Broken River - Ruby Shae Page 0,24
And I would rather be home more than any other place in the world.”
“Gavin had some issues like that, too, and he said talking to someone—a professional—helped. Have you ever talked to anyone?”
“I have,” he nodded. “I was on a downward spiral when I met Gavin, and even though my family tried to intervene, he was the one who convinced me to seek out help. He was the only person I knew who felt the way I did on the inside, so it was easy to take his advice. Plus, he…he stopped me from doing something incredibly stupid. I don’t want to go into it now, but…”
“I’m glad you shared this with me, Liam, but you don’t have to tell me anything you’re not ready to tell. You also don’t have to worry about me judging you. I’m glad you got help when you needed it, and I hope you will always keep that option open if you need it again, but it’s okay not to be okay. None of that stuff changes my opinion of you, or makes you less in my eyes.”
“I like having you here, Elle. You ease me in a way I didn’t know I needed, and I know it’s only been a few days, but I like you.”
“I like you, too, Liam.”
He wanted to ask her to stay forever, but he didn’t want to take her dreams away, and he still needed to tell her about his bear. They had a lot more to discuss, but it was late, and he already felt vulnerable after exposing what was inside his messed-up head.
He could save the family secret for another day.
“It’s late and it’s getting chilly. Are you ready to go back inside?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she nodded, standing.
Her moves were jerky as she folded up the blanket, and he wondered what he’d done wrong. Should he have said more? Asked her to stay forever? Or had she been lying about her opinion of him?
That last thought caused an invisible band to tighten around his heart, but he was done talking. He would know her true feelings sooner or later, and until then, he would pretend like everything was normal between them. Or as normal as it could be while they navigated through a fake marriage.
He took the blanket from her, grabbed her hand, and held onto it as they walked down the stairs toward the window. Once they were both safe inside, he headed for the stairs.
“Goodnight, Elle. Sleep well.”
“Stay with me,” she said, her voice low.
“I can’t.” But he wanted to. He stopped at the top of the stairs searching for the right words, and finally settled on the truth. “If I stay tonight, I’ll never want to leave.”
“So don’t.”
“Elle…” He turned back to face her.
“I hate the thought of you sleeping on the floor every night, and this bed is huge. We don’t even have to touch if you don’t want to.”
That’s what she thought the problem was? That he didn’t want to touch her?
“I want to touch you,” he growled. “Make no mistake about that.”
“Good,” she smiled. “I want to touch you, too.”
“Not tonight. It’s been a long day, it’s late, and…you’re still injured.”
“Fine,” she mock pouted. “Just sleeping then.”
“Okay,” he nodded. “Get ready, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
He turned, and started walking down the stairs without waiting for a response, but he heard her quick steps, and he liked knowing that she was as eager as he was to share a bed together. God, he must love torture, because he had no idea how he was going to share a bed with Elle, and not rip her clothes off and bury his cock into her warm, wet pussy.
That didn’t stop him, though.
He checked the locks on the cabin and donned his pajama pants in record time, and then he raced back up the stairs to find Elle waiting for him in the bed. Her honey blond hair was spread out all over his pillow, and the smile on her face made him think of all the dirty things she could do with her pretty mouth.
Fuck!
His cock twitched, and he silently cursed, but that didn’t stop him from turning out the light and sliding into the bed next to her.
He laid flat on his back, very aware of her lush form lying inches away, and tried to think about anything other than sex. It was working, too, until she sidled up next to him and rested her head on his