Stained by Chris T. Kat

Author:Chris T. Kat
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 9781634770514
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2016-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

I TOOK Mom to a friend’s house before I drove to work. How was I going to explain to Jack why I needed to take off today?

I still hadn’t sneaked a look at my phone, too afraid of what I might find, which was stupid. If I went to the police, I needed to know what Travis had written—if he’d written any more texts.

Jack stormed out of his office as soon as I entered. He looked rather displeased if the scowl on his face was an indicator. No surprise here—I was late and hadn’t called. No boss liked employees that didn’t show up on time.

“You’re late,” Jack barked.

I cringed and my footsteps faltered. “I’m sorry.”

Jack’s scowl morphed into something akin to concern. When he strode toward me, I couldn’t help myself. I ducked my head and brought up my arms in a defensive stance. Jack stopped out of reach, and for a moment only my labored breathing was audible.

“Blair? What happened to you?” Light fingertips brushed along my wrists.

I jerked my arms down and yanked on the sleeves. All of a sudden, I stopped. Why was I trying to hide the bruises? Jack had already seen them anyway. Dropping my arms to the side, I lifted my face. Jack gaped at me before he stepped closer. In a strangled voice, he asked, “What happened? Who hurt you?”

I searched for words to explain my situation, but all that came out of my mouth was a plea that surprised me. “Hug me?”

There was no hesitation on Jack’s part. He pulled me against his chest and folded his arms around me. I snuggled into the embrace, pressing my ear against his chest so I could listen to Jack’s steady but fast heartbeat. It sure came in handy to be of small height in this instance. For a moment I sank into the here and now.

Strong arms around me, warmth and solidity right in front of my nose. No one could harm me right now; there was no danger, just tenderness and safety.

One of Jack’s hands moved up to the back of my head, cradling it. My fingers in Jack’s shirt spasmed of their own accord. It was as if I was surrounded by a protective barrier everywhere, allowing me to breathe freely.

I don’t know how long we stood like this. Only the insistent shrill of the phone pulled me out of the blissful headspace I’d been in.

“I should get that,” I heard myself say. The phone stopped ringing.

“They’ll call again. What happened? Can you tell me?”

“I need to take today off,” I blurted.

Jack kept me anchored to his body with an arm around my waist, even as his other hand tipped my head back. Those dark blue eyes pierced me with a no-nonsense gaze.

“You’ve got the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.”

Jack chortled, but only for a moment. His hold never wavered. “That’s what you’re thinking about right now?”

“I’ve been thinking about your eyes a lot lately,” I confessed. I tried tilting my head away, certain my face stood in flames.

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