Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Turning, I saw her standing there, looking helpless. “What is it, Shan?”
She gestured to her clothes. “I need help.”
Exhaling the most tense sigh in history, I shook my head and approached her, “Come here, then.”
In quick succession, I had her out of her top and skirt—she’d already lost her shoes somewhere between the living room and here—and then she was crawling into bed in her bra and knickers, her perfect arse in the air as she wrestled with the covers.
“Someone grant me the restraint to survive this,” I muttered to myself as I closed the distance between us and helped her under the duvet. Once she was sufficiently settled with her pretty head on her pillow, I made to leave, but she caught my wrist. Her delicate fingers wrapping around it. I swallowed thickly when she peered up at me with sexy, hooded eyes.
“Will you ever ask again?” she whispered, and I knew instantly what she meant. Would I ever offer for her to use me for sex again? It was an impulsive thing, one borne of possessiveness and jealousy and the inability to function at the thought of her with anyone else. My mind was clearer now, my goal solid.
“No,” I said at last, and her gaze dimmed. Reaching out, I thumbed her lower lip. “The question will be posed differently next time,” I added, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
“Differently how?”
I offered only a tender smile as I leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. “You’ll see.”
Closing her door softly behind me, I went downstairs and set up my bed on the couch. Had my back been giving me hell the last few days? Yes. But had it been worth it to keep Zara and Shannon safe? Also, yes.
Settling in, I stared at the ceiling for a long while, pondering if Shannon’s flirting tonight meant she was starting to let herself have feelings for me again, or was it a simple case of lust and me being there? I was going around in circles in my head until I found myself sitting up and turning on the light. I rummaged some paper and a pen out of the drawer beneath Shannon’s coffee table and began scribbling down lyrics for the first time in over a year and a half.
Your mind weary, you admit the truth,
The words I’d been hoping for
In the morning you’ll say you were just tired
To save face, to feel safe,
But you are safe, you just don’t know it yet
I’ll be all you’d been hoping for
My pulse raced as a melody entered my head. I hadn’t brought any of my guitars over, and my fingers itched to lay down some chords. Remembering the small one I’d been teaching Zara how to play, I found it where she’d left it in the kitchen, then returned to the living room. I played quietly so as not to wake anyone. By the time I finished the song, it was the early hours of the morning, so I put everything away and tried to get some sleep. It was tough as the adrenaline of writing music still rushed through me.
I woke to the sound of soft footsteps followed by Zara dropping on top of me. “Wake up, Daddy.”
Rubbing at my eyes, I blinked them open and found my little girl grinning down at me.
“Morning, beautiful. Want some breakfast?”
“Yes, please!”
Since it was Saturday, I set Zara in front of the TV watching cartoons with a bowl of cereal before going to check on Shannon. Knocking softly on her door, I waited until I heard a groggy, “Yeah?”
“It’s Jace. Can I come in?”
There was some shuffling about and then, “Sure.”
When I entered the room, it was dark. Shannon must’ve gotten up and pulled the curtains because I didn’t remember shutting them last night. Morning light filtered through the cracks. She sat up in bed wearing an oversized T-shirt that she also hadn’t had on when I’d left her last night. Did she remember what we’d spoken about? Judging from the shy look on her face, I suspected yes.
“I’m sorry for falling asleep in the car last night,” she said. “And for being so weird. Exhaustion does strange things to me.”
See? She blamed her tiredness. I knew she would. I didn’t call her on the excuse; I knew she needed something to latch onto because what was happening between us was scary for her.
“You weren’t weird, so no need to apologise,” I responded easily, taking in her pallor and tired eyes. “You want some water? Coffee?”
“Water sounds good.”
“Anything to eat?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. Maybe later.”
When I returned with a large glass of water, I sat on the edge of the bed, handing it to her. Shannon appeared to make an effort not to let our fingers touch, which made me wonder if she’d decided to pull back. No one could deny we’d been getting closer. Maybe last night really had scared her, made her decide to erect a new wall, one where we didn’t touch.