Quarantine Crush by Heather Hildenbrand

Author:Heather Hildenbrand [Shepherd, Bam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-13T16:00:00+00:00

12

Embry

My heart beats wildly against my chest, my breaths coming quickly as I blink away the tears that won’t stop falling. I hadn’t expected the rush of emotion that would come with seeing Knox play again–and on that damn guitar no less. I barely managed to keep it together on the balcony, but the second I made it inside, the dam holding all of my emotions broke, threatening to drown me in its wake.

Pushing the bedroom door shut behind me, I cross the room and sit on the edge of my bed. My head falls into my hands as I try to calm myself, but the sound of my door slamming open has me jumping in surprise. Knox crosses the room in quick strides and sinks down to the floor in front of me, his chocolatey eyes swimming with confusion.

“Tell me what I did wrong.” His voice is harsh, but his hands are gentle as his thumbs brush the tears from my cheeks. “Shit. I’m sorry, Em. Just tell me what I did, and I promise I’ll never do it again.”

His words are meant to calm me, but they have the opposite effect, and suddenly sobs are wracking my body. Knox’s strong arms wrap around me, and I’m vaguely aware of his murmured words as he moves to sit beside me on the bed. I curl into his chest, grabbing his shirt for dear life as I fall to pieces in his arms.

The feel of Knox’s rough hand rubbing soothing circles on my back is the first thing I notice when I finally start to settle. His other hand plays with strands of my hair as he hums low against my ear. It takes me a minute to recognize the tune as Shallow from that Lady Gaga movie, but when I do, my heart gives another painful squeeze. I hiccup, and Knox’s movements become a bit firmer as he murmurs words of comfort.

The more I get myself under control, the more I’m able to take in my surroundings. And suddenly, I’m very aware of the fact that I’m curled up in Knox’s lap on my bed. Unease curls in the pit of my stomach, and I move to get off of him–desperate to put some distance between us now that my embarrassment is making itself known. In all the time I’ve known Knox, he’s probably only seen me cry a handful of times, and something about him being here to witness me falling apart makes me feel too bare. Like I’ve given him too much power by letting him see me this vulnerable. His arms tighten around me as I begin to wiggle.

“I’ve got you, Emy,” he whispers.

I shake my head against his chest, realizing I’ve soaked the front of his shirt. “I’m sorry,” I croak, my voice hoarse from crying. “I ruined your shirt.”

Knox shrugs into the darkness. “It’s just tears. It’ll dry,” he says, his voice gruff. “And even if it wasn’t, I don’t give a shit. Hell, I don’t care if you need to use it to blow your nose.

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