Page 69 of She Was Made for Me

“But you didn’t,” I protest.

“Weknow that, but come on, Violet. I’m nearly twenty years older than you. He wouldn’t be out of line to worry and tell your dad.”

My blood turns to ice in my veins. “Shit, you’re right.” I scramble from the bed, panic rising in my chest. I hadn’t planned to fall asleep up here, but I was so tired, so comfortable and relaxed in Kyle’s arms after he told me to stay with him. Honestly, it’s the best I’ve slept in years.

But none of that matters now.

I find my bra and panties on the floor, my red dress at the end of the bed. Fuck. I have no choice but to put on my clothes from last night.

I frantically yank on my underwear, then snatch up my dress, all the lovely memories of the night before gone. If I can’t find a way to sneak past Dale unnoticed, he’ll catch me doing the walk of shame from the foreman’s bedroom to mine. And if he tells Dad, then this—whatever this is—will be over. Kyle will probably never speak to me again, let alone touch me.

I wrench my dress into place and grab my heels, turning in bare feet to glance at Kyle. He’s pulled on a tee, and his gaze softens as it moves over me, disheveled in my dress.

“Violet—”

A crash from downstairs makes us jump, and I glance at the stairs, my pulse thumping.

“How am I going to get past him?”

“I’ll create a diversion,” Kyle says, striding across the room. “Just give me a few minutes.”

I nod, and he pauses in front of me to drop a kiss on my forehead. It’s the lightest touch, but it’s enough to reassure me. I watch him descend the stairs, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. Part of me feels guilty for not being downstairs, ready to face the day, but another part of me—the satisfied, sleepy part of me that woke in Kyle’s arms—has hardly thought about work since Kyle kissed me in the garden at the concert. That part reminds me of what Kyle said the night we went out for dinner; that I need to have fun outside of work. I think he might be right.

I tiptoe to the top of the stairs, straining to hear. Kyle greets Dale casually down below, and I inch down a few steps. After a quick peek onto the second floor, I can see no one is there yet, so I continue carefully down the staircase, listening to Kyle chat idly to Dale. When I don’t hear anyone else’s voices, I relax a little.

“Where’s Violet this morning?” Dale asks, and I freeze. “She’s usually up when I arrive, working away.”

“She must still be asleep,” Kyle responds. “I think she, uh, had a late night.”

“Good for her.” Dale chuckles heartily. “That girl works far too much.”

“You’re right about that.”

I take another tentative step until I’m able to peek over the banister into the parlor room. Dale is standing with his back to me, and Kyle catches my eye as I creep down. If I’m quick, I might be able to dash across the entry hall to the basement stairs and be out of here.

But as I take another step, the ancient staircase creeks. I wince, my heart leaping into my throat as Dale begins to twist around.

“Hey—do you want some coffee?” Kyle calls loudly, catching Dale’s arm before he turns. “I’ll treat the team this morning. Coffee and bagels.”

“Sounds good, boss.”

Kyle pulls his wallet from his pocket, fishing out a handful of bills and stuffing them into Dale’s hand. “Would you mind running down to Joe’s to fetch them? I’ve got some things to do here.” He sends me a quick look over Dale’s shoulder and I hastily backtrack up the stairs, out of sight.

“Sure thing.”

I wait, listening as Dale’s boots move across the parlor floor, and the front door closes behind him. My breath whooshes out when Kyle calls,

“You can come out now, Vi.”

“Thank God.”

I wander down to find Kyle in the foyer, frowning. “That was close. We almost—”

The front door swings open and Ryan strides in, yawning. “Morning, all. It’s going to be a hot one today, I tell ya.” He pauses in the doorway as his eyes notice me in my red dress, clutching my heels in my hand.

Shit.

“Well, well, well.” His mouth pulls into a smirk. “Someone’s doing the walk of shame.”

---