Page 68 of Summer Heat
“You’ll be working full time. Plus there’ll be responsibilities. More fundraisers and events in the evenings as the campaign picks up. Then when we move to DC—”
“Whoa. What? Shouldn’t I be consulted on moving to a different city?”
“I told you he was running.”
“Yeah, I figured there’d be some traveling. But he’d only move there if he wins.”
“Nice. I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
That stung. Was she being unsupportive? She hadn’t meant to be, but she’d honestly expected Chris to discuss something like that with her. Even if his boss won the seat, he would maintain an office in Austin, and she had figured Chris would work there. Wrong, apparently.
She made herself cool down. “I’m not saying no, I’m just saying I’d like to be consulted.”
“I’m sorry for assuming my wife would actually come with me,” Chris said, voice loaded with sarcasm. “I should have figured you’d pick living near your friend to living with your husband.”
Stunned, she stared at him. “That was your proposal?”
For a moment they simply stared at each other, harsh breathing filling the dark bedroom. Then he stood and approached her. She tensed, even though she knew he’d never hurt her. It still felt scary, not knowing what he was feeling. Not knowing what she was feeling.
Confusion. Hurt. Guilt. That last one threw her the most. She hadn’t even realized she’d done anything wrong, but she felt guilty as if she had. It made her feel like a car off the rails, bumping over rocky ground, heading into a downward slide.
“Look,” Chris said, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean to propose like that. I had a thing planned for how I was going to ask. After your graduation.”
She looked down, unable to bear the strange light in his eyes. His words were calmer now, but his energy was more intense than ever, unsettling and sharp. A subtle challenge underscored his words, sending shivers down her spine.
“You can still do that,” she whispered, which was a cop-out. A delay tactic. They both knew it.
His eyes flashed in anger. “We don’t have to wait. You’ll get your dinner and your ring. But you can say yes to me now, can’t you?”
“To what?” She laughed unsteadily—no humor. “What’s the question, exactly?”
“Marry me,” he said, and it didn’t sound like a question. It was a command, and her unease rose another level. It was like looking at Chris through that clouded bathroom mirror. She recognized the shape of him, but he was distorted too. Familiar and yet not.
She loved both Chris and Ethan in their own ways. And she’d thought her love for Chris had morphed into something deeper. Or maybe she’d just been so desperate not to end up alone again. The outcast again. If so, it was wrong to use him that way.
It would be wrong to say yes.
“Can I think about it?” she asked quietly.
His eyes went cold. “Are you breaking up with me?”
Was she? She wasn’t sure. But it didn’t seem like a good idea to make big decisions right now. Maybe this would all seem like a bad dream in the morning.
“No, I’m not breaking up with you. It’s just late. I want to go to sleep. Besides,” she added, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m still holding out for a candlelight dinner.”
His expression remarked stark, like a sculpture. “Then let’s go to bed.”
She could tell by his tone that he didn’t mean to sleep. “I’m tired.”
He shook his head, slow. “Not too tired.”
Oh man, he was going to make her decide. Right here, right now, based on whether she had sex with him. It felt like answering every question. Are we still together? Are we getting married? Are you willing to do anything I want? He had never been pushy before, never needed to be pushy before. She preferred to be pliant; she preferred to be the peacekeeper, but what was happening now didn’t feel like peace.
It felt wrong, but throwing an entire relationship, a potential marriage away, based on weird feelings couldn’t be right. She just needed time to think, but he wasn’t giving her that. Maybe that was fair, considering the weird vibe between her and Ethan tonight. The attraction. She could call it what it was.
For whatever reason, it had happened. She’d wanted Ethan, and she thought he’d wanted her too. Chris had seen that, and he was understandably bothered. He wanted to stake his claim. She could let him.
To get them through to the morning, she could.
