Page 61 of Singing For His Kiss

After what they’d shared, even thinking about leaving tore a hole in her heart. It was going to be so hard. However making love to him like this was only putting off the inevitable.

She sighed, steeling herself. At least she had memories to take with her. Memories she’d covet like aged whiskey. She’d let the memories flow, smooth and heated when she only had herself to keep warm at night. After he hated her for bringing David Logan to his doorstep and deceiving him from who she actually was.

“What was that sigh about?”

She closed her eyes for a moment, scooting back on the bed and pulling out of his reach. She tucked the sheet around her breasts. It would only take a mere touch to completely undo her, and she needed distance to do this.

“Don’t tell me,” he said.

Her brow scrunched in a frown. “What?”

“I can tell something is wrong. From yesterday. You haven’t been yourself. If you don’t want to tell me, don’t,” he said.

She shook her head. If he knew what she had to say, he wouldn’t be telling her to keep it to herself. “You can’t say that.”

“All I know is, whatever it is, it can’t be bad enough for that look on your face,” he said.

“What look?”

“That look as though the end of the world is coming,” James said.

Not the end of the entire world; just the world as she wanted it to be. This was so hard. He reached for her, but she drew back. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew what it was.”

James leaned back against the headboard, pulling the sheet to his waist. At least now she could think a little clearer without the temptation of his naked body. He turned those serious eyes on her, pinning her.

“Whatever it is, we’ll get through it. I’m not going to let anything come between us. You’re not alone anymore, Elizabeth.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you knew what I want...need...to tell you.” The words that fell from her mouth were as sharp as ragged glass splinters.

“Elizabeth, understand me, whatever it is, I’ll help you.” He splayed his fingers through his hair. “I know I’ve only known you a week, but...”

“No! Don’t!”

She held out her palm, panic causing her heart to pound against her ribs. Whatever he said was only going to make it harder. She didn’t know what to do with this understanding. She didn’t deserve it. Any of it.

“The way I feel...”

“Stop!”

She leapt from the bed, yanking the sheet around her. She grabbed the jumper he’d shrugged off last night from the floor and tossed it to him. He caught it with a deep frown on his face.

“Just listen to me, James.”

He covered himself with the jumper, a dangerous look on his face, “Tell me, Elizabeth, but it’s not going to change the way I feel about you.”

“You won’t say that when you know,” she muttered.

“Did you have a sleepover in Daddy’s bed, Liz’beth?”

Elizabeth spun to see Madeline peeping around the open door. Her hair was sleep-tussled. She wiped unruly strands out of her eyes and tucked her teddy bear she slept with under her chin.

Elizabeth forced a relaxed smile on her face. "Hello, honey. How are you this morning?”

Madeline’s large blue eyes slid from her to James. “How come you have a jumper in your lap?”

James slipped the jumper over his head. “Just getting dressed, sweetheart.”

Madeline smiled. “You have to stand up to get dressed, silly.” She raced to the bed and jumped on James, squealing when he wrapped his arms about her in a bear hug.

“Are you coming to bed, Liz’beth? We can all play bears in the bed together,” Madeline said.

Elizabeth shook her head, desperately trying to ignore the temptation to take Madeline up on her suggestion and hug the two people who had come to mean so much to her.

“No, honey. Not this time. You have some time with Dad, and I’m going to go and get dressed.”

“We’ll talk about this later, Elizabeth,” James said.

She paused, one hand on the door frame, studying the pair as her heart swelled. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, knowing there would be no later.

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