Protected by the Lumberjack: A Brother's Best Friend Romance by Annie J. Rose

Author:Annie J. Rose [Rose, Annie J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-06-12T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

VIVIAN

I woke up alone on the couch. Reaching forward, I picked up my phone from the coffee table. It was five in the morning, time to get going. I had a twinge in my neck from sleeping against the sofa arm. Rubbing it absently, I padded into my room to change my clothes.

Pulling the shirt down over my head, I could smell grease and donuts. I was going to have to do laundry soon. Another moment passed before my brain coughed up images of last night’s kiss. I inhaled sharply, stunned by my own tactlessness. I hadn’t even asked him for permission, just planted my lips against his, demanding acceptance. He had returned the affection but only briefly before shutting it down.

Mortified, I paced the tiny bedroom. What was I going to do? How could I face him again? Had I learned nothing from my years of imprisonment? I should never assume permission on behalf of someone else, what was wrong with me?

I yanked a brush through my hair, straightened my shoulders, and marched out to face the music. I found Harris in the kitchen, working on breakfast. Just like yesterday, he had started the coffee, but unlike yesterday, he wasn’t frying an egg.

“I need to grocery shop,” he said instead of ‘good morning.’ “I’m out of eggs, but we can have muffins.”

I looked at the half-eaten bakery box in dismay. “About last night…”

“It’s fine.” He didn’t look at me, concentrating instead on the coffee pot.

“No, I’m sorry. It was rude of me to assume—” I tried again.

“I’m over it,” he cut me off. “Have a muffin.”

I snapped my jaw shut in surprise. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but that wasn’t it. Maybe I had hoped that he would assure me I hadn’t done anything wrong. Maybe I wanted to spark a discussion about our hidden feelings for each other, opening the door to something more than friendship. Or maybe I wanted him to explain the elephant in the room, and what was really going on inside his head. But he did none of those things. Instead, he left me feeling slightly uncomfortable and embarrassed about my choices.

I took a muffin and ate it without relish. The coffee was good, as always. Either he bought a fancy brand or had the water-to-grounds ratio down to a science. I said so and that lightened the mood considerably.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked, dumping his mug in the sink.

“Yeah,” I agreed, washing my own cup before setting it on the counter to dry.

We drove to the bakery in silence. Every few blocks, I would try to come up with something to say. I asked him about his work and about his truck. He gave me one-word answers and didn’t elaborate. I didn’t get the feeling he was angry, just reluctant. In one intimate gesture, I had thrown us back to the ‘first date’ stage of our relationship, and I wanted to kick myself for it. It was obvious that lovemaking was off the table, for better or for worse.

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