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.She gripped the jamb.“Payne? Has he taken a turn for the worse? I had a text from Alexa that said the surgery went well.”“Nothing’s changed there.” He hesitated.“May I come in?”Was it wise? How many times should she offer up her heart as a punching bag? She sighed.At least once more, she supposed, and stood back.“Sure.”“Hungry?” He waved the bag.“Sure,” she said again, and led the way into the kitchen.He watched her pull plates from the cupboard.“Sleepover going okay?”“I checked in not long ago.Obie’s doing well.”“That’s great.” Reed crossed to the kitchen table, took a seat, and began unpacking the cartons from the bag.Then he glanced at her as she sat across from him.“I’m sorry about that scene at the hospital.”“Reed—”“Cami still wants to strangle me, though her mood’s improved now that we know Payne’s going to get through this.”“It’s been a hard day.”“Knocked me for a loop,” Reed said.He pushed the cartons in her direction.“I…I’m not thinking very clearly.”Cleo began dishing food onto the plates, unable to smother the hope sparking inside her.Maybe now was the opportunity to get through to him.Perhaps, with his defenses battered, he would open up to her and share his feelings about Payne’s accident.Reed might even be able to admit he cared about her.Was it too far a stretch to think she could get him to utter the L-word?Hauling in a calming breath, she passed him a plate.“Do you want to talk about it?” she ventured.He pulled a pair of chopsticks from their wrapper.“Can we just sit a while? I need to de-compress.”Cleo told herself she could be patient.Intending to relax him further, she sent him a winsome smile.“Favor?” she asked.“Hmm?”“I’m out of napkins.Would you please grab a new package out of the futility closet?”The tense lines of his face eased.“Futility closet?” he asked, rising.“Wait until you see how hard it is to find something in there.”She was rewarded with a full-fledged grin.It flipped her heart.How much she loved this man.When he returned, he tossed a stack of napkins on the table.“You should go to one of those efficient storage stores, darlin’.For free, they’ll work up the cost of organization—at least give you a ball pen figure.”Her groan made him smile again.“I don’t know,” she said.“Getting someone in there to work on said organization might cause a bigger mess—like a bowl in a china shop.”He shook his head, pointed his chopsticks at her.“Had to work much too hard for that one.”“I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel, I admit.Where do you find yours?”“Most often in the library, that great suppository of learning.I absorb new ones there all the time.”Her frown was severe.“No, thank you.That kind of talk is much too close to otter spraint.”“Admit you’re glad you know that.”As she shook her head, he laughed.“When you’re holding back your smile, a little dimple shows up right here.” Reaching across the table, he brushed his forefinger close to her mouth.The touch felt like a burn.Her gaze locked with his and she shivered.Reed groaned.“Cleo…”“I can’t help it,” she said, looking away.“It’s been an emotional day for me, too.”His hand caught hers.“I’m not complaining about the chemistry.”But couldn’t he see it was more than that? Cleo pushed her plate away.“I’m not hungry anymore.”He squeezed her fingers.“How about for me?”She tried to laugh and it came out sounding strangled.“Sex as a side order?”“Beautiful Cleo,” he murmured.Shouldn’t she stand strong? Not settle for another physical encounter when she wanted the entire egg roll? But Reed was on the other side of her table, her night companion, her complicated, wounded writer, the one who had unlocked the woman from her mom-shell.“You’re looking for a way to say goodbye,” she accused, and there was a catch in her voice.“I wish I didn’t think continuing with what we had wouldn’t hurt you more.And Eli and Obie too.”She sniffed.“Oh, play dirty.”He smiled a little.“I’m being honest.Don’t you think creating something between the four of us that’s unsustainable does them a disservice?”“That sounds like…like words.Not like emotions.”“Cleo, I don’t have the ones you want, you need, you deserve.I cut off the blood supply to them years ago.”After Ben’s suicide, she knew, Reed had convinced himself it was dangerous to care too much.Aah! She wanted to stomp her feet and wail and cry and have a toddler tantrum the likes that no person had ever seen.She wanted to throw pillows and break dishes because just a few minutes ago she’d had the sappy hope that she might coax the word “love” out of the man.Instead she swallowed hard, and pushed back her chair to rise.