Page 14 of My Turkish Fling
I shook my head. “No, I wasn’t. And it’s not your job to apologize for it anyway. You don’t seem like those guys.”
“I used to be,” he said quietly, dropping the bread into his basket. “But I don’t want to cross any boundaries. So, please tell me if you ever feel that way.”
I nodded; my mouth dry as I imagined myself crossing societal boundaries with him. I could feel my own pulse between my legs. The man was clearly so restrained he’d never even look at me funny. The sensations awakening in my body were as useless as they were delicious, but I wasn’t that young anymore. I knew how quickly romance dried up and life turned into a race for money and comfort, a slow decline towards the grave. I knew how lucky I was to feel anything at all.
I’d have to do my best not to cross his boundaries.
We made it out of the shop with the bread and some Turkish delight I couldn’t resist, despite Emir’s eye-rolling. The chocolate covered kind they sold in New Zealand wasn’t the real thing, but I wanted something Turkish in my mouth and the sweet treat would have to do.
Chapter 7
Emir
Janie showed me to the guest bedroom, quickly clearing two bags from the wardrobe to create space for my luggage. The room was tastefully designed, with soft carpets and soothing tones. Back when I’d been managing Cem, traveling around Europe and staying in hotels, I would have felt like I belonged. I might have even felt like a man worthy of Janie’s time. But I’d lost my way. I didn’t have a real job. I was across the world, performing menial tasks for my brother, no longer calling the shots.
Janie held at the doorway, her face frozen into a half smile, her eyes cast down to my feet. She’d seemed a bit flustered since our shopping trip. “Is there anything else you need?”
“No, thank you.”
“I’ll make some tea if you want to join me. If you’re not tootired?”
She looked up at me with such open interest I couldn’t deny that part of me wanted to explore it. What would it feel like to be chosen?
“Tea sounds great.”
I’d been by myself for so long I didn’t even know how to allow someone closer. Was there any way to do that without entering a world of hurt? Probably not, if history was any indication. I couldn’t do fun and casual. I was neither of those things. I’d fallen in love once and it had destroyed me. I knew the power of it, and I knew better than to go near that fire.
I wouldn’t risk it for a woman who lived a world away. A woman who had roots in this soil. A family. I shook my head at the thought. This was exactly what I’d been warning Cem about. Not that he ever listened. And now my family paid the price of their ill-considered love story. If I did the same, there’d be nobody left to look after my parents. I was a downer, but I’d always been the dependable one.
Janie flashed me a hopeful smile and disappeared, leaving the hallway darker, as if she’d been the source of light.
Fifteen minutes later, showered and changed into slacks and a T-shirt, I met her in the kitchen. She’d changed into a pair of black tights and a pale purple shirt, and her hair swayed in a high ponytail. Her smile caught me off guard, again. “You look so much more comfortable!”
“It’s not too casual?” I glanced at the outfit I never wore outside the privacy of my bedroom. But I was starting to learn how casual New Zealand was.
“No!” She handed me a cup of tea. It smelled strong and sweet and familiar. “It’s not Turkish but as close I could get.” She shot me an apologetic smile.
My chest tightened at the thought. “You didn’t have to. I’ll drink whatever you drink.”
“I love Turkish tea.”
I liked the way her cheeks colored, so at odds with her confidence that I almost wanted to tease her. If I’d known how to do that without offending.
I tasted the tea. “It’s nice. Thank you.”
“Do you want me to…” she gestured at her own neck, then at the dining table.
Against my better judgment, I sat down. Her dog appeared, tail wagging, raising its paws on my knee, as perky as its owner. “Only if you tell me all the things you need help with. I’ll make a list and start first thing tomorrow morning.”
The second her hands landed on my skin; my body flooded with incredible, tingly warmth. An uncontrollable sound gurgled out of my throat, and I tried to cover it with a cough.
I heard the smile in Janie’s voice. “If you insist, I do have some broken fencing. And some of the trellis around the verandah was damaged by the storm.”
“Did you have flooding around here?” I’d heard about the floods that hit Napier only weeks after the earthquake that devastatedmuch of Turkey and Syria.
“No. I’m lucky my house is so elevated. I only had heavy rain and a couple of slips. It destroyed some of my crop. Spooked Molly. But I was lucky. I didn’t drown inside my own house.”
Her hands trembled and the same shiver ran through me. “Was that what happened?”
