Protective Operation by Danica Winters

Author:Danica Winters
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-12-03T17:03:25+00:00

Chapter Eleven

It was a long night, and early the next morning, Shaye heard footsteps outside her bedroom door. She prayed for it to be Chad.

Just knock. Tell me you’re sorry. That you want me.

But it remained silent. For a moment, she considered calling out and telling him to come in. But she couldn’t make the first move. He had made it clear exactly how he felt—he cared about her, but he was Raj’s friend, first and foremost. And as such, he would never be anything more to her.

And she couldn’t begrudge him for it. On so many fronts, she understood. The betrayal of Raj’s memory sat like a bitter pill on the tip of her tongue. But she couldn’t help her growing feelings for Chad. If anything, having him around was like having a piece of Raj with her all the time. Though they were very different men, they had the same heroic spirit at their core. Each would have done nearly anything to keep her safe, and what they felt was right—even if doing the right thing was at odds with their own feelings.

At least, she assumed Chad was at odds with his own feelings.

She had hoped that their kiss was real. It had certainly felt oh, so real. There was an undeniable attraction between them, and yet maybe he considered it a mistake. Maybe he was simply swept up in the moment, and his other brain had taken over his thinking for a moment. Maybe once he came back to his senses, guilt had taken the place of desire.

And as much as she cared for him, she didn’t want to be the reason he felt like he was betraying his friend, nor did she want to be a reason for him to feel guilty...or to agree with her father.

Maybe she should go away. She could build a different life. She could pretend she wasn’t the daughter of a tyrant. She could pretend she hadn’t lost all those she loved. She could pretend she hadn’t fallen for a man who should have been strictly out of bounds.

But that was all it could be—nothing but pretend.

She opened her mouth to call out, but stopped as the footsteps moved away from her door.

He must have been as confused by this as she was. Maybe it was better that they just stayed apart. Maybe she was the one who needed to clear her mind and start thinking with her head instead of her heart.

A sickening sadness filled her at the sound of his retreating.

She got out of bed and walked to the door. She pressed her hands against the cold wood and dropped her forehead to the paneling. It didn’t make sense, but she missed him...and she wanted him here.

There was a knock from the other side of the panel, the vibration against her skin making her jump.

“Uh, yes?” she asked, moving back from the door.

Had Chad come back? Had he changed his mind? Did that mean that he wanted to make things right between them?

“You awake?” a woman said from the other side of the door.

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