Page 40 of Paths
I shrug. “We’ll see. I can run though, right?”
She nods, smiling bigger.
“Then get your running shoes. Tonight, we have a date.”
She raises a brow. “A date?”
I tip my head, challenging her. “Or a race. Your choice.”
She surprises me and narrows her eyes, showing me she has a competitive side. “Do you run for distance or time?”
I reach out, hooking my finger inside the waist of her jeans, and give her a good yank. “Both.”
She catches herself by grasping my biceps, but doesn’t try to push away. “I was All-State in track four years in a row and ran for Cornell on scholarship.”
I lean into her, my addiction growing stronger by the second. “Told you I read your background, Maya. You’re telling me things I already know.”
She narrows her eyes farther, and I can’t tell if she’s annoyed or surprised that I know as much as I do. After thinking it over for a second, she squares her shoulders. “Then it’s a race—an even 10K.”
“You’re competitive,” I reply, my grin growing bigger. “How about a wager?” She instantly frowns, and I can’t help but tease her. “What, I thought you ran for Cornell?”
She sighs. “Fine. I picked the race, you name the wager.”
“A first date. A real date, planned by me if I win. Should you happen to win,” I shrug and try not to grimace, “I’ll eat a salad.”
She tries to hide a smirk as she agrees, “It’s on.”
I lean in and kiss her quickly, sealing the deal, even though I want nothing more than to peel her clothes off and seal it a different way.
All in due time.
Until then, I pull away and say, “Should I take my shirt off for the torture? I’m more than willing to undress for you. If you’d like to torture something else, I can take my pants off, too.”
So far today, I’ve seen her scared, nervous, apprehensive, and even having fun hula-hooping with an old guy. But when she bursts out laughing and slaps my chest, saying, “Stop it,” it feels like I’ve accomplished a task so big and challenging, I almost forget about having to explain to her one day that I was a hired assassin.
Almost, but not quite.
Still, this doesn’t stop her from torturing me.
Chapter 12 – His Iliac Furrow
Maya –
Even though it’s late afternoon, the tasting room is slower than normal. So slow, that the women of Whitetail—Addy, Clara, Bev, and Evan’s girlfriend, Mary—are all congregated at the bar. Bev and Mary are having a glass and they’re all deep in chat. Or they were until Grady and I walked through the front door, and all eyes settled on my hand being held by Grady’s. Chatting immediately ceased once they got an eyeful, and all their eyes got big.
Great.
My well-thought-out plan of not getting to know anyone, flying under the radar, and hiding in plain sight, has lost its steam. I certainly didn’t mean to gain the attention of any man, let alone the one with whom I’ve become obsessed. The last time a man turned my head, I was sixteen and he was barely a man.
Between Weston appearing, worrying about Joe, stressing about paying my rent, not to mention, or else, I don’t have time for a new man in my life. Obviously, or else wins, tipping the scales of my anxiety at the moment. If all this wasn’t enough, I just agreed to let Grady travel home with me. I guess I deserve that since I basically threw him under the bus last night by pretending he’s something he isn’t in front of Weston.
Not that Grady wasn’t flirty before last night. He definitely was. But ever since I threw myself at him, kissing him like he was mine to kiss, he’s been acting like he’s mine. What’s more—he’s acting like I’m his.
Not that I’m not interested, I am. Not that I don’t like him kissing me, I do—I definitely do. Not that I don’t like him touching me, or sitting in his lap, or even his teasing me. I like it all, and I think I like it too much. And now he’s insisted on traveling to Buffalo with me so I can see Joe.
I’m not quite sure what’s wrong with me, but I didn’t even try to deny him. I simply accepted the fact he’s coming home with me, to be subjected to my mother, who, prior to my leaving, incessantly pressured me to get back together with my cheating, good-for-nothing, murdering, mobster ex-fiancé. She did this solely because she wants a connection to the MacLachlans, as if being married to an Augustine isn’t enough for her. She has no idea what the MacLachlan family is really about.
First things first, I need to talk to Addy about getting a couple days off. I’m looking forward to seeing Joe as much as I’m dreading seeing my mother.
