Page 65 of A Lifetime of Afters
Panic flashed at the thought he might kiss me.
He shook his head ever so slightly. “I’m not going to kiss you. Not now. But I want you to remember what I said.” He applied slightly more pressure, and I wondered just how deep the gentleman act went. “Will you do that?”
“Yes.” The temptation to fall into him and let him sweep all the rejection away, even if it offered only a moment’s reprieve, rode me hard.
Hawkley’s furious face the last time I saw him.
The hurt in his eyes.
I stepped back.
“Thank you for the hot chocolate.”
“My pleasure,” he replied easily, his intensity dissipated. “My heart is still intact and we’re still friends.”
I laughed. “Well, that’s good. I could use more friends.”
“Be sure to count me in that number,” he smiled.
We didn’t speak on the way home. Would it be awkward saying goodbye? Thankfully, Max and Harley were waiting at my door with pizza.
Max’s eyes darted between Daire and me, filled with questions I had no intention of answering.
He held his fist out to Daire. “Was just about to message you to meet us here. Just wanted to make sure Noelle was cool with us landing on her.” Turning to me, he continued, “You okay to have dinner with us?”
Daire’s eyes flicked to mine. In light of what he’d just revealed it was perhaps not the best move but there was no way to say no without awakening suspicion.
By the slight twist of his lips and the glint of humor in his eyes, Daire knew my predicament and had no intention of helping me out by distancing himself.
“It smells good,” I replied. Seeing a hint of anxiety in Max’s eyes, I assured him, “I’m glad you’re here.”
He relaxed until we got inside.
“Be careful of the cat, Daire,” Max warned. “It’s a bit… off.”
I laughed. “He’s not ‘off’. He’s perfect.”
Bruce sauntered past all of us and went straight to Daire, winding around his legs and head-butting his knees.
Daire leaned down and scooped him up, causing all of us to stiffen, awaiting Bruce’s mighty reprimands.
“Don’t worry,” Daire informed us, “I speak cat.”
Bruce purred in his arms, his tail swishing under Daire’s arm.
“See?” he looked at me smugly at which point Bruce sunk his tiny teeth in the pad of Daire’s thumb.
“Fuck!” he exclaimed, quickly releasing Bruce.
“I thought you knew how to speak cat?” I teased.
“I do!” he assured me. “He just asked me to put him down.”
For the first time in a week, I laughed. And I continued to laugh as he and Max entertained Harley and me with stories from their college years.
Hours later, with Bruce wrapped around my head in my bed, I wondered if I was the world’s biggest fool to pass up a good guy like Daire in favor of taking a gamble on Hawkley.
Chapter Twenty-four - Better
