Unhinge - Calia Read Page 0,56

me straight in the eye. I didn’t see regret or embarrassment. He meant every single word. My stomach twisted tightly from the intensity in his gaze.

We were quickly veering past the normal bounds of conversation into a place we had no business being in.

It was then that I realized Sinclair had listened to every word I said. Better yet, he seemed interested. My husband didn’t. Even from the beginning, conversations always circled around Wes. He would listen to me talk but it always came back to him in the end. And maybe I’d known that all along. Maybe I’d told myself I was okay with that.

But I had to admit, it felt amazing to be heard.

Sinclair cleared his throat. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” I replied as I set the scissors down.

“Did you work before you got married?”

I paused, my hands hovering over the vase. “I was a nurse.”

“But not now,” he stated flatly.

I nodded. “Wes and I wanted to start a family.”

Wes and I? What a joke. The more time that passed, the more I realized that Wes could spend the rest of his life childless and be perfectly fine.

“But not anymore?” Sinclair asked.

“Not anymore.”

Sinclair leaned against the table, watching me carefully, as if I were a puzzle piece he couldn’t seem to click into place. “Do you miss being a nurse?”

“I do.” My voice was quiet even to my own ears. This should have been a moment where I quickly changed the subject, but my lips parted. “I worked mostly in the emergency room. It was crazy most of the time. Sometimes I would be so exhausted at the end of the day I would lay my head on the pillow and pass out. But there was always something new each day. It was never dull.”

“You really loved it.”

I smiled very faintly. “I still do.”

“Then go back.”

I lowered the scissors and looked at Sinclair beneath my lashes. “I wish it was that simple.”

“Of course it’s that simple.”

“No, it’s not. It’s—” Abruptly I stopped talking. Frustration was starting to creep into my words. It was impossible to explain the situation to him. He wouldn’t understand. No one would understand.

“I’m not trying to make you angry,” Sinclair said after a beat of silence.

I slumped over the table and rubbed my temples. I wished I could tell him the truth. “I know you’re not.”

He stood up and walked around the table. His shoulder brushed against mine. Heat. All heat. It was enough to make me feel like I was going up in flames. Or maybe that was my body reacting to him. Not even with Wes did I respond that way. I wanted to shift my arm away but I couldn’t. It was amazing to have all these feelings brewing inside me.

“I would say I’m trying not to pry into your life, but that’s not true.”

Instead of answering, I kept my head down, staring at the oak table.

“I’ve watched how he is with you….It isn’t right.”

Sinclair rested his elbows on the table and looked into my eyes and leaned in so close, our faces were mere inches apart. The guise of friendship slipped from his eyes, only to be replaced with blatant desire. Goosebumps broke out across my skin.

“You deserve better,” he said gruffly.

I nodded, the only thing I could do. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t speak.

What was this between us?

I’ve loved.

I’ve liked.

I’ve lusted.

But none of those feelings came close to right now.

I knew that Sinclair felt this…this connection between us too. His brows slammed together as his gaze made a game of going between my lips and eyes. On his tan neck, I could see the fluttering of his pulse.

It was beating just as hard as mine.

Sinclair moved closer. And I did the craziest thing: I leaned in too. But I didn’t feel like I had a choice. I couldn’t remember the last time a man actually looked at me and didn’t see me as his to own. I wanted to be honest with Sinclair and tell him just that. My mouth opened.

“Sinclair, I—”

Right then the shop bells sounded as the door opened. I jumped away from the table like it was on fire.

“Okay, I’m back,” Renee said, out of breath. She carried two large brown bags. Her steps were quick as she made a beeline to where Sinclair and I now stood with a healthy distance between us. “That took much longer than I anticipated.”

I crossed my arms and then dropped my hands to my sides. I