Page 48 of Coerced

Suddenly, my throat was dry. “What?” I croaked, feeling the flush creep over my skin.

Continuing to appear unaffected by the whole situation, Paxton said, “It doesn’t bother me at all. I think there are worse things that could happen in my life than a gorgeous woman telling some mutual friends that she was dating me. In fact, if that had been the case, maybe it’d prompt me to do what I had to do to see to it that she wasn’t proven to be a liar.”

Gorgeous? He thought I was gorgeous? I was so stuck on that, it was a wonder I managed to take in anything he said after that.

But it was a good thing I had. Because if I hadn’t been mistaken, Paxton had just admitted he would have wanted to seriously date me if I had indicated to those women that he and I were dating.

I was too much of a chicken to press him on it.

“Well, I’m not a liar, so I didn’t say anything of the sort. But I wanted to make sure you knew that, in case people started talking and something got misconstrued along the way.”

Paxton reached his hand out to my arm, his fingers curling around the outer part of my shoulder. With a laugh and a gentle squeeze, he insisted, “I wouldn’t have assumed the worst, Aria. I promise.”

And there was that touch again. Did he know how much it drove me wild whenever he put his hands on me like this?

“I appreciate that.”

Jerking his chin down, he removed his hand from my shoulder and asked, “So, do you need any help with this unpacking? It looks like you’ve got a lot of cool artwork to hang on your walls.”

Twisting my neck, I looked down at the containers holding my paintings before shifting my attention to the one still clutched in my hands. Cool artwork. He was probably just being nice about it, not wanting to insult what he believed was my taste. I could imagine what he might have said if he knew that I’d been the one to paint all these canvases. That was the last thing I wanted. I did not want to get into any of this with him. I didn’t want totalk about my painting, nor did I want it hanging on my walls.

Fraud.

I was merely a fraud.

And I was willing to do anything to avoid the topic. With my mind made up, I lifted my gaze to Paxton’s face and said, “Oh, um, yeah, I don’t know yet if I’m going to be hanging these. I haven’t decided on the aesthetic I want in this place. Plus, I have no idea where I’d want anything yet anyway. It’d be a huge waste of time.”

He shook his head. “Are you sure? I really don’t mind helping. I just need to run home quickly to let the dogs out and check on everyone.”

As soon as he got the words out, my eyes widened. This was the perfect opportunity. “I’m totally sure. But I wouldn’t be opposed to finally taking some time to meet the rest of your crew, if you’re up for a quick visit.”

Paxton’s head jerked back, a smile forming on his face. Based on the way his brows shot up, it was clear he was surprised. “You want to come over now to meet them?”

“Sure. Why not? Unless, well, unless you have something else planned.”

“Not at all. I’d love to introduce you.”

Without wasting another second, I set down the paintings I’d been holding, and said, “I’m all yours.”

Paxton’s eyes darkened, something intense whirling in his stare. I hadn’t quite intended for my words to come out the way they did, but he certainly didn’t disappoint with his reaction.

I nibbled on my bottom lip as I felt my cheeks turn pinker. This man was capable of making me feel so much with just a single look.

He eventually brushed off whatever thoughts were going through his mind, turned his body sideways, and swept his hand out in front of him to indicate I could walk ahead of him.

I happily went, Paxton falling into step beside me.

Crisis averted.

We made it to his place in a comfortable silence, the excitement I felt being around him again palpable.

Once we were at the door, Paxton warned, “They’ll be a little wild, but I promise nobody is going to hurt you. If I thought you were unsafe, I wouldn’t even expose you to them.”

I knew he was only talking about his pets, but I couldn’t help feeling like his statement would hold true in other scenarios, too. That was just the kind of guy Paxton was. Wanting him to know I felt reassured by him, I smiled and dipped my chin with understanding.

Though he’d done his best to prepare me—and I’d already met Brutus—there was no way I could have prepared myself for the greeting we received upon entering. As expected, Brutus was wild, barking like crazy. The only thing I could do was laugh, because Brutus looked and sounded ridiculous, especially once Tiny came to a stop beside him. The stark contrast between their sizes and demeanor was amusing.

I couldn’t focus too much on the two of them, though, because Patty had walked right up to us and was doing everything she could to get us to show her some love. Wanting to have as many of Paxton’s pets on my side as I could, I was quick to crouch and give her the attention she was demanding.