I stared at Weslie, taking in his naked body and the way his hand was holding the towel in place, covering his lower half. I felt my mouth water at the sight of him, taking in his muscular build.
He moved, turning to the left, once more shifting his hand on the towel. Water dripped off his hair and trailed down his chest. I wanted to reach out and rub it in, but I curled my hands together.
Weslie had always been fit, but this was another level. He was no longer a teenage boy in shape but a full-grown man built to go into fires and save lives.
Focus April. You are just staying with him until this situation is resolved. You don't need to stare at him.
I decided to focus my attention on Weslie's sleeve tattoo. It was a pack of wolves that wrapped around his arm. The detailing was amazing. It was made in black and white, with shading. There were trees around the wolves, and the scene was outstanding.
He looked down at his arm and then up at me. "I started it when I moved here. It's all of the guys."
My eyebrows went up. "Really? Like all the guys at the fire station?"
He nodded. "Yeah." He pulled his hand up, pointing at each of the wolves. "Ayden, Owen, and Miles are in the front. Thomas, Cayden, and Lucas are in the back."
I stared at the tattoos, taking each of them in. "You didn't want to add yourself?"
He shook his head. "No need."
"It's beautiful," I said. "I didn't know you wanted tattoos."
"I wanted ones that had a good meaning behind them. I never had the need for them growing up. It wasn't until I was here that I wanted one."
"So, what changed?"
He gave me a half smile. "It was my second time out with them. There was a fire in an abandoned building. We didn't think it was serious until we discovered some kids were playing there. I'd watched the guys get into action before, but this was different. It hit all of us differently, and I realized I never wanted to do anything else. I was where I needed to be."
He turned and showed me his back tattoo, which was a compass with fire all around it. It was intricate, and the fire station logo was intertwined with the fire.
"Which is when I got this one."
My eyes stared at it, and I reached a hand up, running my fingers over one of the hands on the compass. "It's stunning."
He smiled. "Thank you. Though, I must say your back tattoo was pretty amazing. I only saw it briefly, but it looked like it had taken a while. Did it take a couple of sessions?"
I blushed and nodded my head. "Thank you. And yeah, it was about ten hours in total. The shading took the longest." I pulled my hand back, thinking of when I got the tattoo. It was my newest one.
I got it when my grandmother died two years ago. She had been a sweet woman. Her views on things were much like the packs, but she was open-minded and wanted me to be happy. She had a love for flowers and their meaning, so I ordered her boutique for her funeral and had it tattooed onto my back.
"When did you get yours?" he asked. "I never thought you'd be the type to get a tattoo, much less one that large."
I laughed. "I've always been rebellious. It started with piercing my ears and getting my belly button done. It then led to tattoos, which I found I enjoy. Actually, Ivan is the one that convinced me."
I thought of when Ivan took me to get my first tattoo. I got a small flower on my ankle. I loved it and loved him so much for paying for it. I had never thought I would end up here.
"Really? Ivan convinced you." His eyebrows went up on that.
I nodded. "Yeah, he convinced me to do a lot of things that I probably shouldn't have done. Like smoking."
His eyes widened. "You smoked?"
I nodded. "Yeah, started smoking and then stopped smoking. I then started again and stopped about a year ago. Riley said she was going to sign me up for some online program if I didn't."
He started to laugh. "I bet your folks enjoyed that. Your mother almost killed your brother when he had a friend's pack of cigars in his pants."
I snorted, remembering how angry they had gotten when they found me smoking. That was nothing to how angry they were when they found out about my back tattoo. I was pretty sure my mother wanted to skin me alive.
It was unladylike. No man would want me when I was marked up like that. They didn't know that Ivan had opened me up to that world. I had wanted one but was too chicken shit to get one. He just nudged me.
"They were not impressed, and considering you know my folks pretty well, you can imagine how that all went down."
I watched as Weslie moved around on the island, looking uncomfortable. I frowned, wondering if it was my own doing. We were both trying to make this as comfortable as we could. But I had moved into his space so quickly without warning.
"Are you...going to get dressed?" I asked, waving a hand toward his towel. "Or do you normally walk around with a towel?"
He looked down at his towel and then back up at me. "Sorry. I was going to get dressed. I thought you had left. I didn't realize you were still out here."
I wanted to ask if he normally walked around naked, but I didn't. I could picture him as the type to hang around his apartment naked. He was high enough up that people couldn't see in.
