Temptation by Kris Bryant

Author:Kris Bryant [Bryant, Kris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635555097
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2019-12-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Somebody was stroking my hair, softy, sweetly. For a moment I thought I was at Nana’s house. When I was growing up, she used to play with my hair until I fell asleep. When the fingertips traced my cheek and down to my neck, I knew it wasn’t Nana. I struggled to open my eyes, but I was so tired, and my body felt heavy. I heard footsteps walk away from me and return. Another blanket was tucked around me. Warm lips touched my cheek. The haziness was starting to clear. The memories of the evening flooded my thoughts, and I forced my eyes open.

“Hi. I didn’t mean to wake you. I just wanted to make sure you were warm.”

Brook was on her knees in front of me. The soft glow of the dying fire illuminated the room just enough for me to see her face. Her eyes were pink and puffy. Her hair was loose around her shoulders. She looked vulnerable.

I quickly sat up. “Is Noah okay?”

Brook put her hands on my knees and nodded. “We just got home. He’s completely fine. Already upstairs asleep.”

I rubbed my face and tried to wake up. “I should have gone with you. What time is it?”

“Just after midnight. Go back to sleep. We all have the day off tomorrow.” She smiled.

“I’m sorry I’m still here.” I stood and almost stumbled over.

“Sit down, Cassie. You don’t have to go anywhere.”

I not so gracefully plopped back down on the couch. “Thanks for giving me dry clothes.”

She touched my cheeks, her palms cupping my face. “Thank you for saving my son. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t seen him fall in.” Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill at any moment.

“That’s why I’m here. That’s why you hired me.” I didn’t mean for it to come out as shitty as it sounded, but I was answering her question. And shit, I just woke up.

“Stop. Please stop. I’m sorry about earlier. I was just jealous and bitchy, and I wasn’t being fair to you.”

Maybe it was because we both had almost lost the one person who had brought us together, or maybe it was because we realized how lucky we were that he was still alive, but for once we weren’t guarded. She put her arms around my neck and let me hold her. She shook as the tears fell. I clutched her to me, hating myself for noticing how she was pressed against me instead of only comforting her. I waited until her tears and sniffles subsided.

“Wait. You were jealous? Of what?” I leaned back and brushed the tears from her cheeks.

She looked down, not able to meet my eyes. “Of how casual and comfortable you are with other women. It’s stupid, I know, but it just reminds me of how far removed I am from everyone. Remember when you saw me at the Pearl? That was my first date in forever.”

“That was a night of misunderstandings,” I said. Sort of.

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.