Page 59 of Broken-Hearted

At the foot of the porch staircase, I grind to a halt. “Uh, I’m actually kind of tired. I didn’t realize it was so late.”

He looks at me. “So you want to go to your cabin?”

I pull on my hand so he knows I want him to let go. “Yeah. But...”

“But what?” he prompts.

Jeremy said Nathan had a soft heart, and the longer I’m with him, the more I see it. I have to be careful because I could do some real damage with my tendency to lash out.

“I like you,” I tell him quietly.

His shoulders relax. “And that’s a bad thing?”

I gesture toward the house. Someone is watching a TV show in the den. Laughter drifts from the kitchen, as does the scent of cooking food. Upstairs, a baby giggles, the sweet sound followed by Talis laughingly telling Dayne not to throw Patrick too high.

“This is your home. Your life. Not mine.”

“There’s no reason it can’t be yours as well.” He gently tugs me toward him.

I resist, keeping my distance. “There is.”

Even if I can’t remember what that reason is.

He brushes a kiss across my knuckles and releases me. “Okay. Dayne was saying we’re having a pack run later tonight.Marshall and Jenna have opted to watch a movie instead. Come. It’ll be fun.”

“Maybe.” I turn to walk away.

I don’t make it two steps before Nathan is spinning me around. “Ah, I forgot something.”

“That thing was?”

He slides an arm around my waist, dips his head, and kisses me. “That. In case you don’t come to the run later.”

“You’re fond of taking liberties, Blackshaw,” I say, fighting to contain my smile.

His eyes dip to my mouth. “You don’t look like you have a problem with it, peach.”

I turn around before he can see my smile because he’s right. I don’t seem to have a problem with it. “Enjoy your run tonight,” I call out.

“I’ll come see you after.”

“No, you won’t.” I back up, seeing the tired lines on his face. “You’ll be having that run with your packmates then catching up on sleep.”

“An order.” He looks delighted. “Have any more for me?”

I laugh when he waggles his eyebrows suggestively. “Goodnight, Blackshaw. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, peach.”

Back in my cabin, I don’t know what to do with myself.

I’ve always been with Martha. Now I’m in a pack, alone in a cabin in the woods.

Since my cabin is a mess, as usual, I spend the next hour cleaning, followed by a long, hot shower. I still have Nathan’s cell phone, which he forgot to take back, so I send Martha a quick text goodnight. Her lack of response means she’s busy hanging out with the rest of the pack, or she’s up to extra-curricular activities with Ty. Probably the latter.

I make pasta and vodka sauce from a jar, get ready for bed, and curl up on the bed with a book I randomly grab from a bookcase.

I fall asleep before I finish one page, waking at a small sound just outside my cabin. I close my book and set it aside as I get to my feet. Despite the fancy nightdress that Nathan bought for me, I have taken to sleeping in one of his shirts.

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