Page 17 of Taurus

“Hmm? What?” I clear my throat.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Sorry, my brain is going a thousand miles a minute. Can you repeat it?” I pull the scrunchie from my hair and shake the locks out before twisting it back up into a bun. Mostly because I need something to do with my hands.

“The floors are totally flooded down there, and I’ve got the fans set up and blowing to dry it out, but I’m not going to be able to stay down there.”

“Okay…”

“I’m asking if you’ll be comfortable with me staying here on the main floor with you, in the other guest bedroom?”

Austin and I have done very well with avoiding each other except when totally necessary for days, and it’s been for the best, especially since I can’t even hear him say two fucking words without becoming a quivering mess of hormones.

If he moves up to the main floor, that will put us side by side, even sharing a wall… in a very old home… with walls so paper thin he’d be able to hear every move I made, and vice versa.

That’s certainly not an ideal situation for either of us, but what kind of person would it make me to force him to stay in a flooded basement, or even in a hotel for multiple nights, rather than taking a perfectly available room near me.

“Oh, yeah, sure, of course. I mean, that makes sense, doesn’t it? No need in having you go somewhere else.”

“That’s what I thought too, but I didn’t want to overstep my bounds.”

“You live here, Austin, I don’t. You didn’t even have to ask, but I’m thankful you did. I appreciate the kindness. The respect.”

“I’ve never been anything but kind when it comes to you. Ten years hasn’t changed that, Park.”

He was the most incredible man I’d ever met… until he became a cheating fucker who broke my heart into a thousand pieces.

“I mean, I think we can both disagree on that first part,” I sigh heavily and push to my feet from the chair in the living room. “I’m going to get dressed for the day so I can come down and watch one of the tours.”

He laughs and huffs in frustration at my words, but he doesn’t argue my point. “Okay. Linds will be in soon and is scheduled to lead all tours today. You can hang with her again today.”

I salute him, “Yes, boss.” I am being a bit of a brat, because I have to shake off whatever it was that he made me feel earlier with his sweaty, muscular arms and use of “good girl.”

I have to shut that down… and quick.

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