“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Ouch. I wasn’t expecting that. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” I really meant it. I wanted her to be happy with me.
“No, not at all.” She turned on her side and moved closer to me. “I just think it’s better when some things are left unsaid. You know?”
Oh, I knew. My past was something I tried to forget everyday. “I’m here for you. Always.”
I’ve never said that in my life. Where did that come from? I needed to stop the shit that was flying out of my mouth.
She smiled then kissed my neck. “I know.”
She did? Would she do the same for me?
“And I’m always here for you.”
Wow. She would. Should I freak out right now? But I was happy, really happy.
She sighed then rolled out of bed. “I should probably go. Even though I’d rather not.”
No. Stay. I shook my head when I realized how possessive I was getting of her. There was another reason why I didn’t want her to go home—a reason I’ll call Gavin Whatever-The-Fuck-His-Last-Name-Is.
She pulled on the beautiful summer dress then fixed her hair in the bathroom. “I had a wonderful time with you.”
“I did too.” I got out of bed and changed my clothes. My hair was ruffled and messy, but there wasn’t time for me to fix it.
When she returned, her face was clean of makeup and her hair was pulled back. But, miraculously, she looked amazing—like usual. I stared at her for a second before I grabbed my bearings.
“Your driver can drop me off.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Really, it’s fine,” she said. “Don’t worry about it.”
I normally would have taken her up on the offer in a heartbeat but I didn’t want to. “No.”
“Okay.”
When we were inside the limo, Prudence hooked her arm through mine. The seat was wide in the back, but we only took up a small part of it. She could sit on my lap if she wanted. But I would end up fucking her in the backseat.
“Everyone calls me Pru.”
What? I turned to her. “Pru?”
“Short for Prudence,” she explained.
I didn’t like that. “I prefer Prudence.”
“Oh.” She seemed surprised by that statement.
“It’s your name, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And it’s a beautiful name.” I brushed my lips against her hair and breathed in her scent. My obsession was increasing. I knew it was.
When we arrived at her apartment, I walked her all the way to the door. I really didn’t want her to leave. I wanted to take her back to my house and pound into her on every piece of furniture I owned—twice.
I grabbed her hand and kissed it. “You’re mine again soon.”
“I know.” She smiled at me, making me weak in the knees.
“Just to be clear, we’re exclusive.” I felt the command leave my voice. It was involuntary. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh.
“I thought we already said that?”
“I just wanted to clarify.”
“Okay.” She seemed slightly awkward.
“Because you’re mine.” Fuck. I did it again.
“Cash, is something bothering you?”
That was a legitimate question. I wanted to brush it off and say no. But I promised I wouldn’t lie to her. I keep my word. And it seemed really important to her. “Pass.”
“What?”
“I’ll respect your request not to lie to you. But that doesn’t always mean I want to answer your questions. You can do it too.”
She studied my face. “Did I do something?”
This is not how I wanted to end our magical date. I didn’t want to lose her. “No. Of course not.”
“Then I don’t understand why you won’t tell me.”
I felt cornered. I decided to let it out. Besides, I’m the reason I’m in the corner to begin with. I shouldn’t have said all that crazy, possessive crap. “I don’t want you to sleep with Gavin.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I told you I didn’t like him.”
“I know.”
“Then there should be no issue.”
“But there is. I don’t trust him.”
She eyed me. “There’s something you don’t know about me. I may be small and skinny, but I have a mean sucker-punch.”
She could be so fucking cute sometimes. The smirk on her face and the wink in her eyes made me smile. Only someone as perfect as Prudence could make me feel this way. “I’m sorry I said anything.”
“I’ll stick to all the rules of our agreement. Don’t worry about that.”
“I’m not.” I was never worried about her. It’s him I didn’t like.
She got her key in the door then gave me another kiss. “I’ll see you later.”
“Okay.” I gave her a smoldering smooch so she wouldn’t forget me anytime soon. If she touched herself, I would be the object of her fantasy.
“Good night.”
She walked inside then gave me one more smile before she shut the door. I stood there, staring at the wood. After a full minute, I finally turned away. It took all my restraint not to barge in there and pull her right out.
Chapter Fifteen
Prudence Clearwater
I’ve never been fucked like that. And damn, it felt amazing.
I was so hesitant about pursuing the unorthodox relationship, but I’m so glad I did. For the first time, I could say I was happy. I really was. Our relationship would end in a few months, but knowing it would end made it better. There was no pain and no commitment. He couldn’t cheat on me because we weren’t together. It was perfect.
I finished my laundry and tuned all my instruments that day. Plus, I needed a day to rest. Desi questioned me about my amazing night with Cash. Of course, I told her everything.
“I’m so fucking jealous,” she blurted. “Does he have a brother? Tell me he has a brother.”
“He does. But I know nothing about him.”
“Well, find out something about him. I’m desperate.”
“What about Mason? He’s single.”
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “He’s more interested in chasing pussy.”