Page 62 of Seduced in Ink
He would walk away when the time came, and she would have to let him. He was doing this because he was a good guy, because he believed in helping others, and she couldn’t stand in his way and force him to love her. She wouldn’t let herself acknowledge what she felt for him more than she already had. Once she did that, she would shatter into a thousand pieces, all because she couldn’t focus.
“What’s with that sad look on your face?” Guy asked from her side, looking suave and debonair.
She looked up at that strong jaw, those piercing gray eyes, and the slight stubble he had on his face that made him look even sexier.
She didn’t know why he had allowed himself to be caught in her mother’s web. She would always be wary of him, but he seemed nice. Perhaps she would have been attracted to him under other circumstances, and may have agreed to being set up with him. But not now. Especially not when her heart belonged to Aaron.
“I’m just thinking. Long morning.”
Not quite a lie, not quite the truth.
“I’m sure Aaron is glad he has time to focus on his clients. After all, he does need to work and not spend all his time with you.”
She frowned at Guy’s tone and looked up at him.
“I never once thought that he needed to spend all his time with me.” She just wanted him to because she liked being near him and enjoyed the sound of his voice and the way he made her feel.
Even if she couldn’t quite put her finger on exactly what that was. An unnamed emotion crawled through her that said she wanted him to stay by her side forever.
Was that love? Obsession? Or denial of the fact that he would never be hers?
“Madison? Is everything okay?”
She shook herself out of her reverie and looked up at Guy. “Sorry, let’s go see this coffee place. What’s it called again?”
“Boulder Cup.”
“Boulder Cup?” she asked, frowning. “Really?”
“The coffee and the pastries are much better than the name.”
“It’s so hard coming up with coffee shop names these days. All the good ones are taken.”
“I don’t know, yours sounds like a delight.”
He purred the words, and she nearly blushed, but it wasn’t Aaron saying them, so she simply shrugged.
“My friends always said my cupcakes were sinful, so it turned into that.”
“You know, I’ve never actually tasted your...cupcakes.”
He paused before the last word, and she barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Obvious, much?
She was engaged. It might not be genuine, but Guy didn’t know that. She didn’t like that he was being so forward and acting as if she weren’t taken. Like he could just flirt with her however he wanted.
She made sure there was space between them even though he constantly moved closer to her.
She would get through this quickly, see how the Boulder Cup was set up, and figure out if she really wanted to franchise her business. She didn’t think she would end up in a place like this, most likely in another college town like Fort Collins. But if she did decide to expand into a little more boutique-like place up in the mountains, maybe this would be a good start.
Either way, she loved going into different coffee shops. Only, she wished she was here with Aaron rather than with Guy.
She knew Aaron needed to work, and the fact that he had even come to the retreat at all was wonderful. He hadn’t been forced into coming to the lodge with her, but she sure felt that way.
He had a job to do, and it wasn’t like he could bring his furnace and his blowpipe with him everywhere. Yes, she knew he sketched out many of his pieces beforehand, but that wasn’t what he was doing now. No, he was talking with a client on the phone from a hotel, all because she needed him, and he had come for her.
Yes, she was in love with Aaron Montgomery. And she had no idea what to do about it.