“I choose just the plain goodbye then, thanks very much.No physical frills necessary.” She began repacking the food in the bag and tried pretending sending the love of her life away wasn’t tearing her up inside.“Don’t you want to read your fortune cookie?” Reed pushed one toward her.“No.” In sudden anger, Cleo smashed it with the flat of her fist.“I only want…I only want.” Then the temper evaporated and she spun away from him, wrapping her arms around her belly.He was up from the table in an instant.His hand closed over her shoulder.She twitched.His hold firmed.“Cleo…”“Just go away.”Instead of obeying, he turned her into him and brought her against his chest.She fought not to cling, but then she was doing just that, her arms around his back, her cheek against his heart.Their bodies aligned so perfectly.He ducked his head, his mouth moving against her cheek.“You want to hate me?”“No.” She shook her head.“Yes.”“I’m taking you to bed.” And then he swung her into his arms.“Okay?”If only that would make her despise him.No, forget him.No.She never wanted to forget him.He jiggled her.“Okay?”“I do hate you,” she said, and fastened her mouth on his throat.His laugh was low, the dark prince taking her to the underworld.As if he thought the same, he left her bedroom darkened.Then he set her on the mattress and his hands were urgent as they undressed her.She cooperated, raising her arms, lifting her hips, as want and resentment twined inside of her.When he came down beside her, both of them naked, she arched her neck as he kissed her there.“Aren’t you going to tell me a story?” she asked, her voice cross.“It’s your turn,” he said, trailing his mouth toward her breast.She moaned as he licked her nipple.“Once upon a time…” he prompted.Her hands dove into his hair, the short strands cool and silky.“Um…”His head lifted.“Little Red Riding Hood came bearing treats.”“Not to grandma.To the Big Bad Wolf.”In the darkness, his teeth flashed white.“Now you’re getting the hang of this.” Growling, he gave a playful bite to her nipple.Cleo squirmed.“And he…” A shiver worked down her body as he sucked at her breast.“What did he do?” she asked, plaintive, while his hand slid down her belly.It stroked between her thighs.“He made Red, or in this case, Blonde, feel very happy,” Reed said.Her hips arched into the touch.“She was supposed to hate him.No, I’m supposed to hate you [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.She gripped the jamb.“Payne? Has he taken a turn for the worse? I had a text from Alexa that said the surgery went well.”“Nothing’s changed there.” He hesitated.“May I come in?”Was it wise? How many times should she offer up her heart as a punching bag? She sighed.At least once more, she supposed, and stood back.“Sure.”“Hungry?” He waved the bag.“Sure,” she said again, and led the way into the kitchen.He watched her pull plates from the cupboard.“Sleepover going okay?”“I checked in not long ago.Obie’s doing well.”“That’s great.” Reed crossed to the kitchen table, took a seat, and began unpacking the cartons from the bag.Then he glanced at her as she sat across from him.“I’m sorry about that scene at the hospital.”“Reed—”“Cami still wants to strangle me, though her mood’s improved now that we know Payne’s going to get through this.”“It’s been a hard day.”“Knocked me for a loop,” Reed said.He pushed the cartons in her direction.“I…I’m not thinking very clearly.”Cleo began dishing food onto the plates, unable to smother the hope sparking inside her.Maybe now was the opportunity to get through to him.Perhaps, with his defenses battered, he would open up to her and share his feelings about Payne’s accident.Reed might even be able to admit he cared about her.Was it too far a stretch to think she could get him to utter the L-word?Hauling in a calming breath, she passed him a plate.“Do you want to talk about it?” she ventured.He pulled a pair of chopsticks from their wrapper.“Can we just sit a while? I need to de-compress.”Cleo told herself she could be patient.Intending to relax him further, she sent him a winsome smile.“Favor?” she asked.“Hmm?”“I’m out of napkins.Would you please grab a new package out of the futility closet?”The tense lines of his face eased.“Futility closet?” he asked, rising.“Wait until you see how hard it is to find something in there.”She was rewarded with a full-fledged grin.It flipped her heart.How much she loved this man.When he returned, he tossed a stack of napkins on the table.“You should go to one of those efficient storage stores, darlin’.For free, they’ll work up the cost of organization—at least give you a ball pen figure.”Her groan made him smile again.“I don’t know,” she said.“Getting someone in there to work on said organization might cause a bigger mess—like a bowl in a china shop.”He shook his head, pointed his chopsticks at her.