And I’m lost. I’ve never been in this position before, but I refuse to let him think I’m going to turn into a needy stalker. “Uh, I should probably go back to the B &B. Tomorrow’s the last day of shooting, and I didn’t sleep much last night.”
“Stay the night with me,” he says in a quick jumble of words. I don’t know who’s more surprised by it, me or him. But I know he didn’t mean to say it.
“Tate... you don’t have to—" I start but he doesn’t let me finish.
“I know that. I want you to stay. I can take you by the B&B and grab what you need. I’ll fix us dinner and then I’ll let you sleep.”
I put my hand on my hip. “You want me to come over to your house... just to sleep?”
He grabs my hand and threads our fingers together. He’s looking at our hands, and he cringes before looking at me again. I look at our joined hands, and I know what he sees. His hands are stained from his hard work, and mine are perfectly manicured. The vast difference is almost palpable, but I hold his hand tighter and clutch it to my chest. I don’t know how to tell him that I don’t care how different we are... not without embarrassing him.
He cups my face with his free hand. “I want you to come over and do a lot more than sleep... but sleeping is enough. I know you’re leaving soon. I just...”
I nod in understanding. “I want to come.”
He breathes a sigh of relief. I help him lock up. “Where’s Jeremy? I didn’t even think of him being here... he would have gotten an eyeful.”
He opens his car door for me, and I slide in. “I would have cut his eyeballs out,” he mutters.
“What?” I ask as he shuts the door.
He walks around to the other side and settles in. “What did you say?”
He smiles innocently at me. “He went into Jasper to pick up parts.”
I smirk. “That’s not what you said.”
He puts his arm on the back of my seat and pulls out of the parking lot. “I said I’d cut his eyeballs out if he’d seen you like that. I don’t want... It’s just...”
I put my hand on his thigh and slide to the middle of the seat. Resting my head on his shoulder, I tell him the truth. “It’s okay... I wouldn’t want anyone else to see me like that... no one but you.”
His arm comes down around me, and he holds me close. We ride just like that all the way to the B&B.
* * *
Tate
I know I asked her to come and sleep at my house, but I had no idea how hard it would be to keep my hands off her. I took her to the B&B so she could grab some things, then we went to the store so I could fix us dinner, and now we’re at my house.
I worried what she was going to think, but I think she was actually pleasantly surprised. At least she acted like it anyway. “Dinner’s ready.”
She walks into the kitchen after exploring the house. “Everything is so neat and clean.”
I pull out her chair for her. “You sound surprised.”
She sits down and turns to look up at me. Her eyes are bright and playful. “Uh, I am. You’re a guy. A single man. This is supposed to be like a bachelor pad or something. Everything is so put together... did a woman...”
She stops, and the smile on her face drops instantly. She turns in her seat and starts putting food on her plate.
I take my time in sitting across from her. “Did a woman what?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. “Nothing... it’s none of my business.”
I reach across the table and cover her hand with mine. “My sister... I gave my sister my check card, and she did it all. I bought this place after my fiancée left.”
She swallows, taking it in, and I can see the curiosity on her face. “Go ahead, ask me.”
I take a bite of the chicken. I’m normally a steak and potato kind of guy, but when Lakelyn asked if we could have chicken and green beans for dinner, I wasn’t going to turn her down. Plus, I probably need to eat more greens anyway. At least that’s what my mom and sister have always told me.