As the Light Fades by Catherine West

Author:Catherine West [West, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781091453234
Published: 2019-09-09T16:00:00+00:00

seventeen

Thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump. Thump.

Liz looked up from her laptop and frowned. The incessant noise had been bothering her for the last fifteen minutes. She hadn’t heard it when she’d gotten back from the nursing home. She’d made her supper, pasta with tomato sauce and bell peppers tonight, pondered the surprise of seeing Mia and Matthew Stone in her father’s environment, and eventually decided it was probably a good thing. He’d certainly seemed happy at dinner. Ate everything without a fuss, and even commented that the stew was edible.

She’d made her coffee, settled on the sofa the living room, and then the noise started. At first, she’d thought it was the wind banging a shutter, but she’d scoured the cottage and found nothing. Sat down again and went back to what she was working on—Liz’s Life Plan. Pathetic as it was.

Thump, thump, thump, thump. It had to be coming from outside. Liz grabbed a sweater, slipped into a pair of loafers, and unbolted the front door. Across the dark courtyard, behind the main house, sat a garage. Light shone through the slats of the window that faced her. She ventured into the cool night and followed the sound.

The side door to the old structure was open, giving her full view inside. Back toward the corner of the cluttered room, a punching bag hung on a rusted chain. Matthew Stone danced around it, gloves on, pounding the thing as though his life depended on it. The guy had a pretty mean right hook. His jaw clenched as he concentrated on his punches, his dark hair stuck to his forehead, eyes flashing. Muscular arms dealt their blows with deft precision, a thin cotton tank top plastered to his chest.

There was no denying it. Matthew Stone was an extremely attractive man. Much as she’d told herself that didn’t matter as she’d signed the lease, moved in, perhaps she’d been wrong. Because the familiar feeling that curled in her stomach and sent heat rushing through her was dangerous. She recognized it for what it was. Desire. A longing to be held, touched, needed. Her old enemy, back again.

Liz pressed her hands around her hips, inhaled, and took a step backward. But the thumping had stopped, and she’d been spotted.

“Elizabeth?” Matthew moved away from the bag, hands in midair, waiting, she supposed, for some explanation as to why she stood there staring at him as if she’d never seen a man before.

“Sorry. I just . . . didn’t know what the noise was.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sorry if I disturbed you.” He ripped the Velcro tab off one protective glove with his teeth, pulled it off, and went to work on the other. He tossed them aside and reached for a towel and a water bottle.

“It’s okay. I wasn’t doing anything important. Just attempting to figure out my life, and that never goes well.” She stayed in the doorway, but his pained expression stirred curiosity. “Are you all right?”

He gave a half laugh and leaned over his knees a moment before nailing her with his eyes.

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