Only You by Addison Fox

Author:Addison Fox
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Chapter Thirteen

Five o’clock might come at the same time each morning, but it seemed earlier today, like a thief determined to take something from him. Somewhere during the night Fender had resolved what he had to do—wake up and leave Harlow—but he wanted another half hour wrapped up in her.

So it was a surprise to reach out and find the space next to him in bed was empty.

It was still dark outside, August already having begun the march toward shorter days, but he wasn’t sure where she was. The shower wasn’t running in the bathroom that connected to her bedroom, nor did he hear any movement in the apartment. Coming fully awake, he got up, curious to know where she was.

He snagged the sheet free from the foot of the bed and wrapped himself in it, padding from the room. He’d been so focused on her when they’d made their trip to the bedroom he hadn’t looked at much of the apartment, so he corrected that now.

The space was large—he estimated at least two thousand square feet—and in addition to her bedroom held a second guest room and a small bedroom that she’d turned into an office. That’s where he found her, curled up on a chaise lounge, flipping through pages on her tablet underneath a small reading lamp.

“Did I wake you?” She glanced up from the iPad, her smile reserved and still a little sleepy.

“Not at all. How long have you been up?”

“About an hour.”

An hour? She left the bed an hour ago and he hadn’t felt it? Fender had no idea why that made something swirl in his gut, but he tried to push it aside before it opened up like a crater. He had no right to swirl about anything, and it wasn’t like she was required to be a snuggler.

He’d never been.

“What have you been doing?”

“Thinking. Trying to read and failing miserably, so I’ve been playing mindless games.”

That pit in his stomach swirled harder. “You didn’t have to get out of bed.”

“It’s not a good idea to get used to things you can’t have. That’s the thought I came awake on, so I figured I should do something about it.”

He could hardly argue with her logic—hadn’t he just thought the same?—yet something about her making the move first sparked something. “Look, if you want me to go, I’ll go.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You might as well have.” He fisted the sheet he’d bunched closed in his palm even harder, his fingers nearly going numb. “I get it.”

“I don’t think you do.”

“Riddles at five in the morning?”

“No riddles, just the truth. The dumb, stupid truth that neither of us wants to face.” She stood, the oversized T-shirt with a Mona Lisa on the front that she wore falling to her knees. “That’s why I’m hiding in here, and why you’re standing there getting mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Sure you are. So am I. I’m mad this even started. Worse, I’m pissed that you came into my life only to be dragged away.

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