I’m wonderful.’ She glanced away. The heaviness of the conversation was making him uneasy. She needed to change the subject. ‘It’ll be nice to see Ali and Linc and Emmy again tomorrow, but I think we’re going to miss the privacy.’
He pushed the apartment door open, held it as she went in ahead of him. ‘I guess.’
‘We may have a few awkward moments with Emmy when she comes skipping over in the morning to play mechanic with you.’
‘About that…’ He stopped dead beside her, the strain clear in his voice. ‘We probably shouldn’t say anything yet.’
‘Why not?’Jessie felt the flutter of uneasiness in her stomach.
Monroe dumped their towels on the sofa. He took his time walking into the kitchenette and getting himself a glass of water.
‘You want one?’ He held the glass up.
Jessie shook her head. ‘Why don’t you want us to say anything to Linc and Ali?’
He put the glass down with a solid plop on the breakfast bar, looked at her for the first time since they’d entered the apartment.
‘Is there something wrong, Monroe?’
When he didn’t answer straight away, she felt a lump start to form in her throat. What exactly was going on?
‘No.’ Her relief at his words was tempered by the look of regret she could see in his eyes.
Reaching across the breakfast bar, he took her hand, pulled her around beside him. Putting his palms on her cheeks, he lifted her face to his.
‘I can’t let you go, Jessie. Not yet.’
She didn’t know what to make of the statement. ‘Why would you have to?’
He gave her a light kiss. ‘Let’s just keep it private for now, okay?’ His voice was low, possessive. ‘I want it to be just the two of us. I don’t want to share you with anyone, Red. Not even Linc and Ali.’
‘But, Monroe, how can we keep it a secret? If we’re sleeping together?’
‘Come over in the evenings, after they’ve gone to bed.’
She stepped back, a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. ‘That seems a bit sneaky.’
‘It’s not sneaky.’ He snagged her hand, before she could take another step away. ‘Listen, Jess.’ He rubbed her palm absently with his thumb. ‘Linc as good as told me to keep my hands off you.’
‘Wha-at?’ The shock came first. She pulled her hand out of his. ‘I don’t believe it. When?’
‘The morning after the barbecue. I guess he could see I was interested. He was just protecting you.’
Shock was followed by indignation. ‘But that’s…’She spluttered to a halt, words failed her. ‘But it’s none of his business.’
‘Sure it is. He’s your brother-in-law.’
‘Exactly, he’s my brother-in-law, not my keeper. How dare he? I’ve got a good mind to give him a kick up the bum when he gets back.’
Monroe grinned at her indignation, making her more angry.
‘What on earth are you smiling about? It’s not funny.’
‘Oh, yeah, it is.’ He held onto her hand as she reeled away. ‘I didn’t tell you so I could see you kick my brother’s butt.’ He paused a moment, humour sparking in his eyes. ‘Though that would be kinda fun.’
‘Why did you tell me, then?’
He pulled her close, held her still when she struggled.
‘Linc doesn’t want me to touch you and I don’t want him to know that I have.’He loosened his grip so she could see his face.
‘But that’s so Neanderthal of you both.’
His lips tilted. He didn’t look remotely offended at the suggestion. ‘I guess it’s a guy thing. It’s just…Linc and me are on shaky ground. I screwed up pretty bad with the birthday present.’
She sobered, remembering the painful incident at Emmy’s party. ‘Don’t feel bad about that, Monroe. Linc understood. I’m sure he did.’
His hands stroked up her arms. ‘He feels protective of you. I don’t want to hit him with this…situation yet. Could we let it ride for now?’
She didn’t want to let it ride. She wanted everyone to know how she felt about Monroe. That she was head over heels in love with him. But if she couldn’t even bring herself to tell Monroe yet, how could she tell anyone else?
But still Jessie hesitated.
It was worse than sneaky not to tell everyone about their relationship. It was dishonest. But what could she do, seeing the insecurity in his eyes? He was worried about his relationship with his brother and, however misguided his suggestion might be, she couldn’t stand in the way of him building a better bond with Linc. The two of them had been robbed of that in their childhood. She would not be the one to put a spanner in the works now.
‘Okay, Monroe, I won’t say anything, but just for a little while.’
Monroe pulled her into his arms, so she couldn’t see the sadness in his eyes. ‘Thanks, Red,’ he said, knowing a little while was all they had.
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