A Part of Me by Taryn Plendl Read Free Book Online Page B

forget it.  I had loved every second of it.  Not only did I do it, but I meant to do it. I'd do it again, and I did it with a smile. I liked knowing that I could help him feel better, and last night I could’ve sworn that he was just a thrilled.  Maybe I was wrong.  Maybe I was reading the signals wrong. 
    I obviously was losing my touch.  I used to be able to read guys without a problem.  Now, with the one man I wanted to take things a step further with, I couldn’t tell if he was on the same page.  I could ask him, but I had already made him uncomfortable.  I didn’t want to make it worse.
    I shrugged.  “Okay. We can pretend it never happened.”  I turned around so he couldn’t see the hurt on my face.
    “So, Ava and the guys are stopping by later tonight for drinks and to hang out.”  I changed the subject.
    “Don’t you think it would be nice if you asked me before inviting people over?”  Tom snapped at me, completely taking me by surprise.
    “I’m sorry.  I guess I should have asked first.  It’s not like I invited a bunch of people over Tom, these are your friends.”  What the hell? I stared at him, trying to figure out where this moodiness was coming from.
    “Are you sure you’re not hurting?”  I asked again.
    “No! For fuck’s sake Talia, stop treating me like a baby!”  He pounded on the counter with his right hand before standing and moving away with his walker.
    I watched him walk back to his room and shut the door.  What the hell just happened?  He was pissed off about something, but to be honest, I had no clue what I did.  I needed to figure this out.
    The rest of the day was quiet.  Tom came out of his room only a couple of times, but didn’t engage in conversation, and I didn’t push. 
    Trevor called in the early afternoon to let us know that he and Ava would be by after they had dinner out.  Nick was planning on bringing pizza by for the three of us. 
    Tom came out of his room around six o’clock and looked freshly showered.  He seemed to be getting along without any help today, and as great as it was, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad.  This was our last week together before I was to go back to my house and back to work. 
    I sat back and took in the gorgeous man before me.  Tom had intrigued me from the moment I’d met him.  He was so nice and polite, but still knew how to have fun.  There was no doubt that he was all man, but he didn’t need to prove anything.  He was strong and masculine without effort. 
    I tended to be approached by good looking men who were as cocky as hell.  It was fun for awhile, but not someone I wanted to be around all the time.  Men like that needed their egos constantly stroked, and I didn’t have the time or energy for that.
    Tom was different.  He was someone I could see myself involved with—someone I wanted to be with.  The past few weeks hadn’t done anything but increase those feelings for me.  Last night, in his arms, was amazing!  I wanted him like I hadn’t wanted anyone before.
    “Tom?”  I needed to clear the air, find out what was going on.  He looked up at me and I could see the tortured look on his face.  “I’m sorry if I did something to upset you.  I want to…”
    “Hey you two!”  The door opened and Nick came striding in.  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.  I guess this conversation was going to have to wait.
    I turned around and smiled. “Hey Nick.”  He looked at me with a confused look on his face.
    “What, no insult?  Talia, are you feeling okay?”  His mouth quirked up in a half smile as he sat the pizza box down on the counter.
    “Give me time, the night is still young.”  I winked as I grabbed some plates down from the cabinet and carried them to the table. 
    Tom was quietly watching me.  I couldn’t be angry at him.  It had been a shitty day without being able to talk to him or be the recipient of one of his dazzling smiles.  He looked so sad