Hold Me Close - Talia Hibbert Page 0,67

of taking up space. I let people think the worst instead of defending myself. You know, Hayley stopped talking to me so damn fast but Maria—I had to push Maria away. I suppose I pushed a few people away. It seemed easier.”

She was remembering, all of a sudden, just how many times people had reached out to her, and how many times she’d turned on them. Like the women who ran the town library Ruth used to volunteer at. She’d left because of Hannah, but she’d cut them off completely—women who used to be her friends.

“I was just tired,” she realised. “Tired of hiding things and tired of being talked about. I didn’t want to add to the conversation, even if the conversation was about me. I didn’t want to convince people that I was worth respect, because I shouldn’t have to.”

“I understand.” He kissed her again, a quick, light touch. But she kissed him back, harder, because she wanted to pour as much affection into this man as possible, and she couldn’t do it with words.

But then, as his hands began to roam beyond the planes of her back, as his kiss heated and his cock hardened beneath her, a thought struck. She pulled back, ignoring his frustrated moan.

“I bet you don’t have a satin pillowcase, do you?” she asked.

He frowned. “A what?”

With a laugh, Ruth shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.”

29

Evan had thought Ruth would be a light sleeper, but she barely stirred when his alarm went off the next morning. When he kissed her cheek, she gave a sleepy grumble and swatted at him. So he kissed her again, on the back of her neck, and then her shoulder.

She mumbled something that sounded like, “Ug uff.”

He ignored the fact that he needed to get up and shower within the next ten minutes. Ruth’s back was pressed to his chest, her feet tangled with his, and the frown forming above her tightly-closed eyes made his heart swell. Apparently, he even loved the sight of her scowl.

“What was that?” he asked lightly. Then he bit her ear.

She snorted. “Go away, you horrible man.”

He laughed. “Alright. I have to get up anyway.”

Immediately, she rolled over and slung an arm around his neck. “Why?”

“Oh, now you want to talk?”

“Shut up.” She snuggled into his chest and wrapped a leg around him. “Go back to sleep.”

“I wish.” Gently, Evan disentangled their bodies and got up, checking the time. He could just fit in a shower, if he had a protein shake for breakfast.

When he came back from the bathroom, he found Ruth sitting up in his bed, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Her hair frizzed out around her head like a crown, her braid having lost most of its structural integrity. She offered him a bleary smile. She looked beautiful.

“What are you doing today?” he asked as he grabbed his clothes.

She appeared to consider that for a moment. “I don’t know. Um… Do you need me to leave? When you do?”

“Nah.” He grabbed the door key from his bedside table and tossed it gently toward her. “You’ll be around when I get home, right?”

Silence.

Evan looked up to find that Ruth had, apparently, caught the keys. She was holding them up in the air, staring at her hand as if it were an alien thing. “Huh,” he said, a smile curving his lips. “I didn’t know you could catch.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You are so annoying.”

“So I hear. From you. Every day.”

“Shut up. Are you… are you sure you want to give me these?”

Evan arched a brow. “Why? Are you going to steal all my shit and hide it in your lair? Also known as the flat next door?”

“Maybe,” she said lightly. “I mean, I might steal your bed.”

“You don’t need to steal my bed.” After dragging on a shirt, he leant down to kiss her. Her lips were soft and warm, gliding over his with aching gentleness, and when he pulled back, she was smiling.

“Are you saying I can use your bed whenever I want?” she teased.

“Yeah. But also, because I’m gonna fix yours after work.”

Ruth’s jaw dropped. “Fix it?”

“Yep.” He found a jacket and slung it on. “Just need to drill the slats into the frame and cut you a new support beam. There’s a lumber yard next to the forge. I can probably grab something there.”

“But…” she spluttered. “You said you couldn’t fix it!”

“No, I didn’t. I said you could sleep with me.”

“You prick!”

He grinned. “I think it was a very