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When we get back to the apart I brew a pot of coffee and take a cup to the outdoor balcony I sip at the brew and watch the sky turn fro back inside for a refill, I come to a dead stop as I enter the kitchen

E herself a cup She's standing on one leg while resting one foot on top of the other Her hip is cocked out in a co but the t-shirt I gave her and while it provides her the saht, she looks fucking sexy as hell wearing it

Her hair is a mess, and the t-shirt is wrinkled but I'd rather see her like this than that knockout nu has to do with the fact that it's

E there and whips around She doesn't seeives "

"Hey," I say lamely I walk to the coffee pot and she picks up her cup, stepping aside "How'd you sleep last night?"

"Great actually Thanks again for giving me your bed"

After I pour ainst the counter Taking a sip, I watch her over the rim "After you finish your coffee, I'll take you home"

"It's a plan" She blows lightly on her coffee then takes a sip "So when do you think you'll have your house ready to move back into?"

"I' on it in my free time"

"I bet you're ready to get back though, huh?"

I shrug indifferently "Sure I mean, it's closer to my workjust a short walk from the back door to my shop"

She looks strangely at ht you'd be more comfortable there"

"Why's that?" I ask I have no clue where she's going with this

"It's justyou seem like a man that likes his personal space"

Aaahhh Now I see where she's going "You'd be right about that I do like ood as another I don't have any personal connection to that house"

"It's hard for you to make personal connections, isn't it?"

Now there's a stark question, brutally honest and cutting to the bone I al business, because that's what I would normally say to anyone that tries to psychoanalyze me

Instead, and without a trace of bitterness or scorn in my voice, I say, "Yes"

It's a stupid response on my part because it only invites the inevitable follow up question I know is co

"Why is that?" Her question is softhesitantnervous It makes my skin crawl and leap in turns

"Making personal connections is easy Losing them is what's hard It's easier to avoid"

She's staring at ine you've lost a lot I'm sorry"

That's all she says and I don't feel like she needs a response fro her to push, prod, and attempt to pull information from me but she doesn't And she doesn't because I know she can sense that I won't go any further with

And this is what's strange about that Norlacial frost in ive when so

Here I didn't do that I apparently didn't need to do that I answered her questions honestly and she knew, on her own, that I'd had enough She backed off withoutto become Nix Caldwell, the prick extraordinaire Eured out that most don't

At that intrigues the hell out of me

I'ed back into her sexy dress andshe that is blatantly inviting ht of day would cause some of the sex appeal to di to bed, so she looks fresh and young Her hair is pulled up into some kind of messy concoction on top of her head that ain She looks supre Emily Burnham doesn't kno to look bad

Her beauty, though, is not what ed to pound a chink in my ar I want to know things about her Things that I wouldn't norive a rat's ass about

"So, what did you do to piss your parents off that got you cut off from your money?" I broach a subject that will result in, what I hope to be fruitful conversation The type of conversation that will provide so

She snorts "I tried to have a life"

I glance over at her and there is bitterness and hurt in her voice I don't know the story but ither parents' necks