I watched as he turned and headed back down the hallway. I turned my attention to the eggs. I started scooping them onto a plate. I slid the plate across the island for him.
I took a sip of my coffee and waited for Weslie to come back. Weslie came back wearing a pair of jeans and a deep red shirt. He took a seat at the island and looked at the eggs. His eyebrows went up as he turned the plate.
"I added salt and pepper for seasonings. I wasn't entirely sure how you liked your eggs."
He took a bite of the eggs and nodded his head. "They're good."
I scooped my eggs up and took a bite. I took a sip of my coffee and glanced outside the windows. I had to hand it to him. The apartment was nice. It wasn't large, but it was clean and updated. And the view—it was pretty breathtaking. I would buy the place just for that alone. It looked over the town, and when the sun went down, the town twinkled with life.
"Nice view, isn't it?" Weslie said, noticing I was staring. "I wasn't sure about the apartment since it is small, but that view was worth it."
"It is," I said, looking back at him. I took in his outfit, seeing he was dressed for work. "Are you going to be at work all day?"
"Yeah, and running to get groceries afterward. What about you? Got a busy day planned for yourself?"
I applied at the bank but haven't heard anything back. I was thinking of calling and seeing if they were interested in setting up an interview. I should look at other places to apply and really try to get a job. I needed one. I could watch only so much TV before I was sick of it.
I looked through the newspaper, but nothing piqued my interest.
"I don't know yet." I took a bit of my eggs and watched as he shifted in his chair. He looked uncomfortable again, and he had bags under his eyes. Had he not been sleeping well? I felt a little bad that I'd been taking the bed. We could share. I didn't mind sleeping on the couch.
"Have you not been sleeping well?" I asked, pointing to his eyes.
He shrugged, taking another bit of his eggs. "The couch isn't that comfortable. I really should have thought about that when I bought it."
I scowled, drumming my fingers on the counter. "Maybe we should be thinking about getting a bigger apartment. I can look while I'm home. Would give me something to do."
He paused and scowled at me. He looked a little insulted. "No."
"But why not? If we got a bigger place, you and I could have our own rooms. We could both have a bed."
He softly sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Because it needs to look like we're happily married, April. While yes, some married couples would look to move into a bigger place for children, we both know this has an end date. When this is over with Ivan, you'll return to your place. It wouldn't be worth it for me to be left with a big place."
I sighed, seeing his point. But I still felt bad. Something had to change. "Well, this isn't working. You look like you haven't been sleeping. We can switch up who has the bed, and I'll sleep on the couch some nights. You should be the one sleeping in the bed since you're the one working."
He shook his head. "It's fine, April. Just eat your eggs."
I tightened my grip on the fork, suddenly angry. I was just trying to figure out a way for us both to be getting decent sleep. Just because I came into his space didn't mean he needed to suffer.
"I'm just trying to help."
He ran a hand through his hair, taking the last of his eggs into his mouth. He swallowed and leaned back. "Everything is fine. Do you need me to help you look for a job?"
I ground my teeth together. Everything was not fine. It was written on his face. And now I felt like I was a burden.
"No."
I took his plate and mine and tossed them into the sink. I ground my teeth together painfully, not wanting to snap at him. It wasn't his fault my life was a mess.
"Are you sure? I don't mind helping you look."
I turned and crossed my arms, glaring at him. "Why? Do you think I can't find a job on my own? Do I need help with that as well?"
He frowned. "That's not what I'm saying, April. I'm just offering because I have connections. I can see who is looking for help, and asking around is all."
"I'm fine. Riley said she was going to help me anyway."
His shoulders sank, and he rubbed his face. "Okay, well...let me know if you need anything. I'm going to head to work."
He pulled himself off the stool and headed down the hallway. I turned around, gripping the counter tightly. Rage simmered in my belly, and I wanted to scream.
I took a deep breath in through my nose, feeling tears build up. I was angry because I wanted to help, but he wasn't going to allow it.
"Hey, do you want to join me and the guys at the bar tonight?"
I turned and leaned over, looking down towards the door. Weslie stood pulling his jacket on.
"I don't know," I said, not really in the mood. I just wanted to curl into a ball and disappear at this point.
"Come on, we do have to get out and look like the newly happy couple," he said, smiling softly. "Word travels faster that way, and this problem is over sooner."
Right….because once Ivan is taken care of, we can go our separate ways, and I'm sure he wanted his bed back. The quicker word gets around, the quicker he gets rid of me.
I swallowed and nodded my head. "Sure, just text me where and when."