Coldhearted Boss(80)
She shakes her head and stays quiet. It’s obvious she has a lot on her mind, things she’s not quite prepared to say out loud.
I whisper against her ear. “Tell me in the morning?”
The wind howls outside and the thunder rumbles.
She kisses my chest but never responds.
Chapter 31
Taylor
I wake up the next morning to the sound of hammering.
Groggily, I push myself up out of bed and stumble onto the porch, peering up to find Ethan hard at work on the roof, repairing the leak. His t-shirt is already drenched in sweat. A toolbelt hangs around his waist and he’s leaning over, slamming his hammer down onto a nail.
His brown hair needs a trim, but I secretly love the extra length. With it so disheveled, he looks like a farmhand about to drag me into a barn and have his wicked way with me.
Oh right, I’m supposed to be angry.
Why is that again?
Yesterday was a blur, one of those days where nothing goes right and everyone seems to be to blame. Max started the ball rolling then Grant made it ten times worse. Then I was annoyed with Ethan for ordering me to stay at the cabin and for not being more concerned about everyone knowing our business. It didn’t help when he all but ignored me at dinner. Yeah, yeah, I realize I didn’t give him much of a choice there, but what am I supposed to do? What happens when everyone knows about us and they all react just like Grant did?
I had every intention of picking up my anger right where I left it last night, but sleep did what sleep does, and now yesterday’s fight just doesn’t seem all that important in the light of day, not to mention I did a lot of thinking before I finally nodded off, and I managed to come to a few realizations.
Ethan finally notices I’m out here watching him, and he pauses, sitting back on his heels.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he says, sounding like he means it.
I realize with my hand up, shielding my eyes from the sun, my t-shirt’s hiked up on my thighs, all but revealing the bottom of my panties. I went to bed with my hair damp, so now it’s a wild, curly mess. I’m sure I have bags under my eyes from lack of sleep and a pillow mark on my cheek, but his appreciative gaze makes me blush.
“Still angry with me?” he asks, tilting his head.
He looks like a devilish angel up there with the sun outlining him from behind and his dimpled smirk softening his handsome features. The oxymoron never fit a soul better.
“Maybe,” I say, unable to keep the smile off my face.
He chuckles and shakes his head. “Suits me either way. Maybe when I’m finished with this roof, I’ll come down there and coax you out of that bad mood.”
It’s a promise that has my spine tingling, and I decide maybe I won’t throw in the towel just yet. If he’s so intent on coaxing me, there’s no point in telling him I’m not quite so mad anymore. In fact, I’m not mad at all.
I considered things quite a bit while I was lying awake in Ethan’s arms, listening to the rain, not just about my relationship with him and how we’ll navigate this tricky situation, but also about what could have happened if things had played out differently with Grant. If Ethan hadn’t handled the situation, I would have been stuck dealing with him myself. How long would I have had to suffer? Grant wasn’t the first man to mistreat me like that. I’ve dealt with men like him in all of my previous jobs, and it seems to be so easy for them to back me into a corner. They can say and do whatever they want because they know how badly I need the work. Without much education, I’m in a desperate position, and they take advantage.
I want things to be different, but they never will be. The root of the issue is that I have no options. My jobs have always been lifelines. As long as I’m living paycheck to paycheck, as long as I remain unqualified for any work with more stability and advancement opportunities, I’ll find myself back in this position.
Helpless. Angry. Easily preyed upon.
My high school counselor handed me that pamphlet for online classes months ago and I disregarded it because, at the time, it seemed impossible.
Now, well…maybe it’s not.
Suddenly, I’m rushing back into the cabin to throw on clothes.
“Hey, where are you going?” Ethan protests.
“I’ll tell you later!” I shout, letting the door slam closed behind me. I feel panicky and excited and hopeful, like my chest might burst open. I haven’t felt this way in a long time and I’m not going to stop to let doubt and insecurity wind their way through me. I throw on my jeans and boots and a t-shirt then I’m running back down the trail, my hair whipping in the wind behind me.
The ground is a muddy mess from all the rain and the crew is already getting started cleaning up what little damage the storm caused. The sunny skies will help dry things quickly, but even still, there are branches scattered around the jobsite and some debris that needs to be removed before they can continue working.
Hudson is overseeing everything and I run straight for him, heart thumping wildly in my chest.
“Hey Hudson! Would it be okay if I borrowed your laptop?”
He shrugs. “I’m barely on it. Use it for as long as you need.”
“Thanks!” I say, already turning to run in the opposite direction.
“Hey, wait! Why are you in such a rush?”