The Light in my Darkness

Chapter 8

When you finally arrived at your apartment, Clint walked you upstairs.

"I need to make sure we bought enough furniture," he explained as you unlocked the door.

You shook your head. "You won't be able to tell that until stuff is delivered."

He just shrugged and followed you into the apartment. You tossed your keys in the bowl on the table by the door and turned to face him. He placed his hands on your elbows and pulled you closer to him. "I had a nice time today."

You smiled up at him. "I did, too. I'm glad you went with me."

He hummed in agreement before pressing his lips to yours. After a moment, he stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. You frowned at the suddenly closed off behavior. When he gave you that crooked smile, you brushed aside your concern. It was just Clint.

"Before I forget, we have an event to attend Friday night. A charity dinner. I'll have something appropriate delivered for you to wear," he said.

"Okay."

"And..." he trailed off as he pulled out his wallet. He thumbed through it before pulling out several bills and passing them to you. "I have a credit card coming for you but until that gets here, you're going to need to get your books and supplies."

"Thank you." You tucked the money into your pocket without counting it. Knowing Clint, you were sure he'd given you far more than you needed.

He slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned forward to kiss your temple. "I'll see you later, gorgeous."

You stepped back and opened the door for him. Your eyes trailed him as he disappeared down the hall. Only when you could no longer see him did you shut and lock the door. Sometime between the car and him walking into your apartment, Clint's demeanor with you had changed. You'd pay dearly to know why.

***

Clint sat in the back of the car and stared out the window as Scott drove him home. Despite how beautiful he thought the city was at night, he wasn't seeing any of it. His mind was elsewhere. Stuck on you, truth be told. He rubbed a hand across his mouth as he remembered what the two of you had been doing in this car not that long ago.

Maybe this was a mistake. Not the making out. God, that was phenomenal. But thinking he could share any sort of intimacy with you and not get attached. Hell, he was already attached. Had been for a while. He sighed and leaned his head against the seat behind him as he tried to pinpoint what exactly was bothering him.

After all, the very reason he had asked you to begin with was this attraction he felt for you. And he knew you wouldn't accept his help otherwise. He fully intended to use the opportunity to thoroughly ravish you and get this longing out of his system. What he hadn't expected was for you to feel the same way.

Yes, he'd hoped you'd find him attractive and desirable but this heat between the two of you was crazy. He raised his head at the realization of what was bothering him. You had made the first move in the car. You might have been picking up his desire, but you were the one that came on to him. And he hadn't been able to resist in the least.

He wasn't used to anyone having that sort of power over him. Not for a long time anyway, and he wasn't certain he liked it. What he did know was now that you two had crossed that line, there was no going back. Why the hell would he want to?

His phone buzzed and he pulled it out to see a text from you. Hey handsome. Thanks again for today. I'm meeting Wanda for coffee in the morning. I don't want her to hear it from anyone else. Just warning you.