I wanted more than anything to tell him to kiss me and tell me that he loved me. That would be the only way he could take this pain away.
“You can’t,” I barely said as our eyes locked. Tristan leaned in as my heartbeat picked up to a ridiculous rate. He stopped just short of my lips.
Inhaling a breath, I waited.
“But know if I could, I would.”
Pulling back abruptly, he stood. “Let’s get you dressed and back into bed.”
Holding out a pair of boxer shorts and a T-shirt for me, I smiled and took them. Tristan helped me with the boxer shorts. Pulling his T-shirt over my head, I was overcome with his scent. Slowly standing, I reached for the crutch, but before I could grab it, Tristan reached down and picked me up. I snuggled my face into his chest. I wanted to tell him he didn’t have to carry me, but I also wanted to be wrapped up in his arms.
Walking back into the living room, he set me on the sofa. Smiling, he gave me a wink and said, “First you have to eat. You can’t be taking those pills on an empty stomach, Ryn.”
Tristan and I ate our tacos in silence. The meds were for sure kicking in and I felt like I was fighting to keep my eyes open. I decided to shut them for just a few seconds.
I felt the motion of moving. Opening my eyes, I saw I was in Tristan’s arms again. “Tristan, I’m so tired.”
Tristan laid me down on the giant king-size bed. Pulling the covers over me, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Sleep, baby.”
“Mmm . . . night, Tristan.”
Hearing him chuckle he whispered, “It’s only ten in the morning.” Smiling, I lifted my hand to touch his face, but sleep took over my body.
I dreamed of a cabin in the woods and Tristan making love to me as he whispered how much he loved me.
RYN HAD BEEN STAYING AT my place ever since she sprained her ankle. I was trying like hell to keep my hands to myself, but each day was getting harder and harder. There were a few times I thought for sure she wanted me to kiss her, but I wasn’t going to take advantage of her being hurt to make a move on her. I wanted to show her I could take care of her and be with her without it being about sex.
Knowing Ryn was probably going stir crazy inside, I had arranged for us to eat dinner on the beach tonight.
Walking into the living room, I smiled. “You ready to head down to the beach?”
Smiling, Ryn nodded her head. “Are you sure you don’t mind me staying here? I feel bad for taking up all of your vacation.”
Shaking my head, I laughed. “Nonsense. It’s been nice having you here.”
Ryn’s eyes lit up and I felt a sense of hope. I just needed to be patient. She hadn’t talked to Dodge in over three days. At least, not that I knew of anyway. Reaching down, I picked her up.
“Tristan, you do realize I can walk.”
Chuckling, I held her tighter. “Maybe I like having you in my arms.”
Ryn looked at me with a weak smile before looking away. For a brief moment, I saw something flash across her eyes. The time we were spending together was slowly bringing us closer.
We walked up to the blanket I had put out a few minutes earlier. Setting Ryn down on the blanket, she looked at me with a surprised look on her face. “What is this?”
Giving her a look like she had just wounded me, I said, “Dinner, what does it look like?”
Shaking her head, she said, “Something I can’t picture Tristan Williams doing.”
Placing my hand over my heart, I dropped to my knees. “You wound me, Kathryn.”
Her smile instantly faded. I wasn’t sure if it was from me calling her by her full name or if something else bothered her. Pushing it away, I opened the basket that contained our dinner.
Ryn leaned over to peek into the basket. The moment I pulled out the Subway sandwich, she started laughing. “Subway, huh? Wow you put some serious effort into this dinner.”
Flashing a smile in her direction, I gave her wink. “Hey, it’s a BMT and if my memory serves me right, that is your favorite sandwich from Subway.”
Ryn’s smile dropped as she nodded her head. “Yeah, it is.”
After we ate, we talked for a bit about Ryn’s company.
“How is your business doing?” I asked.
Grinning from ear to ear she said, “It’s doing amazing. I’ve hired on two sourcing managers so I have a lot more time to take on other things, like gain more business.”
Lifting my mouth into a smile, I looked into her eyes. “I’m proud of you, Ryn. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”
“I am. I’ve worked really hard to make this company successful.”