These are really beautiful. Who’s the artist? They have the same feel about them, so I’m assuming it’s the same person who took them all?”

He turns and stares at me wide-eyed. “You know about art?”

“Well, my degree is in journalism, but I minored in art history. I’ve always been fascinated by art in any form. I have no artistic ability myself, but I can write. I figured, what better way to get my art fix than to write about it? That’s the goal anyway. If this internship works out the way I planned, I can bid on a paying job in the fall and focus more of my articles on local pieces, gallery openings, and up-and-coming artists.” I clear my throat to stop my mouth momentum. “Stuff like that.”

He openly stares without a word, then suddenly turns and silently continues down the hall.

Well, thanks for the interest. Geez!

“Here’s the spare room. It has a queen-sized bed and walk-in closet. The bathroom is across the hall though,” he says, pointing to the doors opposite each other.

The room is fairly large with a bed centered on the back wall. The headboard is a distressed gray wood with matching nightstands, and the bedding is cream-colored and fluffy. There’s a long dresser against the right wall and bookshelves and a desk lining the left. The closet is opposite the bed and bigger than my old bedroom, with more racks and shelving than I could ever fill.

“Wow. This is more than I was expecting.” This is nicer than anything I could ever afford, even after I get a paying job. “Thank you so much for doing this. I really appreciate it. Really, I don’t know where I would be without your help. Probably listening to Hannah’s sex screams all night.”

He turns toward me with a look of pure horror on his face. “Huh?”

My cheeks flame red-hot, and my eyes dart to the floor.

Why does my mouth hate me?

“Uh, nevermind.” I wave off my stupidity. “Please, continue?”

He turns on his heels and stalks out of the room as I silently grumble and follow.

“My room is down there,” he mumbles, pointing to the door at the end of the hall.

He turns back the way we came and walks up the stairs. At the top of the stairs is a long balcony overlooking the living area below. It’s lined with more black and white photographs, but these are all filled with people. Kids laughing, a boy running, a dog playing frisbee with a little girl, and a family holding hands while walking down the beach, taken from behind. I stand in awe, letting the warmth fill me. The way the artist captures the candid moments makes you feel like you are right there with them. I can almost feel the sun beating down on me, heating my skin, while the breeze lifts my hair.

Jace clears his throat, breaking my reverie. I turn to follow him to a door on the left facing the balcony and I enter the biggest home gym I’ve ever seen. Not that I’ve ever seen a home gym, but I imagine this is probably the biggest. It has a wall of windows, floor to ceiling, on the right, and is filled with state-of-the-art equipment. A treadmill, an elliptical, free weights, and a smattering of other machines I wouldn’t even know how to use.

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