After one feverish night with Tyler Evans, Rory is never supposed to see the man draped in enigmas and devilish charms again.
Six months later, she's deep into a summer fling with Chace. As their fling becomes a committed relationship, she's adamant...
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"A week?" Rory's voice cracks and her eyes are impossibly wide after I explain the business trip my father planned for me. I've never seen her so unsettled. "Where did this come from? Why for so long? Can't I go with you? I can buy a laptop and take work with me." She pulls out her phone—probably to look at her banking app—with trembling hands.
"Rory." I press my palm over her fingers and force her hands back onto her lap. "Don't do that." He'd never let me bring you anyway.
She shimmies closer to my side of the bed until our legs touch. Panic burns in her eyes, but I can see her desperation to fight it. "That's such a long time."
"It's only seven days. We can do that, right?" Though the look on her face says exactly what I've been thinking. My confidence deflates with my shoulders. "I know. That's a long time for you. For us."
"Ever since we started dating, I haven't had to worry about not having sex." She holds her cheeks in her palms, and for the first time since she told me about her condition, I see it rear its ugly head. "I'm scared."
"You're strong. You did it without me for so long. This'll be nothing." Leaning my forehead against hers, I shut my eyes but that doesn't erase the truth. The truth being I'm also scared she'll have a difficult time coping under the right circumstances. "You've got Victoria and therapy. I have confidence in your recovery."
"What if I reversed the process when we started dating? Lately, I've been so unsure of myself and my path to recovery. I never have to worry about rejection with you."
"But it's not like it used to be, right? Things are better now. What we share is healthy and normal. It's not obsessive and impulsive."
She doesn't look at me. Her silence weighs too much. Was there something I missed? Something we've done that could have endangered her progress? It's not like I know what sex addiction looks like, but thanks to Tyler, I know what drug addiction entails. It's a sickness that latches onto you and destroys everything around you. It makes you hurt yourself and your loved ones. It's a painful illness that is not guaranteed to go away no matter how many times you try your best to eradicate it.
My heart lurches into a sea of pain. Tyler is there, empty and frail—thin, bruised, and beaten. His soul tattered. I've carried him from ERs to rehabs to the safety of my home. Watched his health for months on end. Watched the denial, the pain, the relapse.
I blink back tears and turn my head to the side. No. She's not like that. I'd be able to tell if something were wrong.
"Chace?"
"Whatever problems surface, we can fix it."
She bites her bottom lip and frowns. What's she thinking? Her eyes hold mine for a second, two, then three, until I'm lost in a world of brown. "You're right. I'm overthinking this. I was recovering before I met you, and things have been healthy between us. It's not about the lack of sex, but the obsession. It doesn't control me."
