Page 40 of Jared's Redemption

I lunge forward, stretching my arm out to catch her and slam her to my chest. Luna’s breath leaves in a rush, her eyes wide as she stares up at me. Everything else fades away as I stare into her blue eyes, the blush on her pale cheeks begging to be kissed.

Her hands grip my arms, our faces so close as I lean forward without realizing it. Amelia calling for us sends me hurtling back to reality, the one where I shouldn’t be thinking of throwing Luna onto the table and fucking her senseless with my name on her lips. Luna jerks away, muttering an apology before rushing from the room. And I stood there, hands clenched tight at my side as I let her leave.

“You need to stop screwing with her heart, Goliath.” Isabelle snaps, storming past us to follow her friend. Alec crosses his arms, one brow raised as he looks me over with disinterest.

“Spit it out.” I tell him, rubbing a hand down the side of my face.

“Stop using her to punish yourself.” Is all he says, clapping a hand on my shoulder to push me towards the living room.

Luna was kneeling on the floor, Amelia in her lap as she impatiently shook a gift.

“Okay Amelia, shred it!” Luna says with excitement. Amelia rips the paper off, revealing a small box.

“Luna, that better not be what I think it is.” Isabelle says, eyes wide. I sit on the floor near them, curiosity getting the best of me. Luna exchanges a mischievous glance with Isabelle while Amelia screams with happiness, grabbing her new toy from the box.

“A microphone?” I ask. Luna holds up a finger, flipping a switch and handing it back to Amelia. The speaker roars to life as the little girl sings off key at the top of her lungs.

“Next year, I’m supervising your Christmas shopping.” Alec groans, flinching as Amelia dances past him. My chest tightens at his words. The idea of her sticking around is too painful to bear, knowing she would eventually move on to find somebody to love.

Would I have to sit back and watch her fall in love with another man? Luna leans close to me, interrupting my thoughts as she guards her mouth with her hand.

“Wait until she opens the drum set.” She says, nodding towards the giant wrapped gift off to the side.

“You’re in trouble, Lunatic.” I laugh, shaking my head. Amelia tore through her gifts, announcing each one with her new beloved microphone. As she jumps up and down, hugging her drum set, Isabelle looked ready to stab somebody.

“I’m buying your kids the noisiest toys I can find, just you wait,” Isabelle sneers, heading to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. My knuckles ache from how suddenly I clench my fist. The idea of Luna swollen with another mans child sends a flare of jealousy through me.

“You’re a menace, Luna.” Markus says with a grin on his face as he looked at the box with excitement.

“Don’t make me regret rescuing you.” Alec says, glaring at Luna, but there’s amusement on his face. She laughs, the sound light and beautiful. Amelia picks up a gift wrapped in purple paper, holding it up for Markus to read.

“That one’s for Luna.” He says, pointing Amelia towards us. She excitedly skips to us and holds the gift out with a bright smile. Luna takes it with confusion, glancing around at everyone.

“I thought we agreed only to get gifts for the kid.” She grumbles. She pulls the paper away, eyes wide as she holds the device out.

“Figured this was easier than carrying around all those books you like.” I say, shrugging as if it’s nothing. Luna hugs the reading tablet to her chest, tears brimming her eyes.

“Thank you.” She breathes the words.

“I found some books that appeared similar to the ones you typically read, so I downloaded them for you.” I say, using my thumb to swipe away a tear that falls down her cheek. My hand lingers, cupping her cheek until Amelia rushes to her, diving into her lap to grip Luna’s face.

“Lulu sad?” She asks with concern on her tiny pouting face.

“Not at all, sweetheart.” Luna says, holding Amelia tight. Isabelle claps her hands, grabbing the remote as she gets everyone’s attention.

“Movie and cocoa time!” Isabelle says excitedly.

Alec brings everyone a steaming mug, except Amelia. Her cup is overflowing with marshmallows and whipped cream as she hazardously climbs into her mother’s lap while we watch with wide eyes. Pulling the curtains closed, Markus and his brother take their seats on either side of Isabelle, who winks at me and signals towards Luna. We take our seats off to the side of the large sectional, awkward distance between us.

“Sorry, we only have one extra blanket.” Isabelle says, wrenching her arm back to throw the blanket at my face. I catch it with a grunt, holding it out to Luna without looking at her as I feign interest in the movie playing. As if I didn’t notice the blankets Isabelle had shoved behind the couch when she thought I wasn’t looking. Everyone is a damn matchmaker.

“We can share.” Luna says, scooting over to sit next to me. She spreads the blanket over both of us, leaning against my shoulder while her eyes track the vibrant movie playing. But I can’t stop staring at her, feeling her so close to me. This was going to be torture.

Chapter 30- Luna

The world was swaying. Warmth had wrapped itself around me and I was content to stay here. Until the click of a lock turning broke through my sleepy haze and I peer through tired eyes. I was in Jared’s arms as he carries me through his front door and softly kicks it shut behind him. Realization dawns that I must have fallen asleep during the movie and Jared carried me back here makes my heart flip.

“You asleep?” he asks, his voice soft, as if afraid to wake me. I lay still, keeping my breathing slow and steady as he takes me to the bedroom, flicking the blanket back before gently lowering me. I want to grab him, wrench him down to lie with me, but I hold back. Jared pulls the covers over me, his weight dipping into the mattress beside me as he brushes my hair back and presses a kiss to my forehead.

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