Page 85 of Finding Forever

“What?”

“The one you mentioned earlier. Margaret?”

“Margot.”

“Are you still in contact with her?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

She opened her mouth, ready to reply, then pressed her lips together and shook her head.

“I meantno, I’m not doing this. You don’t want to be my confidante, remember? So I won’t be confiding in you today, only to be shut down when I attempt to talk to you again tomorrow or the day after. You’re feeling generous now because I helped with your headache. Things will be different when you remember that you can barely tolerate me.”

Fern pushed to her feet and wrapped the light throw around her shoulders. She set her e-reader aside and carried herempty glass to the sink to give it a quick rinse, before retrieving her device and facing him again.

He was watching her with hooded eyes, looking wary and a little frustrated.

“Have a good night, Cade.”

“Fern, stay. We don’t have to talk, we can watch a movie.”

She hesitated again and he leaned forward, that intent look still on his face as he watched her closely.

“What kind of movies do you enjoy?”

Her gaze darted to the large screen television which was in a second, smaller, recessed entertainment room, complete with a fireplace and a high-end multimedia set up.

“I’m tired.” She shook her head stubbornly, refusing to be tempted. She hadn’t really watched many movies, it had been discouraged by the school. One of their many draconian rules. And whenever she’d found herself back with the Abernathys, she’d been too busy avoiding her stepsiblings and hanging out with the staff to spend much time watching television.

Honestly, she’d been tempted to see what was available to watch on Cade’s state of the art massive television, but had been daunted by the sheer size and scope of the system. She hadn’t the faintest clue how any of it worked.

She was shocked by a flash of what looked remarkably like disappointment in his gray eyes before he shuttered his gaze and nodded.

“I understand,” he told her. “If you change your mind, I’ll be here for a while. I probably won’t be able to get to sleep for a good couple of hours now thanks to the nap I just had.”

“Good night, Cade,” she said decisively and his throat worked as he swallowed and he nodded.

“Sleep well, Fern.”

Cade stayed up for hours,watching random bullshit, hoping that Fern would join him eventually. Once the clock struck midnight, and it became clear that she would not be venturing out of her room again, he switched off the television. He sat in the dark silence for a few moments trying to sort through his emotions. Disappointment being the pre-eminent feeling. Followed by irrational bitterness and resentment that she’d deprived him of her company.

None of that made sense. Not when her arguments for not staying were absolutely correct. Cade didn’t like having his own words flung back at him, but all of his earlier points remained valid.

Only Cade wasn’t feeling particularly sensible right now. Despite his conviction that they should maintain a healthy emotional distance between them, he’d found himselfwantingto spend time with her. Talk to her. Learn more about her.

And it wasn’t just the outstanding sex that had muddled his feelings about this.

He scrubbed his hands over his face, and then ran his hands through his hair, tugging at the long strands in frustration. It was oily, thanks to the stuff she’d used on him earlier. The smell of eucalyptus and lavender still clung to his skin and he groaned… because it no longer brought his grandparents to mind. No, now all he could think of were those soft, soothing hands firmly kneading his skin.

Earlier her touch had been mildly arousing but mostly it had relaxed him and had eased away his pounding headache. Now his cock hardened at the memory of her hands on his body. He imagined her firm grip on his shaft, her palm slick with that mildly tingling oil and he groaned at the mere thought of it.

He shouldn’t have fucked her. Because now all he could think of was the taste of her mouth, her skin, her pussy. The silky feel of her skin, her soft hands on his body, the hot, tightclench of that sweet pussy. The sounds she made when he fed his cock into her hungry mouth, her moans when she’d sucked him, her helpless cries when she’d come undone around his shaft.

It was a distraction he didn’t want. Knowledge that should’ve remained a mystery.

He’d fucked up. Badly. And now he was left with this gnawing ache… a drivingneedthat he knew exactly how to satisfy but also knew he should ignore for both of their sakes.

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