LULA
In an ideal world, I could remain in bed with Exile for the rest of the day.
I wanted to memorize every inch of this sexy man.
He had stories to tell and secrets to share.
If we were left alone, we might learn everything we needed to know.
The answer might become clear over whether this desire between us was temporary or permanent.
Of course, if we lived in an ideal world, Cher and Stevie wouldn’t be at the hospital.
Feeling guilty over my good fortune, I forced myself to leave bed. Yet, I didn’t get dressed, instead luring Exile into the bathroom. We soon washed off under several showerheads. After his cock was hard again, I used my mouth to make him go wild.
The earlier fun fell away once we were dressed and waiting for Dillon to arrive home. A growing panic burned inside me as I accepted that Exile and I might be rushing toward the end of our journey together.
Exile stood nearby, seeming lost in his head. He was a different man without his cowboy hat. More vulnerable, maybe. The shadows from the hat gave his face harder edges. Right now, he seemed downright cuddly as he stood in his jeans and my brother’s T-shirt.
“Elle brings the kids home most days,” I said, sitting on the couch while he lingered in the kitchen. “When she’s working on something, Bebe or Shay will pick them up.”
“Do you work a lot?”
“Yes, but often from home. Elle just likes to pick up her son, so it’s easier to let her play chauffeur with them all.”
“Them all? It’s just Dillon and Elle’s boy, right?”
“Bebe and Pax are foster parents. They have a boy and a girl right now.”
“Did they do that when you were growing up?”
“With four kids around, no. But once we were grown and out of the house, they missed the chaos.”
Silence settled between us. Exile’s distance felt deliberate. He seemed to already have one foot out the door.
“What’s the plan?” I asked, leaning back on the couch and resting my arms along the back. “Are you heading back to Baton Rouge now?”
Exile leveled his gaze and asked in a hard voice, “Is that what you want?”
“If I had my way, you’d borrow more clothes and stay here.”
“What about Dillon?”
“Rowdy said you were safe,” I said, holding his gaze and mentally daring him to look away. “He’s got a nose for people’s secret fuckery. When I’m unsure about a client, I’ll have him drop by the office and chat with the person. He can always tell if they’re putting on an act.”
“And I got the all-clear, huh?” he asked, sounding annoyed by the idea.
“Do you think you’re a danger to my daughter?”
“No,” Exile grumbled, instantly pissed. “I get my rocks off from hurting assholes, not kids.”
“Then, why are you behaving as if I’m wrong to trust you?”
Running his hands through his wet, brown hair, he sighed. “Because I’m starting to feel the distance between where I call home and where you do. Yesterday was a blur. Today, I wasn’t sure what would happen. Now, I’m about to call my sister, and I don’t know what to tell her.”
“I’m a problem solver, so let’s solve your problem,” I said, sitting forward and resting my elbows on my knees. “First off, what do you want to tell Nova? Be blunt with me and skip the way you’d say it to her.”
“I feel that leaving you right now would be a mistake.”
“Because I’m in danger?”
“Because I don’t want to leave you,” Exile said, sounding a little pained to admit his feelings. “It makes sense to go home, but I don’t feel like being smart. I just want to give myself what I want, and that’s to stay with you.”
Exhaling with relief, I settled into the acceptance that Exile and I were on the same page.
“I’m fully aware my feelings for you must seem overly impulsive, even unhinged.
We’re strangers. I’m dealing with trauma.
You’re the guy who saved me. Logically, we should slow down.
But I’m not a woman who falls easily, but I’ve fallen hard for you.
So, I don’t care if my choices feel rushed.
I don’t want you to leave. If you do go, I’ll follow.
That’s what my heart demands right now.”
Exile’s steely expression couldn’t hide his desire and doubt. He was a ball of emotions. I also sensed he was holding his tongue. Though he wanted to stay, we both knew he couldn’t put down roots in Little Memphis.
“Long-distance relationships can work for busy people,” I said, offering a solution to his concern. My hands rested on his chest. “We both have jobs and responsibilities, but we can make time to meet. Baton Rouge and Little Memphis are only a few hours apart.”
“And you have your fancy helicopter.”
Smiling, I liked how he was looking for solutions rather than obsessing over problems. “Dillon spends a majority of weekends with her dad. I’m also able to do much of my work anywhere. This thing between us doesn’t have to end when you go home.”
Exile exhaled deeply, clearly relieved. If we wanted this relationship to last, we’d need to work at it together.
For most of my adult life, I’d assumed I wasn’t capable of falling hard for a man. I accepted Jarred was the best I could manage. And that was fine. I never cried myself to sleep or felt lonely. My life was great before Exile.
Yet, now, after only two days, I couldn’t deny how he owned my heart, and I couldn’t be happy without him.