Chapter Eighteen
Summer
Bob greeted us at the door, overexcited to see Tom. I understood how she felt, because I got excited every time I saw him, even if I didn’t break out into a silly looking, wiggly dance. Seeing her, Tom smiled as he bent down and scratched her behind the ears before sending her out in the rain to pee.
He paused beneath the small overhang and turned to me. “I’m fine, really.”
“Rue said,” I started as I shook my head.
“Just tell her that you tucked me in and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.”
My skin prickled at the thought of tucking him in and each pinprick lit on fire, until it felt like I was being consumed by flames from the inside out. Even though I was standing underneath the eaves of the barn, rain still managed to splatter me. I was pretty sure every drop hitting my body instantly evaporated and turned to steam because my skin was so scalding.
“I told her I would see to it that you got to bed and I intend to do just that,” I insisted, my jaw tight. I was beyond nervous at the thought of stepping through the door, but I couldn’t walk away either. I forced myself to stare into his heated gaze as it melted my insides. I crossed my arms and cleared my throat as he stared down at me, his eyes daring me to enter the barn, daring me to go upstairs to his bedroom with him.
But I wasn’t going to back down.
That pointed, azure gaze slid across my face as the storm intensified once more. The rain was now coming in at an angle as the wind bulleted against us, drenching us both in a new deluge. Without a word, Tom gripped my elbow and hauled me inside.
Our bodies collided and the second we were inside the barn, I took a step back, trying to catch my breath. I sucked my lower lip between my teeth as I begged my heart to slow down.
“If we go upstairs, you know I’m not letting you leave,” he started as he glanced up, as if to say he wouldn’t allow me to make the trek back to my cabin in the rain. But we both knew his reasons were otherwise.
He looked down at me, his eyes inquisitive, awaiting my response. As for me, my words were lodged in my throat. My body was screaming at me to let him do whatever he wanted with it while my brain was worried about what would happen once the thrill of the moment wore off. The last thing I wanted to be was another notch on Tom’s bedpost.
Not to mention the whole issue known as my virginity. I was more than sure Tom didn’t know I was a virgin. And if he found out, what would he think? Maybe it would bother him that I hadn’t told him? Maybe it would scare him off because he’d be afraid I wanted to corner him into marrying me or something equally ludicrous? Or maybe he wouldn’t care?
Bob came back inside, a wet and dirty mess. Tom laughed as he reached for a towel which was hanging on a nearby hook. He toweled her off and then pointed to the stairs as he barked an order at her to go to her bed. And then he turned to face me.
“I can walk you back to your cabin if you like?” he asked.
“No,” I insisted as I held my ground.
“Summer,” he started.
“Rue,” I interrupted.
“Damn Rue!” he yelled back at me, silencing me for a moment. “You know as well as I do that if you come upstairs with me, you aren’t coming back down until the morning.” He took a deep, frustrated breath as he ran his hand through his wet hair and then faced me again, looking like he’d stepped right out of my dreams.
“I know,” I answered with a gulp.
“Whatever this is between us,” he started as he inhaled again and shook his head. “I can’t fight it anymore. I’m not strong enough, Summer,” he finished, his shoulders sagging as if his announcement was one he was ashamed of. He dropped his gaze to the dirt floor and held it there for a few seconds before glancing up at me again. “I want you more than I can ever remember wanting another woman.”
I swallowed. Hard.
I didn’t say anything but turned on my toes and started for the stairs. I’d made my decision. Maybe the truth was that I’d made it way before I’d even stepped foot inside the barn. If Tom wanted me, I wanted him just as bad and tonight was going to be the night I had him.
I’d been right to think his apartment above the barn was teeny and cramped, but he’d managed to keep it from feeling like a storage unit. He had a small single bed covered with a bright blue comforter, a shelf nailed into the wall that served as his nightstand and was curiously stacked to overflowing with books. I hadn’t pegged him as a reader and I was dying to know what type of literature interested him.
I heard the pitter-patter of Bob’s paws against the wood planked floor as she obediently went to her bed. I turned around and found Tom standing right in front of me, his eyes glued to me.
And then it was just him.
And me.
And this awkwardness that seemed to fill the air between us anytime we were within a dozen feet of each other.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispered, even as he made no motion to close the distance between us.
My lungs squeezed tight and I was captivated by those eyes, those lips. Him.