Hard to Hold by Arell Rivers

Author:Arell Rivers [Rivers, Arell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Tarnished Halo Publishing LLC
Published: 2016-12-15T18:00:00+00:00

Saturday morning

A SLIGHT NOISE wakes me. Opening my eyes but not moving, I revel in the comfort of Cole’s arms. His even breathing tells me he’s still asleep, yet he’s holding me tight, as if to prevent me from leaving again.

I hope this isn’t a big mistake—my heart can’t handle another round—but it feels deliciously right.

Light rapping on my door sounds. When I glance over at the clock, the display reads eight-thirty. From the hall, McKenna whispers, “Rose, are you in there?”

I want to spend my friend’s last few hours in town with her, but I don’t want to wake Cole. Carefully, I remove his hand from my breast and slowly lift the arm draped over my body. Holding my breath, I scoot free and stand up next to the bed. He turns to his side but remains sleeping, a peaceful look on his handsome face. I exhale and study him for a long moment, memorizing the face that I thought I’d never see again on my pillow. Please let us work out.

Tying my robe as I leave my bedroom, I close the door quietly. McKenna is in the kitchen, making coffee. When she sees me, she puts the teakettle on the stove.

Rubbing sleep from my eyes, I say, “Good morning, McKenna.”

“Hi there, Sunshine.” I give her a wide smile. “I take it things went okay with you and Cole after you left the restaurant? I wasn’t sure if you came home.”

“Oh, they went better than okay.”

“I told you that you two would get back together.”

“I can’t believe it. It’s like a dream. Good things like this don’t happen to me.” I look down the hallway, toward my bedroom.

“Oh my gosh, is he here?”

“In the flesh.” I giggle.

“I love seeing you this carefree. Makes me feel okay about leaving.”

I join her by the stove and give her a hug. “I’m going to miss you so much. It’s been great having you here, even though it was an awful week.” That didn’t sound right. “You know what I mean.”

She grins. “I understand. I’m so happy for you.”

“I’m glad to see you made it home in one piece, too. Was Ozzy a gentleman?”

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, well, sort of.”

“What? Cole will kick his ass if he was out of line. Tell me.”

“Got the coffee ready there, babes?” Ozzy asks as he strolls into the kitchen.

My mouth falls open. I know it’s impolite, yet I can’t close it. I look from Ozzy, who is wearing only a pair of jeans, to McKenna in her usual pajamas. How did I fail to connect these dots before?

Snapping my mouth shut, I ask her under my breath, “Something you want to tell me?”

“Um, no?” she whispers back.

“Oh, hi, Flower.” Ozzy pulls me in for a big bear hug. Numbly, I embrace him while my sleep-deprived mind desperately tries to piece this situation together. Crap, he really does have his nipples pierced.

Leaving me, Ozzy walks over to my friend and kisses the top of her head. He begins opening and closing cabinet doors, looking for the mugs.

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