Blake shakes his head and leads me into the living room, motioning for me to lie back against the pillows. For the past few hours, I’ve been tagging along and watching him shop for storm supplies.
Even though I thought the people in this city were overreacting to this invisible storm, the second we finished buying fleece blankets, the parking lot had been covered in a light snow and the skies had turned grey.
“It’ll probably get worse as the days go on,” he’d said. “We should probably get a few more things.”
Those “few more things” turned into a lot more things, and I swear we stopped at every store in sight. He bought candles, flashlights, sleeping bags, draft sealant, and, to “thank me for being his company,” he bought me four more silk slips and a white robe. As ridiculous as some of the comments he made were (“You should model those slips for me one night...”), I actually enjoyed being around him.
“Are you tired?” He turns on the fireplace.
“No, just disappointed.”
“Why?”
I shake my head. I don’t want to bore him with anymore talk of Adrian.
“Why, Paris?” He walks over to me and raises his eyebrow.
When I don’t say anything, he sits on the couch and pulls me into his lap. Before I can move, he begins to massage my shoulders.
“Are you from Nashville, Paris?” he whispers.
“Born and raised...You’re from D.C.?”
“Seattle.”
“You took a flight from Seattle to Atlanta and then to D.C.? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I didn’t create the flight plan.” His hands softly rub the back of my neck. “But I’ll be sure to share your concerns with the airline the next time I fly.”
“You should...” I bite my tongue so I won’t murmur, so I won’t give him any idea about how good his hands feel. “You should definitely do that...Next time you fly...”
“Tell me why you’re disappointed.”
I shake my head, and he gently tilts my head back until I’m looking into his eyes.
“Tell me.”
“I don’t want to hate my ex-boyfriend anymore.”
“Then don’t.”
“Easier said than done...” I sigh as he caresses my shoulders again, as he blows soft and gentle kisses against my neck.
“Can I ask you something?”
“I am not wet. Does that answer it?”
“No, but that’s a lie.” He trails a finger down my spine. “That also isn’t what I was going to ask you.”
I cross my legs and he laughs.
“Why did you have to pay to put your boyfriend through law school in the first place?”
“Because us regular people don’t have rich parents that can afford to pay for school. It was a trade-off. Since he was going to have the more lucrative career, we agreed that he needed to finish school first.”
“I worked my way through law school. My parents didn’t pay for anything.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just thought that...” I pause. “I’m sorry for assuming.”
He runs his fingers through my hair. “Since you broke up, is he going to pay you back for his tuition?”
I burst into laughter, nearly falling out of his lap. “Pay me back? Is that a joke?”
“It only seems fair.”
Fair? Ha!
I wipe my eyes on my sleeve, still laughing. I can’t imagine Adrian paying me back for anything. As a matter of fact, if there was a way that he could sue me for not accepting his engagement ring I was sure that he would try.
“My boyfriend—ex boyfriend I mean, has always seen everything in black and white. I’m pretty sure he thinks that I voided our deal by leaving him, so he technically doesn’t owe me anything.”
“That’s unfortunate.” He stops touching me and sighs. “Were you in love with him?”
“For the first two years, yes,” I say. “But after we moved in together, I slowly fell out. I just didn’t want to believe it was happening.”
I shake my head as I remember how I practically coerced Adrian into saying that he “still loved [me]” years ago, that he probably only said it so I would continue paying for his studies.
“What about you, Blake?” I quickly change the subject.
“What about me?”
“Since you claim you don’t currently have a girlfriend, I’m sure you have a long-lost ex sob story.”
“I don’t.”
“Right.” I roll my eyes. “If the way that flight attendant reacted to you was any indication, I’m sure women fawn over you all the time.”
“They do.”
“So, you are a one-night stand type of guy? You sleep with every woman who flirts with you? Reel them in and dazzle them with your life’s supply of condoms?”
“If that was true, I’d be sleeping with you.” He kisses the back of my shoulder before standing up. “I sacrificed a social life for the firm’s startup. I didn’t need any distractions.” He tilts my chin up. “Though I must admit, if I had met you sooner, I might have made an exception.”
I uncross my legs and look away, earning another low laugh from him.
“I’ll be right back,” he says, but I don’t look his way. I need to figure out a way to get to my room and stay there for the rest of this trip. If I don’t, I’m pretty sure he’ll be having his way with me all over the house.