Page 26 of Peach

She saw anger flash across his face, and she might have flinched. He raised both hands and blew out a breath.

“I’m not angry at you. I just don’t want you to think more of me than I am. Let me determine what is good for me and what isn’t. I’m glad you’re here. It’s nice to have someone to talk to who isn’t a guy in the Navy.”

It was her turn to laugh. “I’m not very witty.”

"I think you are. And I'm not a deep thinker, either. I think we'll fit perfectly together."

His words made her insides warm, but based on how his gaze flicked from hers to his food made her think maybe he hadn’t meant to say exactly what he’d said.

After they ate, Peach insisted on doing the dishes. He told her that the cook shouldn’t ever have to do the dishes.

“But what if I want to help?” Haisley asked.

“You can if you want to. I won’t dictate what you do or don’t do, but I don’t expect you to cook and clean. If you make dinner, I’ll do the bulk of the dishes if I’m here.”

“That sounds fair.”

"I'm a fair guy. So I was talking to the guys at work, and they all wanted to go to the beach on Saturday morning. But we could head out to the beach on Thursday evening if you wanted to see it before then."

Spending time with Peach was a double-edged sword. She was getting too enamored with him. There was no way he wanted more. He hadn’t even tried to kiss her. Hetold her over and over again that he wasn’t going to sleep with her. Maybe she wasn’t that desirable.

Realistically, she was damaged goods. Her mother would call her ruined. She’d had sex with a bunch of men, though she didn’t remember it because Will had drugged her and passed her around to all of his friends.

Maybe she was at fault. Her life was one big messed up pile of trash. She should have known Will would have taken advantage of her. He'd ruined her car and other things. Now, he'd ruined her.

Peach finished cleaning up the dinner dishes, and he turned, his eyes narrowing. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

“I can tell you’re upset.”

Tears welled up, and she didn’t want him to see her crying. “I’ve just made a mess of my life.”

“No, you really haven’t.”

"What am I going to do? I'm pregnant with some guy's baby, and I don't even know who. I don't know who I fucked that night. Your mom was at least wise enough to take me to the local clinic and have me tested for diseases, but I still don't know who I had sex with. I just know they did stuff to me that I hate talking about, and now I'm telling you, and I'm so embarrassed. What will your friends think of me?"

Peach moved to her. His arms were around her, and she wondered if she should pull away. They weren't a couple, but honestly, it felt like they were. She'd never had a relationship that didn't have an obsessive amount of sex with an obsessive amount of control over her. Peach was unlike anything she'd ever known.

She couldn't lean on him. He was too good for her, and he deserved someone who wasn't in a terrible situation like she was. Though she wanted to cling to him, shepushed away and moved to the kitchen to get a drink of water.

“I’ve made mistakes. I know I have to pay for those mistakes in one way or another. Thank you for taking me in. It was really nice of you to help.”

The look that passed over Peach's face made her want to pull him close and hold him until the hurt stopped. But she wasn't here to be his girlfriend. He deserved someone better than her. She needed to get her life together and find her own place, so Peach could actually have a life.

Chapter 19

Peach didn't wantto get involved romantically with Haisley, but coming home to a perfectly made dinner had him feeling things he should keep a chain on. Haisley made it perfectly clear that she wasn't interested in a relationship with him.

She was saving him from himself. He didn’t want a relationship. The men on his team had gotten lucky. There was no way he would find someone special. He hadn’t so far. Women used him because of his looks. He’d learned that lesson early and then decided he wouldn’t give them the chance to take advantage of him.

On Tuesday night, Harry and Rory were set to arrive at five. He could tell Haisley was nervous. Putting her at ease was second nature to him. Though he was friendly, he didn't make the mistake of touching her again.

Haisley bit her thumbnail. “I shouldn’t be so nervous. I want to help you go through the paperwork.”

“Sure. I appreciate any help.”

There was a knock on the door, and Haisley's eyes grew wide. He hoped that he was right about his friends. Theyknew she'd been through some stuff, but they didn't know everything. Rory could be direct because of her job with the military, but she really was nice.