Reluctantly Rescued (The Barrington Billionaires, Book 9) by Ruth Cardello

Author:Ruth Cardello [Cardello, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-09-08T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

By the time the final game light went off and the doors swung open, Bradford wasn’t sure he wanted to step back into reality. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d let go and had fun, but that’s what the past couple of hours had been. He retrieved Joanna’s purse for her, and with a hand on her lower back, guided her out of the tent. On the way out, they passed a chiming clock that announced twelve noon as if it were midnight.

Oh, Clay.

The sun was still high in the sky. The sounds of a family walking by on the path broke the silence. Everything felt a bit surreal.

He was tempted to suggest they go directly to her place, but if he intended to stay and help her clean in the morning, a change of clothing might be nice. He didn’t want to separate from her, but he also refused to be someone who couldn’t. “If you want company tonight I should collect a few things from my place.”

She blushed but held his gaze. “I would love company. I’m also a really good cook. What’s your favorite food?”

“I don’t know that I have one.” Food had been scarce early in his life and he’d learned to eat to survive rather than care what it tasted like.

“No meat. Is that okay?”

“As long as you don’t try to make a soybean look like a steak, I’m fine with whatever.”

She smiled and almost took his hand then hesitated and didn’t. He understood. Outside of the tent they were back in reality and although it didn’t change how much he wanted her, it did apply the brakes a bit on what had been a runaway train. As they made their way down the path she said, “Do you need my address?”

He answered with just a look.

She continued, “Right, you know everything about me already.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes. He struggled to maintain his usual cool. He’d never been the type to hold a woman’s hand in public, but the absence of her touch was like a dull ache. She wasn’t bouncing with joy. Her cheeks were no longer flushed with passion. I’m doing this. I’m killing the vibe.

He had no idea what men said to keep a romantic mood going since that had never been his goal. He’d always kept things straightforward so there were no hurt feelings when he didn’t call the next day.

This was different.

He opened his mouth to say something, decided against it, and almost said something else before deciding against that as well. The sound of frustration he emitted brought a side glance from Joanna, but she didn’t address it.

I’m just going to say it. “I want to do this better than I am.”

She stopped. “What?”

He swallowed hard. “Us.”

Her eyes shone with emotion, and she gave him a full-body hug. Against his chest, she murmured, “You’re doing fine.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I’ve always been a lot better at leaving than I’ve been at staying.

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