Page 114 of Absolution

Twenty-Nine

Christian

She inhales deeply, on a little shudder, then lets it out in a heavy sigh. “I was thinking that I don’t know that much about you.”

I tilt back my head, leaning it against the backrest, and study her. “You’d be surprised, Ker. You know more about me than anyone else.”

“That’s not saying much.”

“Maybe.”

She raises the glass toward me, her index finger pointing at my chest. “You know a lot about me.”

“In a way, yes. It was my job. And then… it spiraled a bit out of control.” I grimace. More than a bit.

She looks down and fiddles with a loose thread at the edge of the checkered throw blanket. My whole being reaches toward her. I want to take that little hand and hold it tight until she knows she is safe with me.

“Are we enemies, Kerry?”

She goes absolutely still, then she slowly raises her head and meets my gaze, the fire making her eyes gleam. “No… I don’t think so,” she whispers.

“Good.”

Silence mounts between us and it gets increasingly harder to breathe.

“So, uhm… you went for a walk today?” Kerry’s eyes dart to the fire and then back to mine.

I laugh. “That was an awkward moment just then, wasn’t it?”

Kerry hugs the blanket tighter around her and stares into the fire, shifts, shifts again.

I glance at her occasionally and finally our eyes meet. “I’d almost given up hope on that,” I say.

“On what?”

“On being non-enemies.”

“I don’t think we’ve been enemies for a long time,” she says slowly, her voice huskier.

“But that’s not the same as being friends, is it?”

She shakes her head.

“Are we friends?” I ask.

She’s silent a few moments. “I’d say we’re friendly.”

My heart jolts. “That’s a start.”

“Yes.”

“All right.” I slap the armrest and stand. “Let’s go get you those pajamas and a toothbrush. I’m a man of my word.”

“I thought you were bad at keeping your promises,” she blurts out.

I spin around. Her eyes widen, as if she realized what she just said. Oh, yes, I am. With her I fucking am. This gentleman thing is getting old. Clearing my throat, I take the half-stair in three long strides and pull open the closet in the corridor opposite one of the bathrooms, pulling out a pile of what she needs. As I turn, I find her close. Too close. Her sweet scent reaches my nostrils and something primal in me awakens. A couple of steps away there’s a bedroom with a door we can lock, Cece’s asleep, and my cock suddenly screams for her touch.

“It’s nice to have the both of you here. Good night.” I push the items into her arms and dart toward my room without waiting for an answer. I’m trying to keep my promises. I really am.

---