Page 65 of Coerced

“Are you hoping something bad happens?” I questioned him.

“Of course not. But I’m not a fool, either. Every other guy here who wound up in a relationship had something crazy to deal with. What makes you think you’re going to be any different?” he countered.

That’s when Jesse declared, “He does have a point, Pax. That said, I think it’s comical that Hart thinks he’s going to get out of having this happen to him.”

Hart shrugged. “No connections, so I’ve got nothing to worry about.”

I laughed. “And I promise not to say I told you so when you’re eating your words.”

“Until that happens,” Jesse started. “Let’s get back to the topic at hand, Pax. Are you concerned about this thing with Aria being one-sided?”

If that was the case, I was going to be right back to feeling like I had last night when I believed she’d invited that guy back to her place. “I guess anything is possible, and I could be reading it all wrong, but I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure there’s a mutual attraction there.”

“Sawyer likes her, and from what I’ve heard, it seems allthe women in the group are planning to get together with Aria, too. I guess Avalon’s working out all the details, but there’re a lot of schedules to juggle.”

“Yeah, Aria mentioned that to me. She’s pretty excited about it, and I’m grateful to all the women for welcoming her like this. Aria has had a rough couple of years.”

“Let’s hope this stay is permanent, then, right?”

“I’m actively working on making that happen,” I assured him.

Jesse grinned back and stood, evidently having reached the end of his break. “Well, I guess we’ll see if you showing up for her tonight helps move things in the right direction.”

I could only hope the effort would propel things forward between us. Obviously, I didn’t want Aria feeling pressure about what I wanted to see happen between us—I certainly didn’t want her to think she had to agree to anything simply because I had stepped in last night—but I wasn’t against her seeing that I cared about her in a way that went beyond us just being neighbors.

“Yeah. Let’s hope so,” I muttered.

With that, Jesse and I both bid farewell to Hart, walked out of the break room, and returned to work. It was safe to say I was pleasantly distracted for the next few hours as I continuously recalled what it felt like to have Aria in my arms last night with her body pressed close.

Before I knew it, I’d left work and pulled into my driveway. I loved my animals dearly, but I’d have been lying if I said I wasn’t eager to get them taken care of as quickly as possible, so I could head right back out the door and to the pub to see Aria.

Despite my excitement, my plans were brought to ahalt as soon as I made it to my front door. Something caught my eye off to my right side, and when I looked at the chair sitting on the porch, I noticed a cooler there.

My brows drew together as I moved toward it, wondering if this was cause for concern. Had the asshole who attacked Aria last night returned today? What was I going to find inside this cooler?

But once I got closer, I realized there was a piece of paper folded in half and taped to the lid of the cooler. I pulled it off and opened it up. I immediately worked out it was a note, so my eyes dropped to the bottom, where I saw Aria’s signature.

This cooler was from her?

My eyes shifted between the cooler and the letter several times before I finally settled on the piece of paper in my hands and read.

Paxton,

Saying the words last night didn’t seem like enough, so I wanted to extend some additional thanks to you. Inside the cooler, please find a token of my appreciation for what you did for me. It doesn’t come close to being enough, but my wish is that it can put a small dent in the debt I owe you. I hope you’re not allergic, and I promise it’s safe toeat!

XOXO,

Aria

As excited as I was to see what was inside the cooler, I couldn’t seem to drag my attention away from the letter. Aria’s handwriting was almost as beautiful as she was. The slanted cursive and perfectly formed letters made it ripe for display in a frame.

But even that wasn’t the best part of it.

It was those X’s and O’s. Hugs and kisses might have been Aria’s intention, but for all I was reading into it, she should have just written the word love.

The bottom line was that she was extending a form of affection to me, even if in the written form, and it felt like a major win.

Of course, there was that one small part of me that hated she felt as though she needed to repay me for stepping in and helping her last night. It was pure instinct, and that need to protect her, fueling me. Knowing she was okay was the only payment I needed.