Page 73 of Worth the Try
“And we had a lady visit,” she continues, then twists to look at Elodie. “What was her name? Lauren?”
I stiffen, sliding my eyes to Elodie’s.
Elodie raises a brow at me before saying, “Yes. Lauren.”
Rage courses through me, followed immediately by fear.I will tear that woman apart, limb by limb.“And what did this Lauren want?”
Rosie shrugs, then wiggles down. “Dunno. Elle Belle told me to leave.”
Lauren saw her. My thoughts spin, fury beginning to color my vision.
“Rosie bug, do you mind watching the movie by yourself while your dad and I get dinner ready?” Elodie asks, then tips her head to the kitchen.
I follow her. The second we’re out of earshot, I start, “Elodie?—”
She whirls, her finger pointing accusingly at me. “What the fuck was that woman doing here, Ansel?”
I blink, stunned. “I?—”
“And howdareyou leave me unprepared,” she hisses. “I haven’t asked about Rosie’s mom because it was obvious you weren’t ready to tell me. A choice that I stupidly respected. And clearly, that was the wrong thing to do, because but what happened today? Unacceptable.”
“I know.” Regret slams into me, shooting ice through my veins.God, I am such an idiot. I should have gone after her last night. I should have told her a month ago.I reach for her. “I’m so sorry. I should have told you ages ago.”
“No shit!” she counters, moving from my touch. “Wasshethe one behind us being followed?”
I hesitate.
“Oh my God,” she breathes. “This is all tied together. How could you leave me in the dark, Ansel?” Tears spring to her eyes, and she blinks them away.
I step toward her, and she backs up. “No. These are angry tears, not sad ones.”
“I know.” I study her body language as we move across the kitchen, her going backward as I follow, until we come to a stop. She’s pinned against the counter, caged between my arms, her chest heaving as she glares at me. I take her in, marveling at those gorgeous hazel irises that are so much like my daughter’s. Take in the wild mass of brown curls that are so quintessentially Elodie that I can’t imagine her any other way. Curls that give her the ability to tame Rosie’s hair without a second thought. She’s furious, but clarity slams into me aboutwhy.Still, I need to confirm it. “You’re not angry atme, are you?”
She sucks in a breath, her whole body trembling, as she gives a shake of her head.
“You’re angry because my not telling you made you feel like you couldn’t protect Rosie.”
A single tear slides down her cheek as the sweatshirt she wears slips down one shoulder. She lifts her chin and glares at me. “Don’t youeverput me in that position again. Do you understand me?”
Desire, white-hot and unrelenting, surges through my body. I need her. Right now. I don’t bother parsing it. Instead, I grip her hand and yank her to come with me.
“Ansel!” she hisses, still mad.
It only turns me on even more. I grip her hand harder, looking back to press a finger to my lips as we ascend the stairs.
Her eyes flash, but there’s a spark of anticipation in them.
Up the stairs, down the hall, into my room, the door snicking softly into place behind us. The click of the lock. Her legs, freckled and thick and clad in loose lounge shorts. The line of bare stomach with each breath she takes.
“Take off your clothes,” I demand roughly. My need for her is all-consuming, and it’s taking everything in me not to throw her to the bed and have my way with her. To claim her and beg her forgiveness and lay my life in her hands in one fell swoop.
“Not until?—”
“Take. Off. Your. Clothes.”
She blinks. Swallows.
I clench my fists, and my next words come out with a growl. “Let me be clear. What you did—what you said down there—you’ve ruined me. You’ve cut me off at the knees, and I will never recover. Ever. So I need you naked. Immediately. And if you don’t make it happen in the next two seconds, then I’m going to do it for you.”
