Page 81 of Frayed Bonds

There’s that scar again, she rubbed it at the mention of her ex and it sent a spiral of worry flooding through me. It extends from below her ear till just before her chin. I noticed it at the family dinner but never got to look at it this closely. It seems fresh enough to have been from only a few years ago because she didn't have it before she left for Paris.

The skin is slightly glossy compared to the skin around it and sunken in as if a lot of skin around it had to have been removed. It even has fine textures almost as if painted on by a paintbrush.

Gently, I graze my finger across it and she starts to stir, a loud moan escapes her lips as she stretches. The sound alone has my blood rushing south but when she turns to face me with her soft sleepy eyes and a smile it truly causes my heart to clench in my chest.

“It's dangerous to lay in my bed and moan like that, it might give me some bad ideas,” I smirk and she scoffs.

“It’s dangerous to let a girl wake up alone in your bed, it might give her some bad ideas,” she pokes back and I chuckle and stand up.

“So I take it you woke up while I was out running?”

“Only for a few minutes, realised where I was and then went back to sleep,” she shrugs.

“Glad you got some more sleep, I was up pretty early.”

“You couldn't sleep?”

I stay silent for a bit, pulling out a pair of my usual black slacks and white shirt, as well as some spare clothes for her and placing them on a chair near the bathroom. “Had a lot going on up here,” I say, pointing to my head.

“You can grab a shower, here’s something else you can wear, I’ll be in the kitchen when you're done.”

“Uhm,” she starts and my head snaps in her direction. “What about your brothers?” She asks about all of them but I know she only cares about one in particular, well maybe two since Gus can’t keep his big mouth shut.

I look down at my hands, unable to meet her eyes, still feeling slightly guilty about what happened last night. I wonder if she regrets it all now. “He headed out pretty early to pick Kaia up from the airport.” I can hear her shift near the bed and I look up as she walks closer. “And the other two aren't home.”

“Thank you for last night,” she says, getting closer.

“Couldn't exactly leave my star employee at the club with some creep,” I shrug it off as if it was nothing when in reality it was everything but nothing.

“I’m not talking about that, Ambrose,” she smiles and before I can even process what’s happening, she’s on the tips of her toes to give me the most gentle kiss I’ve ever felt in my life. It’s innocent like a shared secret; it’s then that I know it’s the innocence of a childhood crush that's never been reciprocated and I do just that. I reciprocate it and make sure she knows I feel the same way.

As she pulls away I lean in and connect our lips, in a similar way to hers. Except I allow her to relax back to her actual height. I feel her smile into the kiss and I can’t help but do the same. She places both hands on my chest and I take it as my hint to cool it. As I stare down at her, her eyes gleam back up at me before she breaks eye contact and smiles. “I should freshen up,” she says and walks towards the bathroom.

I pull her back so her back is pressed against my front and place a kiss on the top of her head.

Chapter thirty-two

Valerie

Water runs down my body as I step into Ambrose’s shower and I nearly melt along with it and travel down the drain. It’s warm against my skin, a welcomed contrast to the chill I’ve been feeling this morning and it’s relieving after the little sleep I've had.

My muscles slowly start to relax and I gently rub my shoulder hoping to ease the tension that lies deep beneath the muscle. The hot water stirs up Ambrose’s scent, I’ve always assumed he smelt this good because of his cologne but it’s multiple scents layered over each other.

As the water causes my body to unwind, my mind joins in and begins dissecting the events of the previous day.

I feel as though a storm ripped through the entire day and left only destruction and confusion in its wake. The fight with Ambrose was enough to bring me to tears, something I didn't think was possible but in hindsight, knowing how I feel now it all makes sense. His apology was the most genuine I’ve seen him and from how the rest of the night unfolded, he seems to be committed to aligning his actions to match his words.

The rest of the night was certainly... something. I knew Ambrose would be there, but as soon as he pulled me aside, his presence became all-consuming and not in a bad way. Us together seemed almost natural, it was casual as if we’d been pretending for years. Part of me wonders how much of it was pretend, especially since I know almost none of it was from my side.

Even though the club was meant to be an escape from everything going on, that moment with Horatio shook me up so much that if Ambrose hadn't shown up I’m pretty sure I would have had a panic attack. It was most likely an honest mistake confusing Ambrose for my husband but it was his accusation that truly unsettled me.

As I finish up in the shower, I let it wash away any physical remnants of the day before but the thoughts linger on long after the water shuts off.

I step out, dry myself off and check my phone. I curse at the numerous missed calls from Karyn, Natalia and even a few from the hospital. I swipe through the messages and notice a few payment reminders as well.

“Fuck,” I whisper and hurry to get dressed into the clothes Ambrose gave me to wear. I’m drowning in the oversized shorts and t-shirt so much so that I pass on the shorts and wear just the shirt instead. It’s practically knee length so it covers everything it needs to and since no one else is home it should be okay.

I scan through the message and sigh, Karyn went to visit my dad since he was finally awake after surgery and they're saying he needs to stay for a few days longer than planned for monitoring. Nat keeps checking if I’m okay, so I fire off a text saying I’m fine.

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