“Had to work much too hard for that one.”“I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel, I admit.Where do you find yours?”“Most often in the library, that great suppository of learning.I absorb new ones there all the time.”Her frown was severe.“No, thank you.That kind of talk is much too close to otter spraint.”“Admit you’re glad you know that.”As she shook her head, he laughed.“When you’re holding back your smile, a little dimple shows up right here.” Reaching across the table, he brushed his forefinger close to her mouth.The touch felt like a burn.Her gaze locked with his and she shivered.Reed groaned.“Cleo…”“I can’t help it,” she said, looking away.“It’s been an emotional day for me, too.”His hand caught hers.“I’m not complaining about the chemistry.”But couldn’t he see it was more than that? Cleo pushed her plate away.“I’m not hungry anymore.”He squeezed her fingers.“How about for me?”She tried to laugh and it came out sounding strangled.“Sex as a side order?”“Beautiful Cleo,” he murmured.Shouldn’t she stand strong? Not settle for another physical encounter when she wanted the entire egg roll? But Reed was on the other side of her table, her night companion, her complicated, wounded writer, the one who had unlocked the woman from her mom-shell.“You’re looking for a way to say goodbye,” she accused, and there was a catch in her voice.“I wish I didn’t think continuing with what we had wouldn’t hurt you more.And Eli and Obie too.”She sniffed.“Oh, play dirty.”He smiled a little.“I’m being honest.Don’t you think creating something between the four of us that’s unsustainable does them a disservice?”“That sounds like…like words.Not like emotions.”“Cleo, I don’t have the ones you want, you need, you deserve.I cut off the blood supply to them years ago.”After Ben’s suicide, she knew, Reed had convinced himself it was dangerous to care too much.Aah! She wanted to stomp her feet and wail and cry and have a toddler tantrum the likes that no person had ever seen.She wanted to throw pillows and break dishes because just a few minutes ago she’d had the sappy hope that she might coax the word “love” out of the man.Instead she swallowed hard, and pushed back her chair to rise.“I choose just the plain goodbye then, thanks very much.No physical frills necessary.” She began repacking the food in the bag and tried pretending sending the love of her life away wasn’t tearing her up inside.“Don’t you want to read your fortune cookie?” Reed pushed one toward her.“No.” In sudden anger, Cleo smashed it with the flat of her fist.“I only want…I only want.” Then the temper evaporated and she spun away from him, wrapping her arms around her belly.He was up from the table in an instant.His hand closed over her shoulder.She twitched.His hold firmed.“Cleo…”“Just go away.”Instead of obeying, he turned her into him and brought her against his chest.She fought not to cling, but then she was doing just that, her arms around his back, her cheek against his heart.Their bodies aligned so perfectly.He ducked his head, his mouth moving against her cheek.“You want to hate me?”“No.” She shook her head.“Yes.”“I’m taking you to bed.” And then he swung her into his arms.“Okay?”If only that would make her despise him.No, forget him.No.She never wanted to forget him.He jiggled her.“Okay?”“I do hate you,” she said, and fastened her mouth on his throat.His laugh was low, the dark prince taking her to the underworld.As if he thought the same, he left her bedroom darkened.Then he set her on the mattress and his hands were urgent as they undressed her.She cooperated, raising her arms, lifting her hips, as want and resentment twined inside of her.When he came down beside her, both of them naked, she arched her neck as he kissed her there.“Aren’t you going to tell me a story?” she asked, her voice cross.“It’s your turn,” he said, trailing his mouth toward her breast.She moaned as he licked her nipple.“Once upon a time…” he prompted.Her hands dove into his hair, the short strands cool and silky.“Um…”His head lifted.“Little Red Riding Hood came bearing treats.”“Not to grandma.To the Big Bad Wolf.”In the darkness, his teeth flashed white.“Now you’re getting the hang of this.” Growling, he gave a playful bite to her nipple.Cleo squirmed.“And he…” A shiver worked down her body as he sucked at her breast.“What did he do?” she asked, plaintive, while his hand slid down her belly.It stroked between her thighs.“He made Red, or in this case, Blonde, feel very happy,” Reed said.Her hips arched into the touch.“She was supposed to hate him.No, I’m supposed to hate you [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]