Chapter 10
Helen sorted through her warm sweaters, trying to figure out which sweater would make her look good, but not look like she was trying to look good. The red one? Was that too obvious? She grabbed a pair of red leggings and black socks. Or should she leave the black socks off? Having a pair of socks on when a man pulled one’s clothes off wasn’t exactly sexy.
But as Helen stood in her bedroom in only a pair of black panties and a black bra, she realized that Raj wasn’t banging on the door, demanding to watch her get dressed. Five years ago, he never would have ignored her when she was dressing. Hell, he would have been sitting on the bed, suggesting what to wear. And then he would command her to take everything off again.
Why wasn’t he doing that now? Did he not want her any longer? Had he moved on?
She snorted and pulled a blue tunic sweater over her head and flipped her hair out. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail as she wondered how many women Raj had been with over the past five years. Probably a dozen, at least.
That hurt. A lot. Especially since she hadn’t been with any other man since the night he’d rushed away from her, saying something about a family emergency. He’d left her with a hot, hard kiss and a promise to call her as soon as he had more information.
But he’d never called. Not even a text message or an email. Nothing.
So, instead of glamming herself up a bit, Helen just added her usual amount of makeup, maybe a bit more concealer to hide the evidence of her sleepless night. A touch of mascara and lipstick and she was done. If her hand hovered briefly over the blue eye shadow, it was just out of habit, she told herself.
With a sigh, Helen turned and left the room, carrying a pair of sneakers with her.
“I’m almost ready,” she said, trying for a breezy tone as she sat down on the sofa to stuff her feet into her sneakers.
“You look nice,” Raj replied.
When she looked up after tying her laces, Raj was standing as far away from her as he could get in her tiny, gloomy condo. His hands were shoved into his jeans pockets and he looked…hot. The man could charm anyone and he looked painfully uncomfortable standing in her toy-littered living room.
With a sigh, she stood up and grabbed her tote bag. “I’m ready,” she announced, wishing she’d chosen a sweater that was a bit more flattering. This blue sweater covered her with room to spare. The collar went all the way up to her chin and the hem came down to the tops of her thighs. It was possibly the most unflattering sweater she could have chosen. But it was too late now. What excuse could she offer? Helen doubted that Raj would be impressed if she said she wanted to grab a different sweater so that he’d stop looking at her with those blank, uninterested eyes.