Page 76 of Don't Bet On It
“Maybe.” Tallulah squirmed on her seat. “I don’t really want to go that route. Olivia is my best friend. She would do whatever I ask.”
“You don’t want to ask, though.”
“No, because it puts her in an awkward position. Zach went out on a limb getting me this job. I can’t make things more difficult for him.”
“Have you ever considered that Zach, out of everybody, might understand about a difficult parent?”
“Oh, I think he would understand. He and Olivia are so happy, though. They’re having a baby. I do not want to bring my problems to their doorstep.”
I frowned. “You know it’s okay to ask for help, right?”
“I don’t need help.” Her response was automatic. “I have everything under control.”
“Everybody needs help.”
“Not me.” She was firm.
I thought about arguing further, but sometimes, it was like talking to a wall when conversing with Tallulah. Instead, I nodded. “Okay, but I’m here to help if you need it.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine.”
She wouldn’t be fine. Her life was teetering. Even I could see that. Pushing her now was not the way to fix things. “Well, I’m still here. Remember that.”
“I won’t forget.”
“Good. That’s how I want things to be.”
I WALKED HER HOME AGAIN. I HAD EVERYintention of dropping her off in the lobby, but it didn’t happen. Again. Without a doubt, I knew she was determined to say goodbye to me on the sidewalk in front of the building. That didn’t happen either.
“We should probably stop doing this,” Tallulah said as she opened her apartment door. This time, there was no awkward jockeying or kissing in the hallway outside her unit. We both knew what was about to happen.
“Probably,” I agreed as I followed her inside. Anticipation coiled inside of me. I really had thought we’d be together only once. Now, I wanted to kick myself for ever believing that.
She allowed the door to fall shut and then engaged the safety chain before turning to look at me. “It was supposed to be one time.”
“Do you want me to go?” I knew how she would answer, but I asked anyway.
“Absolutely not.” She pointed toward the bedroom. “I’m all ramped up now. I need something to take the edge off.”
I was right there with her. “You read my mind.”
She giggled as I followed her down the hallway. “Don’t get used to this. We’re just … having a fling or something.”
A fling? It was an interesting word choice. “You shouldn’t get used to it either,” I warned her. “This is a temporary situation.”
“I’m well aware.”
We stared at each other, then I tackled her onto the bed. “Enough talk,” I said, my mouth finding hers. “We’ll pick up the conversation in the morning.”
“Finally,” she said with a sigh. “We’re on the exact same page.”
“It had to happen eventually.”
21
TWENTY-ONE
Ronan was still asleep when I woke the next morning. Or he was pretending to be asleep. Which one? I wasn’t certain. The steady rhythm of his breathing suggested he was down and out. I took advantage of the situation to study him up close. The man didn’t seem to have a single pore on his face. It was ridiculous. Even after a long night of sex, he was a beautiful specimen. It wasn’t fair. I knew my hair looked like birds had been nesting in it, and I tended to wake up with blotchy skin.
