A heart that was now dead to love.
Abbi bit her bottom lip before she popped a grape in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully, but after a few moments, she never spoke up.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, whatever you want. I’m an open book.”
“Who’s Paul? Is he your boyfriend? Are you holding out hope that he’ll still be waiting for you once our year is up?” More than once, his name had been brought up—even Catherine had mentioned him—and it was driving me crazy, not knowing who he was. It stirred insane jealousy in me that I didn’t trust.
“Paul?” she sputtered. “That has to be one of the worst things I’ve ever heard.” Her eyes scanned my face before they went round. One hand went over her now open mouth. “Are you jealous?”
“Jealous? No,” I protested, too much even to my own ears, “but we have a deal, and the only person we can have sex with for the next year is each other.”
Not that I thought they would be having sex since he had made her cry on the phone our first night here. I didn’t blame the dude, though. I’d be pissed off if my girlfriend got married to a guy as good looking as I was while she was having a weekend away with her girlfriend.
She bit her lip again, only this time it was to keep herself from smiling. “What kind of boyfriend do you think I have that we wouldn’t have had sex in two years?”
I hadn’t really thought of that. Abbi was obviously not a virgin. There hadn’t been any evidence of me stealing her innocence in my hotel room, and she had said it had been two years since her last sexual experience. Maybe he was saving himself.
“Some pussy who’s waiting for marriage,” I laughed out.
“Paul is not a pussy, and if he ever hears you call him one, he’ll probably kick your ass. In fact, he’ll probably do it anyway since you didn’t ask him for my hand in marriage. It should be interesting when you two finally meet.”
“First of all, I’m not sure how I was supposed to ask for your hand in marriage when I had met you mere hours before we tied the knot. You’re acting as if we were dating and decided to elope. Second, you never answered who this Paul guy is. Do you call your dad, Paul?”
Whoever he was sounded like he was going to be a royal pain in my ass and someone I should try to avoid for as long as possible.
“You’re such a dumbass,” she muttered as she looked down. “Paul is my brother. My big brother and the only family I have. He’s been taking care of me since our parents died when I was fourteen.” When her eyes met mine again, they were glassy, and her lower lip trembled.
Fuck, I was an asshole. How did I not know about her parents? Surely Catherine would have thought it was pertinent information I should have had before I opened my big mouth and said something stupid or insensitive.
“I’m . . . ” I cleared my throat. No matter what I said, it would never be enough. “I’m deeply sorry. I didn’t know.” Leaning forward so that my elbows rested on my knees, I continued. “Your brother must be an amazing person to have done that, and for having been a part of making the wonderful person you became.”
“He is the best.” She smiled weakly. “That’s why this is so hard. I hate that I disappointed him. If he hadn’t been about ready to go out on a job, I’m sure he would already be here sizing you up.”
“Again, I’m sorry.”
“Like you said, we didn’t know each other before we stupidly got drunk and fixed ourselves to each other's sides for the next year.” She gave a half-hearted shrug.
“Where’s your brother’s job?”
“In Virginia normally. He works with Catherine’s husband, Jackson, so who knows where he is right now? Somewhere on the other side of the world, probably doing something that will threaten his life.”
When she said her brother could kick my ass, I didn’t believe her, but now knowing he works for Jackson, I knew he could hand my ass to me. I was man enough to admit that to myself. Knowing that your only family was doing god knew what in a war-torn country couldn’t have been easy.
“Do you hear from him while he’s away?” I found myself asking. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to know more about her situation.
“Not until he’s back. The jobs are becoming less frequent, but sometimes they need his expertise, and he’s the only man for the job. I’m hoping he’ll move out here soon and start doing security for celebrities and government officials. Once he’s back in the States, Paul said he would come for a visit to see how I’m doing. I hope that’s alright with you.”
Who was I to deny her seeing her brother who had put his life on the line for our country? I wasn’t that big of an asshole–unless he wanted to move in.
“He’s welcome anytime.”
Abbi’s face lit up as if I’d just told her this had all just been a dream, and she could wake up and be back in her own hotel suite back in Vegas. “Great! Thanks,” she chirped. “I think I’m going to take the rest of my lunch inside and go work in my room.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “I haven’t been too productive today. I can’t have Catherine firing me before I ever make it into the office.”
There was no way Catherine was going to fire Abbi. If she wanted to, she would have already done it when we were glaring at each other in my hotel suite back in Vegas.
Before I could stop myself, I offered. “You don’t have to work in your room. The house is yours, too, and I have a perfectly good office that I rarely use.”
The way her big, brown eyes lit up had my heart beating a staccato in my chest, and making me feel things I hadn’t felt in a very long time.
What was she doing to me? It wouldn’t do either of us any favors if I started to open up to her, or even worse if I caught feelings for her. Our situation had an expiration date, one we’d both be better off to do our best to remember. I needed to keep to myself, and my cold, dead heart locked away from the bright-eyed, gorgeous woman who could easily wiggle her way in if I wasn’t careful.
Chapter Thirteen
Abbi
Sophie pulled her towel tighter around her as she caught sight of Jenner in the pool. His wet body glistened in the sunlight. Each drop of water amplified his golden physique and every ridge of his defined and lickable abs.
It should have been illegal for him to look that good when I couldn’t touch him. Greg had never gotten me so hot and bothered in all our time together. Every passing moment I spent with him, I contemplated his proposal about having sex with him for the next year. Then right before I was on the cusp of giving in, it was like a switch flipped, and he’d be a huge asshole.
“I thought he was going to be at work.” With the way she was eye-fucking him, it didn’t seem like it bothered her too much that he was here. It did bother me, though. I didn’t like her eyes all over him, just like every other woman in the world when they saw him. I wanted to be the only person who got to see him like this, even if he wasn’t mine.
“There was an accident on set, and everyone went home. That’s all I know. He wouldn’t say much about it. Right before you got here, I was in the kitchen making us some lunch and saw him out in the pool. I almost called you to tell you not to come over.”