A Stranger She Can Trust by Regan Black

Author:Regan Black
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Lissa rolled over in bed and checked the clock, relieved to see it was just past six. Finally she could get up and stop pretending to sleep. She cracked open the door to check on Carson, and her heart stuttered to see the empty room. Then she caught the sound of water in the kitchen sink.

Of course he hadn’t left, though he’d had every right to walk out and never look back after she’d prodded at his painful past last night. As if the funeral today wasn’t enough emotional upheaval to cope with, it would be worse after the restless night. She’d berated herself through the wee hours for forcing her agenda onto Carson and alienating her only ally. Just because she wanted to help him, to give back in some small way after all he’d done for her, it didn’t mean her approach was the help he needed.

She told herself to grow a spine, walk in there and apologize for being an insensitive jerk. If she was lucky, he’d forgive her and they would find a way around the inevitable awkwardness. At the last second, her courage faltered, and she slipped into the bathroom, cursing the squeaky hinge. Leaning her back against the closed door, she realized he’d just finished in here. The masculine scent of his shaving cream lingered in the air, and the small room was still warm and damp from the steam of his shower.

A knock sounded at the door, startling a little hiccup out of her.

“Lissa?”

His voice was right next to her ear, as if he was leaning on the other side of the door the way she leaned on this side. “Yes?”

“Can you hand me my clothes?”

“Your...oh.” They were on a hanger, on the hook mounted behind the door. She plucked the hanger off the hook and opened the door. Her intended apology evaporated as she gawked at him.

The view of his bare chest sent her heart skipping. Seeing those defined muscles, the temptation to reach out and touch him, nearly obliterated all common sense. She thrust the hanger with his clothing at him and closed the door before lust got the better of her. Jumping him would only make things worse after last night.

When she’d wasted the maximum amount of time in the bathroom, she listened at the door, trying to figure out where Carson was in the apartment. It didn’t matter. The only place to avoid him was here in the bathroom or her bedroom, and the only way to get there was to open the door. Dressed in yoga pants and a camisole, her hair bundled into a clip, she opened the door and tried to find some degree of maturity in the awkward situation.

“I made breakfast,” he said quietly as soon as the traitorous door hinge squeaked.

“Thanks.” She didn’t have to turn around to know he was sitting at the table. “Give me fifteen minutes?”

“No problem.”

She took ten minutes to breathe and stretch, hoping to make up for the lack of sleep and bolster her nerve—assuming she had any nerve left.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.