Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 60978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
We were both breathing hard. Cash’s lips brushed my neck where he’d buried his face. He raised his head and kissed me gently before rolling off me, taking me with him. He fumbled for the condom before tossing it into the wastebasket beside the bed.
For several minutes, we lay tangled together, sweat cooling on our skin as our breathing gradually slowed. Cash pulled me more solidly against his chest, his fingers tunneling through my hair to massage my scalp gently. The gentle touch contrasted sharply with the urgency of moments before, creating a strange tenderness threatening to undo me in a different way.
I hadn’t planned on this. I was attracted to Cash. He represented safety and protection, and he’d been so good to Lily. But I knew better than to start a relationship right now. Especially now.
I kept my face pressed against his chest, suddenly afraid of what he might see in my expression. This hadn’t been part of any plan. In the midst of losing control of everything else in my life, I had surrendered control of my body as well, finding momentary escape in the arms of a man I barely knew. A man who had inserted himself into my life and my daughter’s with a determination I still didn’t fully understand.
“You OK?” Cash asked quietly.
I nodded against his chest, not trusting my voice. His heart beat steadily beneath my ear, its rhythm somehow comforting despite my growing unease. When I finally gathered the courage to look up at him, the expression on his face sent a jolt of panic through me. His eyes held something deeper than satisfaction or even affection. He seemed to project a possessive gentleness towards me that I knew better than to accept.
For him, this night had cemented something. I could see it in the softening around his eyes, the slight curve of his lips as he gazed down at me. This hadn’t been casual for him. It hadn’t been just physical release or comfort in a moment of vulnerability. For Cash, this had been a declaration.
The realization sent cold reality washing through me. What had I done? In the midst of fighting to keep my daughter, I had complicated everything by sleeping with a man connected to the very motorcycle club Ms. Winters was using against me. A man who now clearly believed he had some claim to me and Lily.
Gradually, my body tensed beneath his gentle touch. I pulled the sheet higher around myself, suddenly aware of my nakedness in more ways than physical. Cash’s hand stilled on my back, sensing the change in me.
“Eliza?” His voice held a question, concern edging into his tone.
I eased away slightly, creating a small but deliberate space between our bodies. “I should go back to my room,” I said quietly, not meeting his eyes. “It’s late.”
Cash’s expression shifted, confusion and hurt flickering across his features before being masked by careful neutrality. He reached for me, his fingers brushing my cheek. “Stay. You don’t have to go.”
The invitation tempted me. The warmth of his body, the temporary escape from my problems, the comfort of not being alone all appealed to me on a visceral level. But as I looked at him, I knew staying would only make things more complicated when morning came. Ms. Winters was already using my connection to the MC against me. Lily’s future hung in the balance. And Ash’s reappearance had added yet another layer of complexity to an already impossible situation.
“I can’t,” I whispered, rebuilding my walls piece by piece even as I lay in his bed. “This was…” I faltered, unable to say our encounter had been a mistake. Because, if not for whatever crusade Ms. Winters was on, I’d have been thrilled at the prospect of belonging to a man who actually took an interest in his family.
Cash watched me retreat, physically present but emotionally withdrawing. His jaw tightened slightly, but he didn’t try to stop me as I sat up, clutching the sheet to my chest as I looked around for my scattered clothing. The distance between us grew with each passing second, the connection we’d shared just moments ago already fading like a dream upon waking.
All the complications I’d just created settled over me like a heavy, suffocating blanket as I began to dress, turning away from his gaze and the unspoken questions hanging in the air between us.
I opened the door. “I’m sorry, Cash.” Try as I might, I couldn’t meet his gaze before stepping through the door and pulling it closed behind me.
Chapter Twelve
Cash
I leaned against my bike in Haven’s parking lot, watching the morning sun creep across the asphalt. Sleep had eluded me after Eliza left my room last night, her apology hanging in the air between us. My jaw clenched at the memory of her body tensing beneath my touch, walls rebuilding even as she lay in my arms.