Page 54 of Coerced
“I was a kid. My dad taught me.”
“Did he do it competitively?”
Shaking my head, I laughed. “No. No, it was just one of those things he wanted me to learn how to do. This was one of the tamer activities that he got me involved in. My mom would always cringe at the stuff my dad thought was fine for a kid to learn, and she was always terrified I’d get hurt. Fortunately, this was one of the things he and I did together that stuck with me, and my mom eventually realized this was not the worst thing I could have shown the most interest in.”
Aria’s features softened. “I’m glad you have such a wonderful relationship with your parents, especially your dad.”
I was tempted to push the conversation further and seek additional information about her relationship with her family, but I didn’t want to ruin this. She’d had an opportunity to share with me a few days ago, and she’d elected to keep parts of her story to herself. I figured it was best to let her be the one to share when she was ready.
“Me, too. So, what do you think? Do you want to tryshooting another arrow on your own, or do you think it’d help if I guided you again like I did with the first one?”
I could have sworn I saw something flash in her eyes as her body shuddered. Her voice had a slight rasp when she answered, “I think it might be better if you help a few more times.”
Maybe I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the two of us being so close to one another. It was just the boost of confidence I needed to send a knowing look her way before moving my body behind hers again.
And this time, I didn’t keep that distance between us. I stepped close and had to stifle the groan threatening to escape when Aria scooted back just a touch closer.
By some miracle, we managed to focus on shooting arrows at the target.
It took her a few more tries, but Aria eventually hit the center of the target.
And when she celebrated by giving me a full-fledged hug, I could admit I held on to her in a way that told me I might not ever want to let her go.
The only question remained was whether I’d get the opportunity to make that a reality.
FIFTEEN
Aria
Three days later, I was still riding the high of my encounter with Paxton on Monday evening.
I wouldn’t mind if you had.
Those six words echoed in my head more times than I could count. All the same questions flitted through my mind for days. Was he simply being friendly with me in that moment? Or was Paxton indicating he might have liked knowing there was something going on between us?
Naturally, I’d reached out to Britney for advice. She’d been waiting for an update anyway, considering I’d filled her in on Sunday afternoon about how my date with Paxton had gone. This turn in things had certainly left her reeling.
“Oh, Aria, if you tell me there are more men like this guy out there, I might not come for a visit,” she said.
It seemed like such an unreasonable response. “What? Why would you say that?”
Britney laughed. “I wouldn’t be coming for a visit. I’d be coming for a permanent stay in hopes of finding a guy who would talk to me like that. I didn’t know there were men who actually said things like that in real life.”
“Apparently, they exist,” I murmured. “But do you think he meant it the way I took it?”
“Well, I don’t know him at all, so I can’t say for sure. But it doesn’t make sense to me why he’d say such things to you if he wasn’t being serious. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
She hesitated, the silence forcing me to assume the worst. “I don’t know. Is he the kind of guy who’d say something like that just to take advantage of you? I mean, he’s your neighbor, and he knows you’ve just moved out there on your own. As tough as you and I both know you are, as strong as you had to be to take this huge step, you’re still vulnerable.”
Instantly, I was shaking my head. “I get your point, Brit, but Paxton is not that kind of guy. I’d be shocked if he had it in him to do something like that. There’s no way. A guy who rescues animals like Paxton couldn’t be that cruel.”
Granted, every word was mere speculation, but I refused to believe he wasn’t a good guy. It just didn’t fit with everything he’d shown me so far. Plus, if everything he’d shown me had all been just a means to an end for him, I didn’t think I’d have people like Mallory, Sawyer, Avalon, and Liv indicating their hope that something would develop between Paxton and me, so my inclusion in their group would be permanent.
Britney was quick to respond. “I didn’t want to say it, because I truly don’t think that’s the case. But I’m also abit cautious, as I’m sure you are, given everything you’ve been through. I don’t want you to face more heartbreak, either.”
“That’ll only happen if I make the wrong assumptions about him,” I reasoned. “At this point, maybe I don’t need to be putting any pressure on myself. I’ll let things happen naturally with Paxton, whether that’s a purely innocent friendship that gets a little flirtatious at times or something else a bit deeper. Either option isn’t necessarily a bad outcome.”