Traded(34)

Home. How quickly I’d become to refer to my house as hers too. It wasn’t the first time I’d reflected on the speed at which we’d settled into a routine, and I had to admit that it was nice to come home to someone at the end of a long day.

“Is everything okay?” she whispered.

Molten chocolate eyes stared up at me through long, black lashes and her nose crinkled at the top. Even concern was a sexy look on her. I took hold of her hand under the table, threading my fingers through hers and feeling the warmth spreading from where our bodies connected, up through my arm until it came to settle somewhere in my chest.

“Everything is fine. Let’s enjoy dinner.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Aunt Veronica watching. She didn’t look as content as I thought she should have been. Something else was on her mind. Whatever it might be, she kept it to herself and conversation around us began to pick up, most of it centering around Elena.

Mom led the charge; the woman could get a clam to open with a few simple questions. She skipped questions about Elena’s husband or the arrangement we were currently in, choosing to ask about her childhood, the things she liked, her favorite memories. I thought for a moment that Elena would be too shy to answer, but she was radiant as she regaled a story about her first audition. She didn’t talk much about her parents, but that didn’t surprise me. If Dominic was anything like David had been, he likely went out of his way to isolate her from her family. Much easier to bring her to heel without outside interference.

Eventually it was time to say good-night. Aunt Veronica gave Elena a huge hug and made her promise to call if she ever wanted to talk. Elena seemed pleased at this prospect and they traded numbers. Finally, after a few attempts, we were back in the car, on the way home.

“Did you enjoy dinner?” I went for small talk, which I normally sucked at but my options were limited. While I had a plan, I’d yet to implement it and after the kiss in the bedroom, I didn’t know what to say without giving her the wrong impression. It wasn’t easy to focus. Just the thought of her mouth against mine had me discreetly adjusting my pants, which is harder to do than one might think when you’re driving.

Elena said more on the drive home than I had ever heard from her in one go. “Your family is wonderful.” She paused, and there was a slight quiver to her voice as she murmured, “It makes me miss my mom and dad.”

Just as I suspected.

“When was the last time you saw them?” I kept my eyes on the road, afraid if I saw her crying I’d want to pull her into my arms and end up crashing the fucking car. She was silent for a beat, and I thought she might ignore the question until she spoke up.

“When Dominic and I told them we got married, they weren’t very happy about it. Dominic thought it might be better for us to find jobs across the country.”

“You didn’t talk to them after that?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her fidget in the seat, her fingers moving to curl around her bag, fiddling with the clasp. “Dominic said if they still cared, they’d leave a message at the house. We could never afford to go back.”

I heard a sniffle and my hand left the wheel to reach over and take hers, nestled in her lap. “I’m sorry. Maybe you can try again?”

She laughed, but there was no humor to it. I felt a sharp pain in the left hand side of my chest. “Yeah, I’m sure that they would understand all of this.” I’d never heard Elena be sarcastic and the tone didn’t suit her.

“I didn’t mean for you tell them all of this. I bet they miss not hearing from you.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

The car went silent after that. I was aware that I’d promised to talk to her about the kiss but I let it go and continued driving. When we finally walked into the house, her eyes bounced around the room, looking everywhere but at me. Cupping her face, I lifted her eyes to mine and saw the whites were stretched wide, her irises almost invisible.

“Relax, Elena.” I kissed her on the forehead. “Today has been exhausting, and you have a big day tomorrow.”

“A big day?”

“You’ll see. Now why don’t you head up and get some sleep?”

She nodded, but before she could step out of my reach I dipped my head, placing my lips against hers, once again finding myself unable to resist her. When she didn’t pull away I became bolder, swiping my tongue across her lips, hoping she’d let me in. She didn’t disappoint. I took and she gave, the connection of our mouths sending desire burning through my veins. When the need to breathe overrode everything else I pulled away, panting, and if the rise and fall of her chest was anything to go by, she was as affected by the kiss as me.