Page 86 of The House Guest

He stared at me a few moments before his mouth slowly spread into a smile. “Okay.”

And trusting.

Casey poured his coffee into a travel mug and grabbed the backpack he always took to work. He bent to kiss Rosie on the head. “See you later, baby girl.”

“Bye, Daddy.”

Her sweet little voice was like a knife through my heart.

Casey came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Bye, babe.”

“Bye. Have a good day.”

The moment the door shut behind him, I exhaled. Todayhadto be the last time. I needed to figure out whatever unresolved stuff I had going on with Dorian and move on. Not only was it making me incapable of focusing on anything else, but keeping it from Casey was wearing on me.

I got Rosie ready for school, and before I knew it, we were headed down the road as my heart pitter-pattered in anticipation for what lay ahead.

When we got to the preschool, I gave my daughter an extra-tight hug, a silent apology. It felt like I had a scarlet letter A on my chest.

By the time I pulled up at Dorian’s rental home, I was certain I’d let him know that today would be the last time I could meet him.

But the moment he opened the door to greet me, and I looked into his eyes, I knew I couldn’t let him go back to California that easily. Today couldn’t possibly be the last time I’d ever see his face.

Dorian flashed a hesitant smile. “Thank you for coming back.”

“Hi,” I said as I stepped inside the warm house. I looked around. “Where’s Benjamin?”

“He went out to explore. He wanted to give us some privacy.”

I nodded, unsure how I felt about that. It might’ve felt less dangerous if Benjamin were here. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust myself. Of course I’d never cheat on Casey. But I didn’t trust my feelings, and the more distractions the better.

The smell of cinnamon registered. “Did you make something?” I asked.

“I made an apple crisp.” He flashed a crooked grin.

I couldn’t help but smile. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Well, I’m like Benjamin that way, I guess. I cook when I’m stressed. Or in my case, bake, since it’s all I know how to do well. Needless to say, I’ve made a lot of apple crisps over the past five years. I tend not to burn them like everything else.”

“Why are you stressed today?” I followed him into the kitchen. “Or should I say, which of the many reasons you have to be stressed is topping the list?”

“Just the unknown,” he answered. “There’s a lot you and I still need to catch up on.” He gestured toward the kitchen table. “Sit. I’ll get you a piece.”

Dorian headed over to the stove and prepared me a slice of his dessert. As he handed it to me, his hand brushed against mine, making me all too aware of my unwavering physical attraction to him. A wave of nostalgia came over me as I thought back to a much simpler time when he’d first made me apple crisp. I remembered the giddy excitement of that night and also felt sad for that smitten girl who had no idea of the heartbreak to come.

“You fell into a trance just now,” Dorian said as he sat across from me. “What’s on your mind?”

“Just thinking back to the good old days at the mansion.”

“Those months with you were the best of my life, Primrose.”

Rather than reciprocate that sentiment, I looked down at my plate and cut into the apple crisp with my fork, grateful for an excuse to look away from him. All my eyes wanted to do, however, was explore his face, every beautiful angle that I’d missed so much.

“Can I get you some coffee? Water?” he asked.

“No. I’m good,” I said with my mouth full. “This is great. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled as he watched me chew.